Brett Shelby for the Emerald
Kent (second from front) could be a threat in the Pac-10200 this weekend.
Softball
continued from page 7
second on the play. Poore followed
with a single to load the bases.
•Bergstrom reached base on a
third error by the Penn State short
stop. Vidlund scored on the play to
give Oregon a 10-4 lead.
“I’m proud of our team and espe
cially (Vidlund),” Arendsen said.
“She had a huge hit and really
stepped up in the circle when she
had to.”
Vidlund earned the save for Ore
gon despite giving up four runs in
the top of the seventh. She struck
out Penn State’s go-ahead run for
the last out of the game.
“I felt when they hit the three-run
home run, it kind of took a little
wind out of our sails,” Penn State
head coach Robin Petrini said.
“Most teams would have pulled in
the pup tent, and we fought right
back. We got down to them having
to get the last batter out.”
Pitcher Amy Harris started the
game for Oregon. She was relieved
by Meashintubby in the second af
ter giving up two runs. Vidlund
came in during the sixth inning for
Meashintubby. Meashintubby
earned the win.
“(Harris) had the freshman jit
ters,” Arendsen said. “We know we
have a deep pitching staff, and she
was struggling with her command.”
The win was the first time Ore
gon has opened regionals with a
win since a 3-2 win over Galifor
Kent
continued from page 7
including his father. He was held out
during basketball season so he could
develop as a basketball player, but he
still practiced with the team.
Track season has been a nip-and
tuck affair for Kent. He competed in
the long jump twice, the 200 once
and the 100 once all season.
But that’s not a bad thing unless
you’re a fan who missed seeing Kent
in action this year.
“In other sports you practice,
practice, practice until you’re in
pain,” Kent said. “In track, pain is a
good indication of when you need to
stop. You’re not necessarily trying to
put in a lot of hours, but more so,
just quality hours.”
Ernie Kent agrees that spotty train
ing is the best training for his son, who
joined the track team months after
most of the other Duck athletes did.
“I’m not a track coach, but I know
athletes, and I think I would’ve done
it the exact same way in terms of
making him a specialty guy as op
posed to trying to do too much with
him,” Ernie Kent said. “I’ve been very
impressed with (Coach Smith).”
The slow training period has been
necessary for Jordan Kent because
of his transition from high school to
college. Kent dominated Oregon
high school athletics like Shaq would
iiaiiiii
Kent fill
Born: Jordan Russell Kent on July 24,1984 in Dhabran,
Saudi Arabia
Before Oregon: Won seven Oregon 4A individual track titles
in three years at Churchill High. Also led Churchill to 4A title in
basketball in junior season.
Oregon: Redshirted basketball season and competed
dominate a YMCA team. He won a
total of seven state 4A track titles,
three in the 400, two in the 200 and
one each in the long jump and 100.
He added a 4A basketball title.
But Division I athletics isn’t
filled with cupcakes and ballerinas.
Especially in the Pac-10, which is
noted for its strength in both bas
ketball and track.
“You’ve got to realize that you’re
not going to be a star; you’re not go
ing to win every race like you did in
high school,” Kent said. “It teaches
you to be patient and a lot smarter.”
Except that, well, Kent sort of has
won every race this year. Admittedly,
you could count those races on less
than one hand, but he did win the
200 at the recent Oregon Twilight
and the 100 at the Oregon Invitation
al. The only event he didn’t win this
year was the Invitational long jump,
when he tweaked his groin in the
middle of the competition and fin
ished third. Kent said he won’t com
pete in the long jump this weekend
but might compete at the NCAA Re
gional meet, where a re-injury would
n’t affect his team’s performance.
“The main goal is to get the team a
Pac-10 tide, and more than trying to
spread myself thin, I want to do the
best I can in each event,” Kent said.
“I’ve got to find an equilibrium where I
can do the most events but still not
wear myself out. That’s the challenge.”
Kent, forever humble, said he
doesn’t expect to make the NCAA
Championships in any event,
though the regional format should
benefit true competitors like him.
Kent, working off the assump
tion his season will end early, said
he’ll take a week and a half off af
ter track ends before he picks up a
basketball again.
Five bucks says he’s on a basket
ball court within two days.
Contact the sports editor
atpeterhockaday@dailyemerald.com.
Mark McCambridge Emerald
Andrea Vidlund (8) earned the save in Oregon's 10-8 win over Penn State in the first game of the NCAA Tournament
nia in 1994.
“This team hasn’t been (to re
gional) in three years, but this is
the same type of game we’ve been
playing all season,” Arendsen said.
“We like them close.”
Oregon plays Oklahoma State at
2 p.m. Friday. The No. 2-seeded
Cowgirls beat Boston 1-0 Thursday.
Contact the sports reporter
at mindirice@dailyemerald.com.
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