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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 22, 2004)
Sports Editor Hank Hager hankhager@dailyemerald.com Thursday, April 22, 2004 Oregon Daily Emerald SPORTS Best bet NHL Playoffs: Colorado vs. San Jose 7 p.m., ESPN2 Alex Tam Holding court UO tennis deserves additional attention A couple Oregon teams out there are representing this school well despite falling under the radar screen for most of their seasons. These athletes may not have the presence of football, basketball, or even the track and field athletes when you walk around cam pus. Their fan base is probably smaller than your average crowd for a local high school basketball or football game. Or, to put it in perspective, their crowd for each home game is probably less than 5 percent of a sold-out McArthur Court. Which teams and what sport is this, you ask? lhe Oregon men s and women s tennis teams, who will compete in the upcoming Pacific-10 Conference Championships in Ojai, Calif., beginning today. After having the chance to cover the ten nis teams during, the past year, the competi tive spirit each of these athletes exudes close ly parallels those of any other sport. Their matches can be decided by mere inches on the court. The climax can be as exciting and anticipation-filled as the final minute of a deadlocked hard-fought basketball game or a crucial last-minute drive on the gridiron to capture an important victory. They also enjoy the same hated rivalry with our pals up north in Washington. Ore gon's men earned bragging rights for a short period this season when they defeated the Huskies for only the sixth time in Oregon history — out of 113 attempts. Their losing streak to Washington at the time simply "haunted" the Ducks over the years, accord ing to head coach Chris Russell. However, that victory was as compelling as any other when the dual match tiebreaker came down to each team's No. 1 player. The women are also engaging in their greatest success in more than a decade. Their record of 16-8 and winning percentage of .667 is their best since the 1992-93 cam paign. That year, the Ducks won 24 of their 29 dual matches to finish second overall in the conference. Behind the success of both squads are a couple special players and rare talents who don't come by too often. They are athletes you want to build your program around. For the women, Daria Panova is ar guably one of the top 10 players in the en tire country. Panova is currently 10th in the nation, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. She is the reigning Pacific-10 Conference Women's Player of the Year, holds the Oregon record for most wins in a season with 32 and has won three straight conference champi onships as a singles competitor. She is only a junior. "She's pretty much one of the ten peo ple in the country who can win a national championship," women's head coach Nils Schyllander said in the fall. "She's a world class player." On the men's side, junior Sven Swinnen Turn to TAM, page 16 Emerald Sophomore Eric Mitchum recorded the country’s second-fastest time (13.50 seconds) in the 110-meter hurdles during the Texas Relays earlier this month Clear hurdling ahead Eric Mitchum's focus on the technical aspects of hurdling has made him one of the nations best By Jon Roetman Sports Reporter Eric Mitchum has an eye for detail. Before every race, the sophomore focuses on many of the intricacies that come with being a successful hurdler. Mitchum knows he must regulate his arm speed and foot work and use proper body lean when vault ing over hurdles if he's going to be competitive. Once the starting gun fires, how ever, Mitchum explodes off the line and heads toward the first hurdle when suddenly everything becomes a bit fuzzy. "It's kind of a blur," Mitchum said. "I remember parts of a race but not the whole thing. I always re member the first hurdle and that's about it. After that, it's all in parts." Judging by Mitchum's perform ance this year, clarity between the first hurdle and the finish line must be unnecessary. The Calumet City, 111., native garnered All-American status in the 110-meter hurdles dur ing the indoor season, and he set an Oregon record Sunday with a time of 13.53 seconds at the Mt. SAC Re lays in Walnut, Calif. It has been Mitchum's hard work and attention to detail that has earned him a spot among the top collegiate hurdlers in the country, along with the respect of Oregon sprints coach Dan Steele. "Hurdling is one of the most technical events on the track," Steele said. "You have to combine tremen dous coordination with raw foot speed. Eric really wants to be a great hurdler. I le's asking questions every day and you can't give him enough information." Four years ago the idea of hur dling had yet to cross Mitchum's mind. The 6-foot-2 speedster had grown up as a basketball-loving small forward. He started compet ing in track and field as a freshman at Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago as a way to stay in shape for basketball season. While the trend continued into his sophomore year, an afternoon of fun and games would change the direction of Mitchum's life in athletics. Mt. Carmel hurdlers were relegat ed to practicing indoors because the school didn't have its own track. One day after classes, Mitchum came across some friends who were taking part in hurdling practice at school. Mitchum decided to give the hurdles a shot and impressed his coach, Jim Weber. "Hurdling was a big accident," Mitchum said. "My friends were hurdlers and we practiced on the second floor of the school. Here I am screwing around with them one day and the coach made me a hur dler." Getting the necessary practice repetitions was difficult for Mitchum, though, because the school lacked more than just a track. "My junior year we had one hur dle and my senior year we had three," Mitchum said with a smile. "You can (get work done), but it takes a longtime." As he improved, Mitchum re mained a relative unknown, and Ore gon was one of the few schools that Turn to HURDLING, page 17 UO women finish eighth at Pac-lOs UCLA’s Charlotte Mayorkas takes home the individual title with a 2-over-par 218 By Brian Smith Freelance Reporter The Oregon women's golf team recorded its highest finish at the Pacific-10 Championship in three years Wednesday. Shooting a team score of 318, the Ducks finished in eighth place — the same position they had at the beginning of the day. "We gave it a good shot, even though we felt we could have played better," Oregon head coach Shannon Rouillard said. "The greens were very challenging and if you left your approach in the wrong spot, it could cost you at least a stroke." Despite the eighth place fin GOLF ish' the _ champi onship cal iber of the competition and the difficult par-72, 6,405-yard Sati coy Country Club course, the Ducks will return home from Somis, Calif., a stronger and more intelligent team. "We maintained our position and that will help us," Rouillard said. "We wanted to use this tournament to prepare for the Turn to EIGHTH, page 16 WOMEN’S Club lacrosse makes big improvements The Ducks head into the Pacific Northwest College Lacrosse Tournament as the No. 1 seeded team By Kirsten McEwen Freelance Reporter For the first time in Oregon's Club Sports history, the men's lacrosse team has a shot at win ning the Pacific Northwest Col lege Lacrosse League title. After going 8-0 in league play and beating Simon Fraser Univer sity outside Vancouver, British Co lumbia — a team that has never lost on its home field — the Ducks have good reason to believe this year belongs to them. "Ihis year we are all committed to Club Sports one goal — St. Louis," senior Joshua Waldman said. "We want to live up to the dream that some of us have set since our freshman year." On Sun day, the Ducks end ed their reg ular season undefeated, the last win coming at home against rival Ore gon State. Not only did Oregon players feel good about their 16-5 victory over the Beavers, but the win also gave the Ducks the No. 1 seed in the Pacific Northwest Col lege Lacrosse Tournament. The tournament will be in Seattle on April 30 to May 2 at Mercer Turn to CLUB, page 17
