Sports Editor:
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
-Oregon Daily Emerald
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Junior sprinter
hopes to settle
minor setback
Sofie Abildtrup fights hamstring tightness;
Kayla Mellott reunites with an old high school
rival at the Pacific-10 Championships
By Alex Tam
Sports Reporter
TRACK
Sofie Abildtrup hopes to recover from tightness in her ham
string in time for the NCAA Regionals this weekend.
The minor injury had hampered her running ability in the
days leading up to the Pacific-10 Conference Championships
two weeks ago.
However, Abildtrup shook it off to
place fifth in the finals of the 400-meters
in her second-fastest career time of 53.22
seconds. In the event's qualifying round,
_ the Denmark native finished with a new
personal best at 52.92.
Abildtrup said she continues to get treatment for her ham
string and is confident she will be ready this weekend.
"I had some problems with it," Abildtrup said. "It got worse
and worse, but I think it's on the way down and I'm ready. I defi
nitely feel better than the week before Pac- 10s."
In addition to achieving a new personal record, Abildtrup at
tained a new Danish record in the 400 meters. The first-year
Duck also surpassed expectations; she was rated 12th among
Pac-10 sprinters going into the event UCLA's Monique Hender
son ended up winning the event by more than a full second with
a meet record of50.90.
"I was really happy about (my performance)," Abildtrup said.
"I was really excited to be in the final with all of those girls who
ran some of the fastest times in the world this year. I think we
did a good job in the 4x400 relay too."
Abildtrup later anchored the relay team to a season best time
by more than four seconds at 3.42.23.
Despite helping score points for the Ducks, Abildtrup admit
ted Oregon's seventh-place finish was a little disappointing. She
said the individual performances were the highlight of the meet
several Ducks achieved personal records.
"It's not where we wanted to be ideally," Abildtrup said. "But I
think that we got a lot of good results and I think the coaches
were really satisfied with that."
All year long, the coaches said they have been impressed with
the work ethic Abildtrup has brought every practice. Head coach
Martin Smith said she has been a model of consistency and is
someone all of the athletes can look up to.
"Sofie's a really fine leader," Smith said. "She is a talented stu
dent and talented athlete. She's a very special person and I think
Turn to SETBACK, page 9
A SEASON OF POTENTIAL
The Ducks finish with eight top 10s and multiple wins for the first time since 1999-2000
Tim Bobosky Photographer
Junior Johnna Nealy, seen here earlier this season, helped the Ducks to their first NCAA Regional bid
since 2001. She will lead Oregon as its lone senior next year.
By Brian Smith
Freelance Reporter
It seemed almost fitting for a team
that had spent most of the season in
contention or in the lead.
A playoff.
The prize: A berth into the NCAA
Championships.
One hole to decide it all
For the Ducks, a season in which
players exceeded expectations, played
to potential and generated buzz
around a program that has been mum
since 2001, came down to a single hole.
The Ducks had been in this situation
before — the sitting and waiting. At the
Duck Invitational, Oregon missed out
on a playoff with Washington State by
a single stroke.
In time, however, they have grown as
a team.
In the Colby Invitational in Carmel
Valley, Calif., sophomore Michelle Tim
pani took home medalist honors only
after surviving a six-hole, sudden-death
playoff. She grew as an individual.
So when the Ducks finished their fi
nal round of the NCAA West Regionals
at the Stanford Golf Course in Stan
ford, Calif., in early May, they knew
they had a shot. They had been there
before. Finishing with a tie for the
eighth and final spot that received bids,
the Ducks were forced to wait for teams
behind them to finish.
"We had to wait about three hours,"
Oregon head coach Shannon Rouillard
said. "So we had lunch, relaxed, had a
team chat to get us focused on what v/e
needed to do."
Sophomore Therese Wenslow was in
the first group of five to tee off in the
sudden-death format.
"Since I was in the first group, 1 knew
the scores," Wenslow said. "I knew that
Texas was in the lead, and it was frus
trating. It's hard to stand on the side,
because you can't affect anything."
Frustration seemed to be the consen
sus, as four of the Ducks' birdie putts —
including Wenslow's — lipped out on
the only playoff hole, leaving them at
even par, while Texas secured the bid
Turn to POTENTIAL, page 8
Moos dismisses move
to Washington post
The athletic director expressed
interest in Washington earlier,
but does not believe it would
suit him at this time
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
Even though he's a state of Washing
ton kind of guy, Bill Moos isn't going
to Seattle.
The Oregon athletic director an
nounced Tuesday he is not a candidate
for a similar position at Washington. He
became the third person in recent weeks,
and second this week, to turn down an
opportunity for the position that has
been left open since Barbara Hedges an
nounced her retirement in January.
"I had told our fans and people in Jan
uary when the Washington athletic di
rector's position opened up that I want
ed to take a look at it, primarily because
of personal reasons," he said. "Washing
ton is my home state, I have family and
friends up there. It's the only job I've
looked at since I've been at Oregon.
"I took a look at it and confirmed
what I thought I would feel — that is
that Oregon, for Bill Moos, is a far bet
ter situation."
Moos was considered one of the
prime candidates for the position, since
he is a native of Eastern Washington and
served as an assistant athletics director at
Washington State from 1982-88 and its
associate director from 1988-90. He be
came Oregon's athletic director in 1995
after a stint with Montana.
Now, Moos is set to extend his con
tract with Oregon, which expires June
30, for another three or four years. He
has discussed that option with Oregon
president Dave Frohnmayer and vice
president for administration Dan
Williams since last fall.
"We had conversations about that,
came to an agreement, and I told both of
them that in the event I got deep into the
r v
Tim Kupsick Photographer
Bill Moos will not take the athletics director position at Washington and will
instead sign an extension to remain at Oregon.
Washington search, that I was not going to use that as leverage in
anyway," Moos said. "I don't believe in doing that. I've been taken
care of very well. I love it here."
Moos acknowledged the problems Washington has been
Turn to MOVE, page 10
Oregon duo
embarks on
NCAA play
No. 66 Manuel Kost earned
a bid into the NCAA Men's
Singles Tennis Championship
By Clayton Jones
Freelance Reporter
Two-thirds of Oregon's "Swiss Army"
hopes to slice through their first-round op
ponents in the NCAA Men's Singles Tennis
Championship in Tulsa, Okla., today.
Sven Swinnen
and Manuel Kost,
|Vf IE, INIf S* both Switzerland
£ |N| N15 natives, drew tough
_ opening-round
matches in the
120th men's NCAA Tournament. The
16th-ranked Swinnen will face No. 44
William Barker from Rice and No. 66 Kost
will match up with Virginia's Doug Stew
art, who is ranked in the nation's top 10.
* Turn to DUO, page 9