Sports Editor
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Thursday, April 8,2004
Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NHL Playoffs:
St. Louis vs. San Jose
7 p.m., ESPN
Mindi Rice
The girl and the game
Time has
arrived
for Duck
softball
If ever Oregon wanted to make a name
for itself in Pacific-10 Conference softball,
now would be the time
With a 3-1 start, the No. 14 Ducks are
third in the Pac-10, right behind Ari
zona and Washington, and playing
with the confidence of a team that has
done this before.
This? What is this?
This is making a mark.
This is Oregon reminding the confer
ence and the country that there are more
teams than those that practice in Califor
nia and Arizona.
This is the Ducks making it known
that they will be going to an NCAA Re
gional tournament in May.
This is Oregon trying to not get swept
by any Pac-10 team for just the second
time in conference history.
This is the Ducks looking for a confer
ence record above .500 for the first time
^-since 1989.
It's a difficult thing to do in the Pac-10.
Oregon has finished the season with a
.500 conference record three times —
1990, 1993 and 1994 — and above .500
once, in 1989. Last season, when the
Ducks finished tied for third in the Pac
10, they were 10-11 in the conference.
This isn't your average 3-1 start, either.
All three teams — then-No.16 Oregon
State, then-No. 3 California and then-No.
11 Stanford — were ranked ahead of Ore
gon when the teams played.
Perhaps the biggest win — although
an argument could easily be made for
each of the three — was Friday's 4-0 vic
tory at California. The Ducks hadn't won
a game in Berkeley since 2000.
"It always feels good to beat Cal,"
Oregon catcher Jenn Poore said. "Or
any of those teams. It felt really good
(Friday) because it felt like, for once, we
had everything together. Our defense
was playing well, we had pitching and
we had offense."
If Oregon keeps everything together,
the Ducks will be one of the feared teams
when the time comes for regional tour
naments.
For now, Oregon is still working to
gain respect from other Pac-10 schools.
Even after last season's third-place finish,
the Ducks were unanimously picked to
finish eighth in the eight-team confer
ence in the preseason coaches poll.
No. 1 Arizona and No. 2 UCLA re
main at the top of the national standings,
despite UCLA losing two during the
weekend. Both losses were to the Wild
cats. California dropped a whopping one
spot to No. 4 after losing to Oregon and
splitting with Oregon State.
Washington, which is tied for first in
Pac-10 standings, is No. 7 nationally,
while Stanford stayed at No. 11. Oregon
State remained, literally, one step behind
the Ducks, moving up to No. 15.
Arizona State fell victim to the rare
Turn to RICE, page 14
Erik R. Bishoff Photographer
Sarah Malone has come back to a revamped Oregon program with new hopes and goals for the 2004 season.
Throwing for more
Sarah Malone overcame injuries
and personal issues to prevail as one
of Oregon's best athletes in 2004
By Alex Tam
Sports Reporter
One year ago, Sarah Malone contemplated quit
ting her javelin career.
Her frustrations boiled over to the point that the de
sire to throw for the Oregon women's track and field
team nearly disappeared. Communication between
the redshirt junior and the previous coaching staff
broke down.
"Throwing has been the one thing that I always
felt I could hold on to," the Newberg, Ore., native
said. "But the last three years were starting to slip
away. I wasn't happy toward throwing, and that real
ly took its toll on me personally because that is such
a huge part of my life."
Malone also struggled with chronic back pain dur
ing her first three years in Eugene, which led to her sit
ting out last season. After never being given any signif
icant time off from her coaches, she batded a case of
depression and wondered whether Oregon was the
right place for her.
Then, a change in command occurred.
Men's head coach Martin Smith entered this year to
oversee the women's team and revive a rebuilding pro
gram. Four-time Olympian Lance Deal joined to be the
new throwers coach. Deal created a renewed sense of en
ergy throughout the squad, and especially in Malone
"Coach Deal is the best thing that's ever happened to
me," Malone said. "He is the reason why I'm still throw
ing, to be honest with you. He cares about us as people
— not just as athletes — on and off the field."
Malone now sits atop Oregon's record books in the
javelin section at 179 feet, 7 inches — a mark achieved
at last weekend's Texas Relays in Austin. The former
All-American will compete at the Pepsi Team Invita
tional meet Saturday at Hayward Field.
Her performance in Texas stands now as her proud
est accomplishment in her career.
"Lance has done a lot for me," Malone said. "To
be able to use my performance (at Texas) as a reflec
tion of his coaching means a lot to me. I want people
to realize he is an exceptional javelin coach. I want
to prove to other people that he knows what he's
talking about."
The first time the two met was at a local track
camp. Deal, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist, was
nervous about instructing javelin throwers in an
event he never competed in. He asked Malone to
help him out, and she willingly did. Since then
they've developed a close relationship.
"It was really nice to have somebody that mature and
knowledgeable," Deal said. "All of the athletes are just a
pleasure to work with, and Sarah is no exception. I love
my job, and a lot of that has to do with Sarah ."
Malone's javelin career may not have existed with
out the persistence of her high school track and field
coach at Newberg High School, )oe Boutin. Mal
one's first true passion was basketball; she started
each game for her freshmen squad and led it to an
undefeated record.
But her life changed one afternoon her freshman
year. While watching her friend compete in the discus,
a man tapped her shoulder from behind, and she
turned around.
"He asked me to come over and throw a javelin,"
Malone said. "I've never seen one before, and I was
like 'hell no.' I was wearing jeans and street shoes,
and I wasn't in any position to be
doing any athletic activity."
An argument transpired during the next 10 minutes
Turn to MALONE, page 14
Dotts set
to make
outdoor
debut
Roderick Dotts will make his
outdoor debut for the Ducks
on Saturday at the Pepsi Invite
By Jon Roetman
Sports Reporter
WIEN'S
TRACK
Roderick Dotts is anxious.
The junior transfer from Barton
Community College in Great Bend,
Kan., will make his 2004 outdoor debut
for the Ducks during Saturday's Pepsi
Team Invitational at Hayward Field.
Dotts will compete in the 800-meter
race as Oregon battles Washington,
Colorado and
Minnesota.
Just getting
the chance to
compete during
the outdoor
season has been a challenge for Dotts.
The East St. Louis, 111., native battled
through knee and hamstring injuries
during what he called a "non-impres
sive" indoor season. Dotts said he's
pain free now, but has a mental chal
lenge to overcome.
He has yet to adjust to the added
scrutiny that comes with ninning track
in the Pacific-10 Conference, rather than
at the junior college level, Dotts said.
"I thought it would be pretty good,
but I'm finding it hard to adapt," Dotts
Turn to DEBUT, page 14
Injury has
UO’s White
sitting out
Jimmy White's experience
will be missed as the Ducks
face tough competition
By Brian Smith
Freelance Reporter
Senior Jimmy White, the co-captain
of the men's golf team, has been nurs
ing a broken wrist since early March.
White suffered
the injury dur
ing a strength
and condition
ing workout of
pickup foot
ball.
DUCK
GOLF
That s where
things got a lit
tle murky.
According to
White, the team
was playing tack
le football on
the turf field in
side the Moshof
sky Sports Cen
ter when White
and a fellow
White
teammate collided
in a freak accident.
"During work
outs, we play a little football for
Turn to OUT, page 14