* . I
Sports Editor:
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
-Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NCAA football:
TCU at Southern Mississippi
4:30 p.m., ESPN
Thursday, November 20, 2003
Sandoval, Oregon men head to NCAA Champs
The Oregon men are going
to the NCAA Championships,
while Magdalena Sandoval
will represent the women
By Scott Archer
Freelance Reporter
Magdalena Sandoval will be the only repre
sentative for the Oregon women's cross country
team in the 2003 NCAA Championships in Wa
terloo, Iowa, starting Monday.
Sandoval took ninth in last week's 2003
NCAA Western Regional held in Portland. The
senior also finished the Pacific-10 Conference
fifth individually.
Sandoval, a senior, finished among the top
four Oregon harriers.
She had a distinct game plan in mind during
last week's Western Regional.
"The last 2,000 kilo
meters I was battling,
and trying not to go
backwards and lose to
many places," Sandoval
said. "The whole time I
was thinking about my
position individual-wise."
Sandoval's efforts paid off, especially in the
mind of her running mentor.
"You have to hand it to Magdalena," head
coach Marnie Mason said. "She didn't feel her
best coming in, but she gave a gutty effort and
was right in the hunt the whole way."
DUCK
CROSSCOUNTRY
The last lone Oregon representative at the
NCAA Championships was Carrie Zografos,
who finished 33rd overall after placing sixth in
the Western Regionals and eighth in the Pac-10
one year ago.
Men Make Finals
The Oregon men's team was awarded an at
large bid to the 2003 NCAA Championship
after the team finished fifth at the NCAA
Western Regional. While the fifth-place finish
isn't the reason Oregon is going to Waterloo,
Iowa, it certainly helped bolster the team's at
large points.
At-large points are what race officials look at
when deciding which teams that didn't finish in
the regionals top-two spots are awarded with na
tional invites.
Oregon received those points despite a team
that has had individuals run well, but not the
team as a whole.
The regional race "was kind of indicative of
the season in that we all haven't been on at the
same time," junior Ryan Andrus said.
Twenty-seventh ranked Arizona, No. 20
Washington and No. 36 Portland will join No.
12 Oregon as at-large teams selected from the
West Regional. Top-ranked Stanford and No. 15
Cal Poly qualified automatically.
From the Northwest
It was two Oregon natives who helped Stan
ford win the Pac-10 title in Portland for the
team's second consecutive Pac-10 crown.
Turn to HARRIERS, page 14
Ducks still perfecting team chemistry
Uregon has worked on building its
chemistry during its first two games; the
Ducks hope to have it against Fresno State
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
It's coming together — gradually.
The team chemistry on the Oregon men's basketball team
has been established in the first two exhibition games.
"1 am (happy) right now," head coach Ernie Kent said. "But
they have a long way to go until they can get comfortable. For
where we are right now and what we've
accomplished, I'm pleased."
The Ducks have passed the first test by
winning both exhibition games, includ
ing the buzzer shot on Monday night to
beat the EA Sports All-Stars.
Oregon has stayed with the starting
lineup of guards Aaron Brooks and Andre Joseph, forwards Ian
Crosswhite and Luke Jackson, and center Mitch Platt.
"It's coming together really well," Crosswhite said. "Guys are
getting into their roles and understanding where their roles are
going to be this year. There still probably room where there
might be some changes. Within the team everyone is getting
along great and working together really well."
Brooks and Platt, both freshmen, are the new additions to
the starting lineup. Platt, a native of Henderson, Nev„ com
bined for 11 points and 16 rebounds in the exhibitions.
Brooks, a Seattle native, has made his presence strongly
known in Oregon's run-and-gun offense. Brooks had 11
points and three steals in Oregon's exhibition on Monday
night. In the Ducks' first exhibition on Nov. 9, Brooks had 14
points and four assists.
"We're vibing pretty well," Brooks said. "We got some kinks
still, but we re going to work them out and the guys are cool,
everybody's cool. We're going to get these kinks worked out and
get ready for the first game."
Oregon's first game is Friday night against Fresno State. The
Ducks will likely come with the same lineup and they will be
tested again. Now the games count.
Turn to BASKETBALL, page 16
m, m
BASKETBALL
Mark McCambridge Photographer
Oregon forward Ian Crosswhite has combined to score 27 points in the Ducks’ exhibition games.
Ducks end season against top 10 teams
Danielle Hickey Senior Photographer
k Freshman Sarah Mason (l/J.has excelled onjthe_court recently.^
Oregon battles seventh-ranked
Stanford tonight before
ending its season on Friday
against No. 9 California
By Jon Roetman
Sports Reporter
The Oregon volleyball team enters
Maples Pavilion tonight to take on No.
7 Stanford during
the team's final
road trip of the
season.
__ The Ducks are
in the midst of a
17-match losing streak and haven't
won since defeating Villanova, 3-0, on
_Sept. 13._ _
VOLLEYBALL
Oregon's search for a win won't be
any easier tonight as it faces a Stanford
team that stands second in the Pacific-10
Conference and holds a 9-2 overall
record at home.
Junior libero Katie O'Neil said Ore
gon (3-22 overall, 0-16 Pac-10) knows it
is up against one of the nation's top
teams, but the Ducks are looking to im
prove in any way possible.
"I think we're going into it pretty
open, like every other match," O'Neil
said of tonight's contest against Stan
ford. "Just staying consistent with our
small improvements every time."
The Cardinal (19-6, 12-4) are led by
outside hitter Ogonna Nnamani. The
junior is third in the Pac-10 in kills
(486), fourth in kills per game (5.28)
-Turn to V0U.EYBALJ-, page 14._
Oregon
receives
top 25
ranking
The Ducks are ranked
No. 24 in the latest Associated
| Press poll after a strong
weekend at McArthur Court
By Jon Roetman
Sports Reporter
The Oregon women's basketball team
cracked the Associated Press top 25 this
week.
After victories against Valparaiso and
No. 9 LSU in the Women's Sports Foun
dation Classic last weekend, the Ducks
sit at No. 24 in the latest poll and are one
WOMEN'S
BASKETBALL
25. Oregon likely
elite after defeating LSU, which was the
highest-ranked non-conference oppo
nent the Ducks have defeated since join
ing the Pac-10 in 1986.
Oregon knows a top 25 ranking equals
respect, but also means it will be the focus
of many upset-minded teams.
"It certainly puts a target on your back,
but moving targets are hard to hit," head
coach Bev Smith said. "If we keep improv
ing and are happy but not satisfied with
the result on the weekend, then we'll keep
getting better, and we'll be a little bit hard
er to hit as a target."
Sophomore forward Carolyn Ganes
said Oregon deserved its addition to the
latest AP poll and the respect gained will
eventually improve the Ducks on the
court.
"We all knew coming into this season
that we had the potential to be a force to
be reckoned with," Ganes said. "Now I
think we're just getting some respect
from other people. In the end it will only
make us better because other teams are
going to feel that they have to bring their
'A' game."
It's just a number
While Oregon is happy with its No. 24
ranking, it realizes that it shouldn't be an
area of focus. Only two games into the sea
son, many things are bound to change.
-- . Turn to WOMEN, page 14
of three — No. 6
Stanford and No.
22 Arizona are the
others — Pacific
10 Conference
teams in the top
joined the nation's