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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2004)
Emerald sports writers reflect on 2003-04 year From games in New York City to Corvallis, Oregon Daily Emerald sports writers were there. They saw wins against Michigan and Califor nia, Oregon State and Fresno State. They saw losses to another Michigan team, Washington State and Stan ford. Suffice it to say, those trips pro duced a ton of memories. Oregon Daily Emerald sports writers reflect on their favorite games or trips they covered this year. Hank Hager, sports editor: I'd never been to El Paso, Texas. And I'd never been to New York City. So when I went to El Paso for the Sun Bowl and New York for the NIT, I had fun. But Los Angeles and the men's Pacific-10 Conference Tourna ment — now that was great. There's three days of great basket ball. There's four days of incredible weather in probably the biggest and most bustling city this side of the Mississippi River. Sitting behind Lute Olson on press row for Arizona's game against Southern California? Priceless. Making sure you don't fall over laughing when Olson begins yelling at his players — right after the opening tip, mind you — for what ever reason? Golden. The Pac-10 Tournament was an absolute blast. Oregon beat Califor nia in the first game, then narrowly lost to Stanford in the second. Both games were great to watch. But just being able to be around that tournament — where eight of the conference's 10 teams huddled for three days at Staples Center — was an incredible experience. None of the games welcomed huge crowds, but it was a fun atmos phere for writers and athletes alike. Of course, it helped that the sun shone every day I was there and coastal water appeared just by walk ing around the block. Too fun. Mindi Rice, senior sports re porter: These are the moments that make childhood dreams. Tied at zero through seven and a half innings, Oregon was staying hit-for-hit with No. 1 Arizona on April 25. Third baseman Ashley Richards, who had walked once and ground ed out twice, led off the bottom of the eighth. With the Ducks' sixth hit of the game, Richards crushed a pitch over the left-center field fence and sent her bench — including pitchers Amy Harris and Ani Nyhus, who had combined for a five-hit shutout, and head coach Kathy Arendsen — jumping into the air with elation. The Ducks had done the unthink able: Beat No. 1 Arizona and give Wildcats pitcher Alicia Hollowed a loss to go with her 32 wins. The best post-game interview was Richards. After everyone inter viewed her, I approached her. With the inevitable "So how did that feel?" question, her reply captured the moment. "I still can't find the words," she said. "I've been talking to so many people and I still can't figure out what this feeling it. I feel like our team's on the top of the world right now." You were, Ashley, you were. Jon Roetman, sports reporter: Redemption. There were 8.2 seconds left on the clock and the Oregon women's bas ketball team led then-No. 10 Stanford 67-66 at McArthur Court on Feb. 26. Duck fans couldn't help but fear the worst, however, as Oregon had found itself in a similar situation last season and was torched by Cardinal All-American Nicole Powell, who sank a pair of free throws with 3.3 seconds remaining for a 75-74 win. Along with the fear of Powell, Oregon had seemingly played against a stacked deck all season. In juries to key players and a general lack of experience plagued the Ducks to the tune of a 4-12 Pacific 10 Conference record entering the contest against one of the nation's best teams. But this February night was differ ent. Junior forward Kedzie Gunder son had played the defensive game of her life, holding Powell to 13 points on 4 of 13 shooting for the first 39 minutes and 52 seconds of the game. Stanford would have one final chance as a player inbounded the ball in the backcourt. Everyone in McArthur Court knew the ball was going to Powell. Now it was up to Gunderson to stop her. If Gunderson needed any added //uosurmnej^jfSj, Get Ready for Summer. Plan Your Classes Now! Ur HEDULb SC WITH 2004 13 August 21 June The 2004 UO Summer Session Catalog is here! The UO Summer Session Catalog with Schedule of Classes is available on campus. It’s free. Summer session starts June 21. Group-satisfying and elective courses, seminars, and workshops begin throughout the summer. Check Our Website! http://uosummer.uoregon.edu Read it online, or pick up a free copy today in the Summer Session office, 333 Oregon Hall, or at the UO Bookstore Telephone (541) 346-3475 Book Your Summer in Oregon UNIVERSITY OF OREGON The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. motivation, it was her foul on Powell during the final seconds of last sea son's game that led to a Stanford win. As Powell dribbled down court, Gunderson moved her feet beauti fully, staying in front of the All World forward and forcing her into an off-balance jumper that fell short. As the buzzer sounded, the Mac Court crowed erupted in celebration of the Ducks' 67-66 win. Alex Tam, sports reporter: Games should be decided by each team's top players. The best that both teams have to of fer going head-to-head to decide the outcome is the pinnacle of sports. This situation presented itself in this year's Oregon men's tennis dual match against hated rival 18th ranked Washington at the Student Tennis Center. I was privileged to cover this event in early March with the crowd sitting on the edge of their seats and anticipating every single point. Tied 3-3 with one dual match point left, Oregon's No. 1 player Manuel Kost ended up defeating the Huskies' No. 1 player, Alex Vlaski, in an intense three-setter 5-7, 7-6 (12 10) and 6-4. Vlaski, a two-time All American, was ranked third in the nation at the time. Afterward, team mates rushed onto the court while the crowd gave Kost a long standing ovation. It was a sight that only sports can produce. The 4-3 win marked only the fifth victory in Oregon history against Washington in 112 at tempts. The Ducks' losing streak against the Huskies had spanned more than half a century. Oregon head coach Chris Russell said they "had been haunted by that (streak) for a while." "But finally we're no longer haunted," Russell said afterward. Truly, this match showed what sports is all about. Today's crossword solution
