Sports Editor:
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Thursday, May 6,2004
-Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NBA Playoffs:
Miami vs. Indiana
6 p.m.,TNT
Oregon tennis teams earn NCAA invitations
Both Duck teams believe they
hold a distinct advantage in
the first round of the NCAA
Tournament next weekend
By Clayton Jones
Freelance Reporter
The Oregon men's tennis team's
season was resurrected as the tennis
gods shed light upon their darkened
hopes for a postseason berth when
the NCAA committee announced
Wednesday the Ducks are worthy of
an invitation to this year's NCAA
Tournament.
The invitation was a relief for the
team, according to head coach Chris
Russell, and it gives the players new life
"It's like we've been reincarnated,"
Russell said. "At the same time we put
ourselves in this situation and we're
responsible for that."
The announcement marks the third
time in the program's history the
Ducks will be participating in the
NCAA Tournament.
"We haven't
been able to do
this in four
|"E INI NIS years, so this is
- a big step in
the right direc
tion for our program," Russell said.
Oregon will travel to Oxford, Miss.,
where it will face No. 22 Vanderbilt,
the 2003 NCAA Tournament runner
up, in the first round on May 15.
The Ducks won't go in without any
NCAA Tournament experience: Sopho
more transfer Markus Schiller played at
Auburn University last year and partici
pated in the NCAA Tournament.
"I went to Mississippi last year with
Auburn and 1 know it is a very hostile
place," Schiller said. "But the NCAA
Tournament is a fun atmosphere."
"He knows the environment and
he knows the players, so it should be
an advantage," Russell said.
Russell believes his team will face
new challenges in Mississippi.
"That's tennis country and the heart
of the (Southeastern Conference)," he
said. "Not only will we be represent
ing Oregon, we will be fighting for the
bragging rights of the Pac-10."
Also announced Wednesday was
the Pacific-10 all-conference teams.
Junior Sven Swinnen earned first
team honors and junior Manuel Kost
garnered second-team honors for the
second consecutive year.
Women open at Washington
The Oregon women's tennis team
got its wish and received a berth from
the NCAA committee as well, which
will take the Ducks to Washington.
"We're really excited to stay close to
home and hopefully some of our fans
can make the trip up," head coach
Nils Schyllander said.
The No. 32 Ducks (16-8) will face
31 st-ranked New Mexico (20-4) in
their first-round match May 15.
Though Schyllander says they aren't
looking ahead, the Ducks are excited
to be in this bracket because it gives
them the best chance to advance to
the round of 16 in Athens, Ga.
"I think our best chance to win is in
this bracket instead of having to go to
Stanford or Cal," Schyllander said.
Schyllander believes the team has
been rewarded for a great season by be
ing placed in the Washington bracket
and earning a first-round match-up
against a team with a similar record.
"We're very excited to have a chance
to possibly play Washington again,"
Schyllander said. "But first we have a
very tough match against New Mexi
co. We have a lot of respect for their
program."
Individually, junior Daria Panova
was honored by the Pac-10 Wednes
day with a first-team all-conference se
lection. This is the second year in a
row the Moscow, Idaho, native has
earned this honor.
Clayton Jones is a freelance reporter
for the Emerald.
Tim Bobosky Photographer
Therese Wenslow looks to get her strong play back on track at the NCAA
Regionals, which begin today and are hosted by Stanford.
a style all her own
Sophomore Therese Wenslow looks to help the Ducks advance
past the NCAA West Regional for the first time since 2000
By Brian Smith
Freelance Reporter
Imagine being a member of the women's golf team heading to the Eugene Country
Club for a practice round, driving down Country Club Road and seeing a golf bag
on wheels.
Agolfbagonabike.
More specifically, a golf bag on the shoulders of a player riding a bike.
Pulling up alongside, and seeing that she is a teammate, an offer for a ride is made.
The girl on the bike politely says no and continues on. Another offer is made and still
she refuses. Persistence does not persuade and the overwhelming thought is, "That's
Therese for you."
Sophomore Therese Wenslow is described by teammates in a number of ways, but
the consensus seems to be that "determined" and "focused" are the best adjectives to
label the native of Bunkeflostrand, Sweden.
"She's very focused in her game," teammate Michelle Timpani said. "She's always
walking fast and doing her own thing. She is also very calm. I've never see her get mad
and throw a club or display poor sportsmanship. Therese is a very hard worker. She's
always the first one here and last one to leave."
Head coach Shannon Rouillard agrees.
"Her dedication and her work ethic, her strive for excellence, to be the best she can
be at whatever she does, plays a part on this team," Rouillard said. "It has helped take
this team to the next level. I know it has forced Michelle and Kim (McCready) and
Erin (Andrews and Johnna (Nealy to get out there and practice and not just sit home."
Much of the dogged determination and discipline can be attributed to the three
years Wenslow spent at the prestigious Swedish Golf High School in Klippan, where
at 16 she lived with three other students in an apartment, taking classes early in the
day and playing golf in the afternoon.
"It was a great way to leam to take care of myself," Wenslow said. "After coming
here, I knew it wouldn't be that hard. I knew that I was independent and capable of
doing those basic things when you live on your own."
Independence wasn't the only reason Wenslow decided on the golf school.
"It was more like I had access to more golf courses, since the school was in the
south and I was from the north," Wenslow said. "In the south, you have a longer time
of the year to play golf. That was the main reason I went."
Turn to STYLE, page 14
UO senior
prepared
to defend
javelin title
Adam Jenkins knows last
weekend’s winning mark
won’t cut it at the Pac-10
Championships next week
By Jon Roetman
Sports Reporter
Adam Jenkins has been working hard
during the past couple weeks to prepare
himself for the Pacific-10 Conference
Championships in mid-May.
So it was no sur
prise when the de
lEIM S fending Pac-10
TRACK javelin champion
_ showed up to last
weekend's Oregon
Invitational physically drained from near
ing the end of his training cycle. Along
with the difficulty of battling back from a
shoulder injury suffered earlier in the year,
the senior simply wanted his efforts at
Hayward Field on Saturday to produce a
respectable mark.
"From the moment I stepped on the
track, I didn't feel very good," Jenkins said
after the event. "I'm coming off some
training and my body is real tired."
When all was said and done, the
Turn to TITLE, page 16
Oregon takes two from Portland State
Oregon’s Ani Nyhus was named
to the Canadian Olympic team
before the Ducks swept Portland
State on Wednesday at Howe
By Mindi Rice
Senior Sports Reporter
Even when she pitches less than an in
ning, Oregon's Ani Nyhus tops the news.
Nyhus, who earned her second save of
the season in Oregon's 1-0 win Wednesday
against Portland State, was also named to
Team Canada Wednesday, the club that will
represent Canada in the 2004 Olympics.
The junior faced four batters to close out
the Ducks' victory in the first game of a
doubleheader at Howe Field.
Sophomore pitcher Amy Harris started
the game for No. 10 Oregon (37-14 over
all, 9-6 Pacific-10 Conference), facing 20
batters in 6 1/3 innings. She struck out four
and allowed none to reach base via hits.
The Ducks' lone run came on a home
run by left fielder Dani Baird down the
left field line in the bottom of the third
inning. Oregon managed just three hits
aside from the home mn.
"We came out a little flat today," Har
ris said. "I think all of us were kind of
hurting for some energy."
Senior pitcher Anissa Meashintubby
pitched a complete game shutout in the
second game of the doubleheader, im
proving her record to 11-2 on the season.
Meashintubby struck out seven batters
and gave up three hits.
In the second game, the Ducks again
scored one run in the bottom of the third,
this time when left fielder Julie Jaime
scored on an error by Portland State.
It looked to be another 1-0 game until
the bottom of the sixth, when the Ducks
bit, * Oregon catcher Jenn Poore said.
After third baseman Ashley Richards
Turn to TWO, page 14
broke out of an of
fensive slump.
DUCK
SOFTBALL
"We started off
kind of slow, but by
the end of the sec
ond game we
picked it up a little
Tim Kupsick Photographer
Amy Harris threw 6 1/3 hitless innings Wednesday in the first game of a
doubleheader against Portland State. Oregon swept the Vikings this
season and now heads south to take on Arizona and Arizona this weekend
to finish its 2004 Pac-10 road schedule.