SPORTS
7A — THE OBSERVER
SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 2021
Sean Meagher/The Oregonian, File
The Oregon Senate passed a proposed legislation to permit college
athletes in Oregon to be compensated for their name, image and
likeness starting July 1, 2021. The legislation now heads to the House.
BILL
Connor Bracken/Eastern Oregon University, File
Eastern Oregon University’s Maggie Ledbetter, shown competing in the weight throw last season, became the fi rst EOU women’s track and
fi eld discus All-American at the 2021 NAIA National Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
BUSINESS: ‘Going for a national title would be amazing’
Continued from Page 6A
college for two more years.
Ledbetter has her eyes set
on passing Haney’s mark
and becoming the all-
time top women’s shot put
thrower at Eastern.
“I’m hoping to get the
outdoor shot record, which
I’m really close to,” Led-
better said. “I want to break
the 50-foot mark in shot
put.”
It was in the discus
throw where Ledbetter dou-
bled down and brought
home her second All-Amer-
ican fi nish at Nationals.
“Discus I really wanted,”
Ledbetter said. “Two years
ago I struggled and let the
competition get to me, so
I was coming back really
wanting to do well.”
Ledbetter competed at
the 2019 NAIA Outdoor
Nationals her freshman
year, but the national com-
petition was canceled last
season due to COVID-19.
She placed 15th overall at
the 2019 Nationals in her
only qualifi ed event of the
competition.
On her fi rst throw of
the 2021 event, Ledbetter
scored a 127-1, a mark well
below her personal bests. It
was on her second attempt
that Ledbetter launched a
145-6 throw that put her
in seventh place and qual-
ifi ed her for All-American
status.
“With discus it was sur-
real. I’ve wanted it so bad,”
Ledbetter said. “EOU
has never had a discus
All-American, so that was
a goal of mine to break that
chain and be the fi rst one.”
Ledbetter has potential
to fi nish her career as one
of the most accomplished
throwers in EOU women’s
track and fi eld history. With
two All-American fi nishes
in the 2021 outdoor season
under her belt, the ceiling is
high for her future.
“Going for a national
title would be amazing,”
she said.
With sports back on
a more regular schedule
regarding COVID-19, Led-
better and the Mountaineers
will have a full off season
without interruptions to
prepare for next season.
The upcoming indoor
season is slated to start in
December and will culmi-
nate in March 2022 with
the NAIA Indoor Champi-
onships, where Ledbetter
will look to bring home
even more All-American
honors.
Continued from Page 6A
Mississippi and New
Mexico. Thirteen other
states also have passed
name, image and likeness
laws.
Sens. Courtney and
James Manning Jr., D-Eu-
gene, are the chief spon-
sors of the bill and added
Sen. Chuck Riley, D-Hill-
sboro, as a sponsor this
week.
“College sports is a bil-
lion-dollar industry. Our
players deserve their fair
share,” Manning said in
a statement. “They are
promised a ‘free’ educa-
tion, but there’s nothing
free about it. They pay for
it by pouring their blood,
sweat, and tears onto the
fi eld. It’s also an economic
fairness issue. The NCAA
and universities are prof-
iting off our athletes, many
of whom are Black and
from low-income house-
holds, and preventing them
from making any money
for themselves. We have an
opportunity to really make
a diff erence in the lives of
our college athletes.”
Both the University of
Oregon and Oregon State
University issued state-
ments in support of the
amended bill last month.
Federal lawmakers con-
tinue eff orts to craft a
national NIL bill with the
goal of passing it before
July 1, with various pro-
posals being circulated.
The U.S. Senate Com-
merce Committee is sched-
uled to hold a hearing
on college athlete NIL
Wednesday.
The NCAA Division
I Council is expected to
address NIL proposals
during its June 22-23
meeting.
ON THE SLATE
SATURDAY, JUNE 5
Prep boys basketball
Griswold at Cove, 6 p.m.
MONDAY, JUNE 7
Prep boys basketball
Baker at Powder Valley, 7:30 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
Baker at Powder Valley, 6 p.m.
TUESDAY, JUNE 8
Prep boys basketball
Powder Valley at Imbler, 5:30 p.m.
La Grande at Baker, 7:30 p.m.
Union at Enterprise, 7:30 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
Powder Valley at Imbler, 4 p.m.
La Grande at Baker, 6 p.m.
Union at Enterprise, 6 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9
Prep boys basketball
Burns at Powder Valley, 2:30 p.m.
Enterprise at Imbler, 7 p.m.
Nixyaawii at Baker, 7:30 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
Burns at Powder Valley, 1 p.m.
Burns vs. Union, at Powder Valley High
School, 4 p.m.
Enterprise at Imbler, 5:30 p.m.
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Nixyaawii at Baker, 6 p.m.
Prep wrestling
McLoughlin/Weston-McEwen vs. La Grande
Dual Meet, TBD
Pendleton vs. La Grande Dual Meet, TBD
THURSDAY, JUNE 10
Prep boys basketball
Powder Valley at Nixyaawii, 7:30 p.m.
Union at La Grande, 6 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
Union at La Grande, 4:30 p.m.
Powder Valley at Nixyaawii, 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, JUNE 11
Prep boys basketball
Union at Wallowa, 6:30 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
Union at Wallowa, 5 p.m.
Ontario at La Grande, 7 p.m.