Sports Editor:
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
-Oregon Dailv Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NHL:
Anaheim at N.Y. Rangers
4:30 p.m., ESPN2
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Hank Hager
Behind the dtsh
Surgery
gives new
outlook
on life
What sociology Professor Ken Liberman
has done by rehabilitating himself after heart
surgery is nothing short of phenomenal.
Just three years ago, he had his aortic valve
replaced with a pig valve. Earlier this month,
he won a body building competition.
When the Hollywood, Calif., native e
mailed me two weeks ago with the above
information, I immediately became inter
ested in his situation. I was intrigued by
what he had done.
1 was intrigued because I also know
what it's like to have to face a situation like
his. Almost two years ago, I underwent a
similar procedure. The only major differ
ence between his surgery and mine is that
1 was able to keep my valve by having Gor
tex'—‘yes, the material that is used in jack
ets — patched into my valve.
It will be two years on Dec. 7 since my
surgery. While Liberman underwent his
procedure in Eugene, I did mine at Stan
ford Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif.
Where it was done, though, means little.
Regardless of where a patient resides for that
long and mentally draining week, the after
effects of the procedure are always intense.
That's what makes Liberman's story so im
pressive; it's so amazing that only individu
als who are driven by an intense drive to suc
ceed can do what he did.
Turn to HAGER, page 6A
First place
for Panova
at Stanford
Junior Daria Panova captures
the ITA Northwest Regional
Championships on Monday
By Alex Tam
Sports Freelancer
Daria Panova lived up to expectations
on Monday as one of the best women's
tennis players to come through Oregon.
Panova triumphed over California's star
freshman, Sasha Podkolzina, in three sets
TENNIS Omni Hotel ITA
in Palo Alto, Calif. Panova, a third-year
Duck, will earn a spot at the ITA National
Championships at Michigan on Nov. 6.
"I've never been more proud of a player
than Daria this week," head coach Nils
Schyllander said. "She played very, very fo
cused and took it to the level she needed
to. We're very excited for her; it was a great
— 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 —
in the finals of the
singles draw at the
Northwest Region
al Championships
Turn to TENNIS, page 6A
Tournament hopes still going strong
After posting a shutout on
Sunday, the Ducks are
excited about the possibility
of a postseason appearance
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
———
For the past seven years, Ore
| gon's season has ended no later
than Nov. 11. The first two weeks
of November have always marked
the end of regular season play.
This year, the women's soccer
team's regular season ends Nov.
9 against UCLA. After that, the
first round of the NCAA tourna
ment takes place Nov. 14-16 and
ends with the championship
game on Dec. 7.
Oregon (8-8 overall, 2-3 Pac-10)
desperately wants to play on Nov.
14. It would
mark the first
time in pro
SOCCER 8ram historY
__ that Oregon
would com
pete in postseason play.
"Right now we look at the
(NCAA) tournament as it's going
to be difficult, but it's still doable,"
head coach Bill Steffen said. "And
for us to say the tournament is still
doable at this point in the season
is a good thing."
The younger Duck generation
feels as if it owes the postseason to
the veterans.
"For our two seniors, especially
Lindsey Werdell, she's been here
for four years, and she's never been
to the tournament," redshirt soph
omore Nicole Garbin said. "That's
one of our goals to get her there."
No specific criteria could make
or break Oregon's attempt at the
postseason, Steffen said. The
NCAA offers 32 automatic bids
and the decision process includes
how teams have competed against
former tournament veterans.
Oregon has four games left
against the Arizona and Los Ange
les schools. Arizona State, UCLA
and USC have been NCAA quali
fiers each of the past two seasons.
If Oregon wins two of the next
four, then "it's questionable," Stef
Danielle Hickey Senior Photographer
Oregon's Mele French (9) is confident that the Ducks will win at least nine games this season.
fen said. If Oregon wins three of
the next four, "we're in," he added.
"To an extent, we control our
own fate, but it's going to be diffi
cult," Steffen said.
Is this the best team in
Oregon's history?
Many coaches and players will
say records and statistics don't re
flea the true performance of a team.
That is, unless the team is winning.
With the 2-0 win over Cal on
Sunday, the Ducks garnered their
eighth win and tied the best record
in program history — an 8-8-2 fin
ish in 2001. Oregon is 2-3 in Pacif
ic-10 Conference play.
"The very first thing I said to
them in August was that this team
will win more games than any
team in program history," Steffen
said. "So far they've equaled it,
and now they’ve got one more to
go. It's a great testimony to their
efforts and their abilities."
One more win would statistical
ly make this year's team look like
the best in history. Another confer
ence win would match the all-time
best Pac-10 total after finishing 3
5-1 in 1999 and 3-6 in 1998.
The Ducks are confident that
they will make history in the next
two weeks.
"Yeah, we're going to pass it" soph
omore forward Mele French said.
Changing it up
Oregon has been all about trying
new things this season. In 16 games
played, Steffen has put 12 different
starting lineups on the field.
The Ducks continue to show their
depth by constantly rotating in fresh
players. Friday's game against Stan
ford marked the sixth time this year
that at least 18 or more Ducks took
the field in one game.
Oregon has stayed true to its
regular starting seven. That group
includes goalkeeper Domenique
Lainez, defenders Christine Mintz
and Carlie Ashcraft, midfielders
Cristan Higa and Werdell and for
wards Garbin and French.
Holding her own
Mintz, a junior, currendy holds the
longest starting streak for the Ducks
at 34 games. The Vashon Island,
Wash., native's streak extends
through the beginning of the 2002
season, when she started every game.
The Bellarmine Prep graduate
played her first season for Oregon
in 2002 after transferring from
UConn. She played in 17 games
for the Huskies, who advanced to
the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2001.
Contact the sports reporter
at jessethomas@dailyemerald.com.
Kevin Sullivan Orange County Register
UCLA’s Drew Olson (14) went 5-1 as a starter,
but backed up Matt Moore on Saturday.
UCLA runs over Sun Devils;
still tied with WSU for first
The Bruins continue to surprise fans
with a 4-0 conference record that puts
them in a tie for the Pac-10 lead
By Mindi Rice
Senior Sports Reporter
UCLA is still undefeated in the Pacific-10 Conference
One sophomore, Matt Moore, is in at quarterback
while another, Drew Olson, is out of the starting
role. That didn't matter to the Bruins (6-2 overall, 4
0 Pac-10 ) on Saturday.
Taking advantage of an injury to Arizona State
starting quarterback Andrew
Walter, UCIA featured a tail
back who ran for 176 yards
in a 20-13 win against the
Sun Devils.
True freshman Maurice
Drew 's 18 carries for 176
yards included an 83-yard
touchdown run in the third quarter. It was the
longest run by a true freshman in UCLA history.
"(Walter's injury) didn't change our game plan,
but it changed theirs," Bruin head coach Karl Dor
rell said Saturday. "It was unfortunate for Arizona
State to lose their starting quarterback."
Regardless, UCLA picked up a fourth Pac-10 win,
tying its conference win total from the 2002 season.
I was impressed that we generated some running
game on offense, and that was probably the first
time this season we were able to do some things pos
itively on that side of the ball," Dorrell said.
Moore, in his first start since the season opener,
went 14 of 28 for 190 yards. He threw one touch
down pass and two interceptions.
Olson returned to backup quarterback after start
ing six games, while Moore was out with in injured
left tibia.
"(Moore) is rusty," Dorrell said. "That was part of
the process, whenever you miss a lot of time and you
assume the role of being a starter again. ... It was
good seeing him back in there."
Ihe Bruins have won five straight games, but three
of their remaining four contests are on the road.
Turn to PAC-10, page 6A