Sports Editor
Peter Hockaday
peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com
Thursday, May 22,2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald --
Sports
Best bet
NCAA World Series softball:
California vs. UCLA
6:30 p.m., ESPN2
UO doubles rolls into NCAA Elite Eight
Ducks Courtney Nagle and Daria Panova
advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA
Women’s Tennis Championships
Tennis
Ryan Heath
Sports Freelancer
And just like that, the Oregon singles ten
nis season is over. Just as Duck sophomore
Daria Panova was beginning to look unbeat
I
able in tournament play and fellow Duck
Manuel Kost was entering first round play in
the men’s NCAA Championships, they’ve just
as quickly been ousted.
Despite the disappointment of the singles
loss, Panova teamed up with Courtney Nagle
to continue their season and advance to the
Elite Eight of the national tournament.
No. 15 Panova, ending an 11-match tourna
ment-winning streak and her singles season,
fell to No. 8 Jewel Peterson of Southern Cali
fornia, 6-2, 6-3.
“I didn’t play that well, and she played real
ly well,” Panova said in an interview with
gatorzone.com. “She made more good plays,
and I couldn’t keep up. She deserved to win.”
It was the second time this year that Peter
son has beaten Panova, and she had nothing
but compliments for the Ducks’ No. 1 player.
“She is a great competitor, and we have al
ways had tough matches,” Peterson said. “It’s
good to play against familiar competition (in
the NCAAs) because it shows that our confer
ence is a great conference.”
The Pacific-10 Conference is represented
by three of eight players in the quarterfinals
of the national championship.
Panova finishes this singles season as the
Pac-10 Indoor and Outdoor Champion as well
as Pac-10 Player of the Year and the Oregon
single-season victories record-holder.
Doubles went better for the Ducks, despite
the fact they went down early.
No. 33 Nagle and Panova defeated the Flori
da duo of Alexis Gordon and Julia Scaringe, 3
6,6-3, 6-4, on the Gators’ home court.
“We got some balls to go our way, which real
ly gave us a lift,” Nagle said. “We got on fire, and
Turn to Tennis, page 12
American idol
Duck star Becky Holliday looks up to world
record-holder Stacy Dragila, who will return
once again for the Pre Classic on Saturday
Prefontaine Classic
Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
When Becky Holliday hears the name Stacy Dragi
la, her eyes expand. A smile drifts across her face and
she pauses, thinking of what to say.
As the thought fades in her mind that one day that
could be her, she begins.
“I just look at her, and it’s almost like I don’t know
what to say about her,” the Oregon senior said.
“She’s so amazing, I don’t know if there’s good
enough words.”
Another pause, and she tries to explain.
“I think of this woman as the most awesome woman
pole vaulter ever. I love watching her vault and I hope
that I can accomplish half of what she has.”
Stacy Dragila holds the world record in the
women’s pole vault.
Dragila is Holliday’s idol. Holliday is second in the
world rankings to Dragila.
“I’m very flattered,” Dragila, the 1997 World Indoor
Champion, said. “It’s fun to watch her, and she’s very
determined out there. I think she’s done some great
things at UO, and I think she has a great future.”
After clearing a personal record 14 feet, 6 inches at
the Pacific-10 Conference Championships, Holliday
moved to eighth all-time in America and earned the
second-highest mark in the world this season.
Dragila’s list of accomplishments is longer than the
15-foot pole she uses to earn them. As the first-ever
Olympic Gold Medalist in 2000, the Pocatello, Idaho,
native is a four-time U.S. outdoor champion and six
time U.S. indoor champion.
Holliday figures that Dragila is accustomed to be
ing on top.
“She’s so focused out there, and she’s got this look
in her eye like she’s so confident, and she knows she’s
going to win,” Holliday said.
Dragila will attempt a third-straight victory in the
Prefontaine Classic this weekend. The Idaho State
graduate returns undefeated at Hayward field.
“UO has always had a huge impact on me,” Dragila,
said. “It’s fun to see a sold-out crowd. People know
who you are. And you’re going to get to go home by
signing autographs afterwards.”
In 2001, the first edition of the women’s pole vault,
Dragila finished eight inches above the runner-up,
clearing 15-01 1/2. Last year, she upped it to 15-05
3/4, the current Hayward Field and Pre Classic record,
finishing 3/4 of an inch better than second place.
Pre Classic meet Director Tom Jordan thinks her
world record of 15-9 1/4 could be re-written Saturday.
“The thing with Stacey being the current world
record holder is she could set a new one,” Jordan said
of the 1999 World Champion. “It would be great. It
would be one of those memorable moments.”
The field remains unchanged from 2002, including
Mary Sauer (2nd), Mel Mueller (3rd), Jill Schwartz,
Kellie Suttle and newcomer Thory Edda Elisdottir
from Iceland.
The one name not on that list is Holliday. Fans
must await the Holliday-Dragila battle as the 23-year
old Duck is saving her energy for the NCAA’s West Re
gional Qualifier and NCAA Championships.
In one month, the two could match up at the USA
Outdoor Championships in Palo Alto, Calif.
“If she ever thought of me as a competitor, that would
just mean I’m achieving my goals,” Holliday said.
Dragila’s pole vaulting career didn’t begin until her
college days. In high school, the 2000 Jesse Owens
Award winner was a 400-meter hurdler. Holliday’s ca
reer began at 16, earning awards such as the Nevada
State prep title in 1998.
Although seemingly opposed, the duo’s mentality is
spot on.
“Obviously you can tell she might be one of the
hardest working people out there, and that’s what I
Turn to Dragila, page 12
Emerald
Stacy Dragila won the first and only Olympic gold medal in the women's pole vault
Emerald
Gail Devers'trademark nails and hair will be back at the Pre — along with her top form.
Gail Devers headlines a deep and talented
100-meter hurdle crowd that includes many
of the same athletes as last year’s Pre Classic
Prefontaine Classic notes
Peter Hockaday
Sports Editor
The fields of the 2003 Prefontaine Classic are
starting to shape up, and it looks like at least one
field will be all about long nails and curly hair Satur
day at Hayward Field.
Gail Devers is back to headline an impressive
women’s 100-meter hurdle field that includes eight
of the world’s top 10 hurdlers.
Devers is undoubtedly the queen of the hurdles. She
has two Olympic gold medals in the 100-meter dash
and seven national titles in the 100 hurdles. Three
Devers returns to Pre,
Montgomery withdraws
children’s books are even written about her. She holds
the American and Hayward Field records, and easily
won the Pre hurdles last year by .22 seconds.
She’ll be challenged by some of the same hurdlers
this year. Miesha McKelvy, who finished second at the
Pre last year, will be back. So will Lacena Golding
Clarke, who finished third, and Jenny Adams, who fin
ished fourth. The main addition this year is Brigitte
Foster, who finished second in the world last season.
Montgomery out
Tim Montgomery, “The World’s Fastest Man,” an
nounced Wednesday that he will not run at this
year’s Pre Classic. Montgomery, who broke the 100
meter dash world record at the 2002 World Champi
onships, is recovering from Achilles tendinitis and
wouldn’t be able to run this weekend without wors
ening his injury.
Montgomery will miss the chance to battle
Turn to Pre, page 12