Sports Editor:
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
MLB:
San Diego vs. San Francisco
7 p.m., ESPN2
Sophomore
sprinter battles
through nerves
to find success
Travis Anderson battled through nerves
to become one of the Ducks’ top sprinters
by Jon Koetman
Sports Reporter
* Travis Anderson has dusted all competitors in the 400-meter
dash during the past two weeks.
The Arvada, Colo, native topped the field at the Pepsi Team
'Invitational on April 10th at Hayward Field with a time of
47.04 seconds. Anderson followed the performance with a vic
tory (47.08) at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif.
The reason for the sophomore's success? He's finally able
to relax.
As is the case with many newcomers, Anderson spent much
of his freshman year adjusting to the added pressure of making
the jump from the prep level to a Division I program — espe
cially a program carrying the tradition Oregon does.
Despite battling nerves during his
|M| first season as a Duck, Anderson still
TPACIT managed to qualify for the Pacific-10
I Conference Championships in the 400
and the NCAA's as a member of the
Oregon 4x400 relay team.
While Anderson's freshman campaign was a successful one,
the humble speedster is coming into his own as one of Ore
gon's top sprinters.
"There's less pressure this year," Anderson said. "1 know
the system this year. Nothing's new and I know how every
thing works."
After getting past the pressures of running in Eugene; Ander
son has embraced his time in Tracktown, USA, a place that was
too tempting to pass on coming out ofWestminster High School.
"Oregon felt more like home than any other school I visit
ed, " Anderson said. "I felt more comfortable with the coaches
and the other athletes than any other school I considered."
While Anderson has been successful recently in the 400, he
will instead compete in the 200 during the Oregon Invitation
al this weekend at Hayward Field.
■ Turn to SUCCESS, page 9A
Erik R. Bishoff Photographer*
Travis Anderson has won the 400-meters during consecutive meets.
Vincent faces same situation
I he running back is eyeing No.
1 on the depth chart but knows
he needs to improve to get there
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
Ask sophomore Chris Vincent how his
2003 season went, and he gives a definitive
answer.
"Not good at all," he said. "1 had big ex
pectations, but didn't live up to them."
Easily said. Vincent had a strong set of
spring workouts — his first with Oregon
— but then, by all counts, he disappointed
during the regular season.
Me began the year by gaining 49 yards
in seven carries against Mississippi State,
then 77 in 21 attempts two weeks later
against Arizona.
After that, the
ball fell off the cliff.
Vincent ended the
last nine games of
the season by rush
ing for 41 yards in 28 attempts.
He missed two games during that
stretch and suited up for, but did not make
a rushing attempt, in Oregon's loss in the
2003 Sun Bowl.
"I think he has the talent to play," Ore
gon head coach Mike Bellotti said, echo
ing Vincent's thoughts that the 2003 sea
son was disappointing. "He's the biggest
back we have. But he has to play with reck
less abandon. And he has to be able to
play if he's not 100 percent. After the first
game, very few players are 100 percent.
That's a very honest, a very frank opinion."
Vincent was beset by injuries, most no
tably a sprained knee suffered in Oregon's
win over Mississippi State. Admittedly, he
said he didn't play through the pain as
much as he should have.
"It was my first season of college foot
ball and my body was just shot," Vincent
said. "I felt like I was 50 years old after the
injury. When you wake up, it's hard to
move around and get going. My main
DUCK
FOOTBALL
Adam Amato Senior Photographer
Oregon sophomore Chris Vincent finds himself in the same situation as last season, when he
impressed during the spring. He, however, disappointed during the latter part of the 2003 season.
focus this offseason was to just build up
my endurance."
Vincent enters the same type of situa
tion this spring as last year. He's basically
the team's No. 1 running back because of
injuries to Terrence Whitehead and
Kenny Washington.
When the duo returns, Vincent will es
sentially be fighting for the third spot
with Ryan Shaw. In addition, the back
field gets a little more crowded when
Turn to SITUATION, page 9A
Ducks eighth, hope to move up
UCLAs Hannah Jun and Charlotte Mayorkas
are tied for first at 1-over par going into the
final round of the Pacific-10 Championships
By Brian Smith
Freelance Reporter
The Oregon women's golf team improved considerably over
Tuesday's opening round.
Problem was, the rest of the field followed suit, leaving them
in eighth place for the second straight day at the 2004 Pacific-10
Championships held at the par-72, 6,405-yard Saticoy Country
Club course in Somis, Calif.
The good news is that Oregon still has a chance to make a final
round push to finish in the upper half of the conference. The
Ducks sit 10 strokes behind fifth-place Washington and fourteen
strokes behind third-place finishers California and Arizona.
Five of the six Ducks saw marked improvement Tuesday.
Sophomore Therese Wenslow made the
biggest move of the day, recovering from
an opening round 89 by shooting a 3-over
75. Wenslow's 75 included birdies on
three of the last four holes, matching
teammate Kimberly McCready for the best
round of the day by a Duck.
McCready continued her impressive conference championship
debut by opening her second round with a birdie on the 10th
hole before carding three bogeys on her first nine. The freshman
Turn to EIGHTH, page 9A
DUCK
GOLF
UO women embrace new coaches
Expectations are increasing for the Oregon
women heading into the Oregon Invitational
this coming Saturday at Hayward Field
By Alex Tam
Sports Reporter
When Michelle Donovan crossed the finish line of the 400-me
ters at the Long Beach Invitational this past Saturday, she felt dis
appointed.
However, it is not the disappointment one would expect. Dono
van, a junior from West Linn, finished the race in a time of 57.68
seconds — good enough for first in her heat and seventh overall in
the event. The mark was also less than one second off her personal
record of56.80, set two weeks ago at the Pepsi Team Invitational.
So why did she feel a letdown in her performance?
"This past weekend was kind of a shot in the dark just because
it was raining and gross when we were at Long Beach, * Donvo
van said. "Our travel day right before was also kind of hectic.
"At Pepsi, I ran in the 56's and that's where I PRed last year. It
was such a great day weather-wise and 3,000-plus people and I
had competition."
Donovan is one example of the increased expectations and
change toward a positive attitude surrounding the rebuilding Ore
gon women's program. The Ducks now
look forward to the Oregon Invitational at
Hayward Field beginning with the
women's heptathlon Thursday.
The 20-year-old Donovan, who will
have another chance at the 400-meters this
weekend, said the coaches have been a big help through
Turn to COACHES, page 8A
WOMEN’S
TRACK