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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2005)
Oregon Daily Emerald Thursday, Januaryi 27, 2005 “1 feel terrible. I didn’t think he had it in him. ” Houston Rockets star TVacy McGrady after his rottweiler bit a maintenance person’s nose off ■ Women’s lacrosse Heart over hearing For Oregon lacrosse player Ashley Beghtel, disability never stands in the way of passion BY BEAU EASTES DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER Ashley Beghtel possesses all the qualities one might expect to find in an NCAA Division I athlete: Size. At 5-foot-8, only three lacrosse teammates stand taller, none of whom have shoulders as broad as hers. “She’s a very physical player,” Oregon head lacrosse coach Jen Larsen said. Aggression. Lauren Anderson, an assistant lacrosse coach at Southridge High School in Beaverton, tells of how it was “the parting of the seas” when Beghtel charged the goal for the Skyhawks. No one wanted to be in the path of the attacker who would stop at nothing on her way to scoring. Game smarts. Larsen and Anderson both praise Beghtel’s uncommon field awareness. “Her perception and vision are 100 times better than anyone I’ve ever coached,” Anderson said. Beghtel’s powerful legs, tenacity and keen eye are all part of the package that has helped her pave her way to Pape Field. What’s most impressive though, is Beghtel’s passion to overcome obstacles, most notably her inability to hear. When Beghtel was 12 months old, she lost her hearing to meningitis. The setback was devastating to the Beghtel family, Patty Beghtel, Ashley’s mother, said. Faith, though, helped the family through its dark period. “It was the only reason we survived,” Erik R. Bishoff | Photographer Above: Ashley Beghtel, center, her interpreter Leah Passman, right, and teammates partake in a team building activity Wednesday. Below: Beghtel (20), Liora Lobel (16) and a teammate compete in a fall scrimmage. Patty said. “Knowing someone greater than us had a plan.” Ashley was introduced to signing at 15 months, and soon her older brother Matt would join her. A few years later she was playing T-ball and soccer. “She doesn’t sit around much,” her mother said. Entering high school, Beghtel started playing soccer and was soon recruited by the basketball coach because of her size and aggressiveness. But it was the new club sport of lacrosse her brother played that intrigued her. “I really like to try new things,” Beghtel said through her interpreter, Leah Passman. “(Lacrosse) was something exciting and new.” After the titillating experience of lacrosse, “soccer became that more dry,” she said. Under the tutelage of Anderson, Beghtel’s gifts became obvious. “She has a ton of pure athletic talent,” Anderson said. “(As a coach) you’re lucky to get one that has the full package.” Impressing Anderson more than Beghtel’s talents or determination to succeed in the face of her disability was her willingness to put the team first. “She would do whatever we asked her,” Anderson said. After three years of playing at Southridge, Beghtel’s disability would, at times, be overlooked by coaches, as dealing with it had become routine. “We occasionally forgot to do the simple things,” Anderson said, such as turning toward Beghtel during time-outs so the attacker could read a coach’s lips. Things weren’t so easy, however, after Ashley transferred to Oregon (she spent the first two terms of last year at Western Ore gon). In the fall, none of Beghtel’s teammates knew any sign language, leaving Ashley on the outside of small talk and inside jokes. “It took a while for them to get used to me at the beginning,” Beghtel said. “But after a few months, they started to get used to it. They’re LACROSSE, page 14 ■ Women's basketball Ducks host Bruins, start latter part of Pac-10 slate UCLA has won its last three games at Mac Court, and Oregon hopes to end the Bruins' streak tonight BY BRIAN SMITH SPORTS REPORTER The Oregon women’s basketball team begins the second half of its Pacific-10 Conference schedule tonight against a UCLA team that will be without the services of its leading scorer and rebounder, sophomore Noelle Quinn. “For us, it has been a tough situation,” UCLA head coach Kathy Olivier said. “She does so many things for our team. The last few games we have had people step up and we are just going to look forward to other people to contribute.” Which is exactly what the Bruins (12-6 overall, 6-3 Pac-10) are getting as they look for their third straight victory at Mac Court. Stepping up for the Bruins has been forward Lindsey Plummer, who is now aver aging 10.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Lately, much of the emphasis for Oregon (12-6, 5-4) has been its propensity for committing turnovers, especially on the road. In their last meeting with UCLA, the Ducks turned the ball over 20 times en route to a 70-54 loss. But that was at Pauley Pavilion. “I don’t really believe that the home court advantage has anything to do with turnovers,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said. “I think it’s just WOMEN, page 14 ■ Men's basketball Oregon wraps up first half of Pac-10 schedule on road The Ducks will try to regroup at Cal and Stanford after two straight home losses last weekend BY JON ROETMAN SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER The Oregon men’s basketball team closes out the first half of its Pacific-10 Conference schedule this week, starting with a trip to Haas Pavilion tonight to face California. The youthful Ducks (11-5 overall, 3-4 Pac-10) will have their confidence tested after dropping a pair of home games to the Arizona schools last week. After battling the Golden Bears, Oregon will play Stanford on Saturday at Maples Pavilion. The Ducks have not faired well during recent trips to the Bay Area, dropping their last four games at Cal and their last 18 contests at Stanford. Despite not having odds in their favor, Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said the Ducks have rebounded well from recent losses and have a lot to gain from their next two games. “This team has been a joy to coach,” Kent said. “They bounce back and their energy has MEN, page 14 Erik R. Bishoff | Photographer Forward Mitch Platt, seen here against Arizona State Saturday, has had few touches in recent games. ■ Club Sports Ducks host Pac-10 foes, hope to keep winning streak alive BY SCOTTJ. ADAMS DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER After two weeks off, the Oregon wrestling team continues its homestand Friday with a double-header against Pacific-10 Conference foes Cal State Fullerton and Stanford. The Ducks are riding a three-dual winning streak following their dramatic 25-23 win over Boise State on Dec. 14. Oregon junior Shane Webster (174 pounds) said the Ducks are recovering well from injury and have more confidence at practice. “We feel confident going into this weekend,” Webster said. “We’re almost at 100 percent and should do well.” Webster also said Oregon head coach Chuck Kearney should keep a consistent roster for both duals Friday, pending weigh in results. Action starts for Oregon (4-5 overall, 1-3 Pac-10) at 2 p.m., when the Ducks wrestle a talented Cal State Fullerton (9-3, 2-1) squad. The Titans enter the match reeling in the wake of a 31-14 loss at the hands of No. 18 Arizona State last week. The Sun Devils dominated the dual by winning seven of 10 bouts to remain undefeated in conference matches. Leading Cal State Fullerton into Friday’s dual is ninth-ranked senior Landon Seefeldt, who finished fourth at last season's NCAAs. Seefeldt has two Pac-10 titles under his belt as well, and faces senior Scott Barker (197) of Oregon in one of the most anticipated matches of the season. Barker slightly injured his ankle this week in practice but will definitely wrestle Seefeldt, Webster said. Oregon sophomore Joey Lucas (125) will also wrestle a former Pac-10 champion as he squares off against No. 18 Jesse Miramontes. Miramontes has been a standout this season for the Titans as a key contributor in all of their wins. Friday’s action continues for Oregon as it takes the mat against Stanford (4-4, 0-2) at 7 p.m. Like Oregon, the Cardinal has been hampered with injuries this year and has struggled early in conference duals. Stanford lost earlier in the season to Cal State Fullerton and dropped a dual last Sunday to Cal State Bakersfield in a 29-12 rout. The Ducks also lost to Cal State Bakersfield, 26-29, in an early January match-up in WRESTLING, page 14
