Oregon Daily Emerald
Monday, April 25, 2005
“I didn’t feel my best today, bat it’s just good to be here. It was
great having the fans here clapping and cheering really load. ’’
Oregon freshman Galen Rupp on his first running event as a Duck
49ers pick
two former
Ducks in
NFL draft
Adam Snyder was chosen 94th
overall and Marcus Maxwell
went ninth in the seventh round
BY JON ROE I MAN
SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER
Adam Snyder made quite a name for him
self playing football on Saturdays.
Now he’ll try his luck on Sundays.
The former Oregon offensive lineman was
selected by San Francisco in the third round
of the National Football League draft on Sat
urday. The 49ers traded a fourth-round pick
and a sixth-round pick to Philadelphia to
move into the 30th spot in the third round and
chose Snyder as the 94th overall selection.
Snyder spent his entire senior season with
the Ducks at left tackle but has also played
guard during his collegiate career. Several pro
scouts project that he’ll play guard in the NFL.
A three-year starter at Oregon, Snyder was
twice named first-team All-Pacific-10 Confer
ence and earned Pac-10 Offensive Player of
the Week honors for his performance against
Michigan in September 2003 in which the
Ducks upset the Wolverines, 31-27. It was the
first time since 1995 that an offensive lineman
garnered such praise.
Marcus Maxwell was the only other former
Oregon player drafted this year. The 6-foot-5
wide receiver was also selected by San Fran
cisco, taken as the ninth pick (223rd overall)
in the seventh round.
The former junior college standout caught
36 passes for 401 yards and two touchdowns
during his two-year stint with the Ducks.
Former Nebraska offensive lineman Richie
Incognito, who attempted to join Oregon in
the fall after being kicked off the Comhusker
team for repeated violations of team rules,
was selected by St. Louis as the 17th pick (81st
overall) of the third round.
In all, 33 athletes from Pac-10 schools were
selected during the NFL’s two-day, seven
round draft.
Oregon State had three players chosen, in
cluding defensive end Bill Swancutt, quarter
back Derek Anderson and offensive tackle
Doug Nienhuis. Swancutt, the 2004-05 Co
Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, was tak
en by Detroit as the 10th pick (184th overall)
of the sixth round. Anderson was selected by
NFL, page 14A
■ Women’s track and field
u i"i
' Danielle Hickey | Photo editor
Oregon senior Sofie Abildtrup left all of her competition in the dust as she won the women’s 400-meter race at the Oregon Invitational on Saturday.
Ducks spread first-place wealth
Oregon athletes performed well in varied events,
including relays, sprints, javelin and shot put
BY STEPHEN MILLER
SPORTS REPORTER
Before Saturday, the Oregon throwers had been almost exclusively
achieving personal records and regional qualifying performances.
Then Saturday rolled around, and a different group of Duck track and
field athletes set their marks at the Oregon Invitational in front of 3,579 fans.
Senior sprinter Sofie Abildtrup took the first step for all Duck runners with
a first-place finish in the 400-meters. Stopping the clock at 54.37 seconds,
Abildtrup exceeded the regional qualifying mark of 54.61 and beat second
place finisher Loni Perkins of Montana by more than a second. Abildtrup
also holds the Danish national record in the event.
In past women’s 400 hurdles races, Oregon freshman Kasey Harwood
came in first with teammate Kayla Mellott taking second. On Saturday, Mel
lott crossed the finish line in second, but Harwood sat out with a strained
right hamstring that she suffered in Thursday’s practice.
“What I really wanted to do was just get out fast,” said Mellott, who qual
ified for Regionals with a personal-best time of 60.15. “It was a nice mark to
get out of the way for now.
“I had my steps on, and I was pretty fatigued in the last 100, but I was
still able to move up, and everything went according to plan. ”
Senior Laura Harmon snatched a Regional qualifying spot in the
5,000 with a seventh-place finish at 16:39.37, only six seconds behind
her personal record.
In the 4x400 relay, Washington’s team time of 3:44.58 just edged out Ore
gon’s 3:44.77. A race to the finish line developed as Washington’s Amanda
Miller and Oregon junior Sara Schaaf sprinted neck-and-neck for the top
spot a good nine seconds ahead of the other three teams’ anchor runners.
The Huskies also received event victories from senior Kate Soma in the
pole vault (13-6 1/4), sophomore Ashley Lodree in the 400 hurdles (59.65)
and freshman Jennifer Nash in the 100 (11.98).
The throwing events capped off with the javelin, in which Oregon’s Sarah
Malone used another consistent effort to claim the victory. The fifth-year
senior carefully worked on a runway slick from rain and landed a spear
173-1 to win her third straight competition of the outdoor season.
“When it’s dry, you don’t think twice, but when it’s wet, you’re a little
more cautious,” the two-time All-American said. “It was definitely some
thing I was thinking about, and I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t
throw farther."
Oregon’s Brittany Hinchcliffe finished fourth in the hammer throw by
landing a mark of 192-11 on her sixth and final attempt. Cari Soong of
WOMEN, page 14A
■ Men's track and field
Rupp debuts with top-five finish
Despite suffering a fall early in his race, the
freshman worked his way into fifth place
BY BRIAN SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER
The Oregon men’s track and field team captured five indi
vidual titles against some of the top collegiate and post-colle
giate competition at the Oregon Invitational at Hayward Field
on Saturday.
However, no one individual was more closely watched by
the crowd of 3,579 than Galen Rupp, the star recruit who ran
his first race in Oregon’s green and yellow.
Having been cleared by the NCAA a day earlier, the Central
Catholic High School graduate finished fifth in the 5,000-me
ters, the marquee event of the evening. Rupp finished with a
time of 13:50.10 after falling mid-race.
Unable to avoid a fall that occurred in front of him, the
freshman dropped to 11th place near the six-minute mark of
the race. Rupp jumped back up and spent the last seven min
utes of the race gradually working his way back into the top five.
“I don’t want to use that as an excuse,” Rupp said of the fall.
“I didn’t feel my best today, but it’s just good to be here. It was
great having the fans here clapping and cheering really loud,
and I just look forward to more races here.”
Rupp’s debut capped another successful day for Oregon on
the track, which was highlighted by junior Richard Del Rin
con’s performances. Del Rincon captured the 200-meter title
and helped the 4x100 relay team win its second title in as
many weeks.
Oregon nearly topped last week’s time of 39.83 at the Gold
en Bear Invitational and was only .2 seconds behind the all
time record of 39.80.
In the 200, Del Rincon finished with a time of 20.93, finish
ing nearly one second ahead of Montana State’s Steve Heberly.
MEN, page 14A
Danielle Hickey | Photo editor
Oregon junior sprinter Richard Del Rincon hands off the baton during the Ducks'
4x100 relay victory at the Oregon Invitational at Hayward Field on Saturday.