Sports
A9
Thursday, March 3, 2022
BASKETBALL
Liefke,
Stricklin
named first-
team all
conference
Team awaits word
on possible at-large
bid to NAIA tourney
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
Andrew Cutler/The Observer, File
Eastern Oregon University senior Noel Orozco, left, an All-American at 285 pounds, wrestles for the Mountaineers. The men’s wrestling team ranked No. 19 in
the Jan. 27, 2022, NAIA Coaches’ Top-20 Poll.
HIGH HOPES
EOU men’s wresting
team looks to continue
underdog postseason run
By DAVIS CARBAUGH • The Observer
ICHITA, Kan. —
W
The Mountaineers
are riding high off
a stellar showing at the Cascade
Collegiate Conference tournament,
but the team’s end goal is still in
sight.
The Eastern Oregon University men’s
wrestling program came in as underdogs, but
shocked the conference by taking home the
championship. The team is now gearing up
to send six wrestlers to the NAIA National
Championships in Wichita, Kansas on March
4.
“We have to step on the mat and perform,
it’s not just going to be given to us,” head
coach Dustyn Azure said. “They’re a great
group that understands that we have to com-
pete hard. It’s a dog fight.”
The Mountaineers scored 130.5 points in
the conference championships to take first
overall, despite coming in ranked below sev-
eral other opponents. Eastern saw one con-
ference champion in Kyle Knudtson at 184,
while five other wrestlers earned national
qualifications for their performances.
According to Azure, the Mountaineers
have faced their fair share of adversity this
Andrew Cutler/The Observer, File
Eastern Oregon University’s Jay Smith faces off against Southern Oregon University’s John White at
Quinn Coliseum in La Grande on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021. Smith earned Cascade Collegiate Conference
player of the week honors on Monday, Jan. 11, 2022 after taking two dual victories and helping Eastern
sweep Arizona Christian and Embry-Riddle on consecutive days.
season. From COVID-19 cancellations to
injuries and illnesses, the conference champi-
onships marked the first time that Eastern had
its full squad competing at one competition.
“It was a great accomplishment for these
guys to get out there and wrestle to their
ability,” Azure said. “These guys have over-
come a lot of adversity the last couple years
and have done a great job of trying to get
better every day.”
Now that Eastern is at full strength, the
focus has shifted to finding success at the
national level. The Mountaineers head into
the tournament ranked No. 16 in the latest
NAIA poll, with four wrestlers ranked
individually.
See, Wrestling/Page A10
LA GRANDE — Two
pillars of the Eastern
Oregon University women’s
basketball team finished up
the conference postseason
with top honors.
Senior Taylor Stricklin
and junior Sailor Liefke
were both named first-team
all Cascade Collegiate Con-
ference in
the confer-
ence’s post-
season awards
announcement
on Tuesday,
March 1.
Stricklin
The duo
have been
anchors at
Eastern this
season, but
the accom-
plishment is
not a first-
Liefke
time occur-
rence. Both
Stricklin and Liefke were
first-team selections in
Eastern’s 2021 spring
season.
Lief ke led Eastern in
scoring this year, put-
ting up 15.6 points per
contest. She shot 41.7%
from the field and 33.3%
from three-point range off
180 attempts. The junior
guard also led the way in
assists with 100 on the
season.
Stricklin was a steady
scoring option for the
Mountaineers, while also
leading the team with 8.3
rebounds per game. The
senior guard averaged
13.4 points per game and
also dished out 64 assists.
Through conference
postseason play, the Moun-
taineers finished with a
22-10 record overall and
18-4 in conference play.
See, Basketball/Page A10
SPORTS SHORT
Sad, not shocked: MLB fans take gut-punch of canceled games
The Associated Press
JUPITER, Fla. — Major League
Baseball has canceled opening day,
with Commissioner Rob Manfred
announcing Tuesday, March 1, the sport
will scrap regular-season games over
a labor dispute for the first time in 27
years after acrimonious lockout talks
collapsed in the hours before manage-
ment’s deadline.
Manfred said he is canceling the first
two series of the season that was set to
begin March 31, dropping the schedule
from 162 games to likely 156 games
at most. Manfred said the league and
union have not made plans for future
negotiations. Players won’t be paid for
missed games.
“My deepest hope is we get an agree-
ment quickly,” Manfred said. “I’m
really disappointed we didn’t make an
agreement.”
After the sides made progress
during 13 negotiating sessions over
16-1/2 hours Feb. 28, the league sent the
players’ association a “best and final
offer” March 1 on the ninth straight day
of negotiations.
Players rejected that offer, setting the
stage for MLB to follow through on its
threat to cancel opening day.
“Rob Manfred and MLB’s owners
have canceled the start of the season,”
the union said in a statement. “Players
and fans around the world who love
baseball are disgusted, but sadly not
surprised.
“Against the backdrop of growing
revenues and record profits, we are
seeking nothing more than a fair agree-
ment. What Rob Manfred characterized
as a ‘defensive lockout’ is, in fact, the
culmination of a decades-long attempt
by owners to break our player fraternity.
As in the past, this effort will fail.”
At 5:10 p.m., Manfred issued a state-
ment that many fans had been dreading:
Nothing to look forward to on opening
day, normally a spring standard of
renewal for fans throughout the nation
and some in Canada, too.
The ninth work stoppage in base-
ball history will be the fourth that causes
regular season games to be canceled,
leaving Fenway Park and Dodger Sta-
dium as quiet in next month as Joker
Marchant Stadium and Camelback Park
have been during the third straight dis-
rupted spring training.
Wilfredo Lee/The Associated Press
Baseball fans watch as Major League Baseball Commissioner
Rob Manfred speaks during a news conference after negotiations
with the players’ association toward a labor deal, Tuesday, March
1, 2022, at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. Manfred said he is
canceling the first two series of the season that was set to begin
March 31, dropping the schedule from 162 games to likely 156 games
at most. Manfred said the league and union have not made plans for
future negotiations. Players won’t be paid for missed games.
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