In a cluster of athletes, coaches, fans and family, Oregon head coach Felecia Mulkey stood with a handful of microphones pointed in her direction as she fielded questions about the first-ever Duck Invitational yesterday afternoon. In between questions, amid the noise and music, an avid Duck fan with two pompoms and an “I Love My Ducks” T-shirt approached Mulkey.
“You’re so awesome,” the woman told Mulkey. “I would imagine there will be twice as many (people) next time. The word will spread. Great job.”
The moment must have been a surreal one for Mulkey, who single-handedly brought the sport of team stunts and gymnastics to the University over the past year and a half. And now that Oregon fans have gotten a taste of what it is all about, Mulkey may be able to breathe easy. At least for a day or two.
“I woke up, this is no joke, at 4:17 a.m. on the dot,” Mulkey said. “Sat stark right up in bed and have not been back to sleep since.”
The hard work and planning clearly paid off as the team made its home debut in front of 1,272 spectators yesterday afternoon at McArthur Court. That number not only surprised Mulkey, but she said it’s “unheard of” in the sport and thanked the community for the
generous outreach.
“This was such a big thing for us,” Mulkey said. “Other than just us competing, it was just such a historical event for us.”
The Ducks did not disappoint as they beat visiting Ohio State and Azusa Pacific en route to their fourth first-place finish of the season. The meet followed the same format as the inaugural National Competitive Stunts and Tumbling Association meet held at Kennesaw State University earlier this month.
Oregon took home top honors in each of the five rounds of competition — stunts, pyramids, baskets, tumbling and team routine — with its strongest showing in the individual tumbling sequence. Junior Rali Manolova and senior Tori Mayard excelled in the event and drew a large reaction from the home crowd that began to chant “Rali! Rali! Rali!” as she sprinted toward the center of the mat. Mayard, one of only two seniors on the team, credits the individual efforts for the overall team success.
“Everyone has their own individual strengths,” Mayard said. “Which is what our team is made up of, that’s what makes Oregon strong and it shows in this meet format.”
In the highly anticipated team routines — a combination of the first four events put together with a series of music — the home crowd rallied behind the Ducks to help them tally the top score at 88.57. Azusa Pacific finished in second with 86.97, and Ohio State took third
with 79.00.
Those results reflected that of the overall outcome. Oregon finished in first with a team score of 239.97, Azusa Pacific in second with 236.19 and Ohio State in third with 222.59.
The Ducks will host their final home meet of the season on Sunday, March 7, when Cal Poly and Western Oregon visit Mac Court for the Northwest Invitational.
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