Spring Break has come and gone, and if you’re anything like us, you’re wondering where the time went. Yet, while many students were relaxing on a beach or catching up with old friends back home, Oregon’s student athletes were as busy as ever. Since we last published, Oregon’s baseball team played a combined eight games at home and on the road,@@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&KEY=&SPID=11401&SPSID=94835@@ and the men’s basketball team finally saw its season end with a 90-86 loss to Washington in the NIT quarterfinals.@@see own story@@ The track and field squad impressed in yet another meet,@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=243&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205403488@@ while tennis, lacrosse, golf and acrobatics & tumbling all pressed on with their arduous schedules. Chip Kelly even made an appearance with a brief (even by his standards) teleconference to preview spring practice, which begins tomorrow.
It is, as ever, a busy time here in Eugene, and you need to be up-to-date. Here’s what went down while you were resting your brain:
Baseball — Spring Break record: 5-3
George Horton’s squad hit a rut last week, dropping three consecutive games for the first time all season at the hands of Utah and Texas State.@@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&KEY=&SPID=11401&SPSID=94835@@ Things got off to a solid start for the Ducks during the first weekend of break, as they took the first two games against Utah in Eugene.@@see above@@ The Utes salvaged the series with a narrow 4-3 victory to close the series,@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=11401&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205403870@@ though, and the Ducks responded with their worst loss of the season at Texas State two days later. Oregon fell 11-3 that night,@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=11401&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205405061@@ the eight-run margin of defeat ranking as the team’s most lopsided loss since April 3, 2011.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=11401&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205405061@@ A 7-6 defeat the next day marked Oregon’s third-straight loss@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=11401&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205405337@@ and dropped the Ducks to 15-8 overall.@@see previous@@
This past weekend marked a bounce-back of sorts, though, as the Ducks swept No. 14 Arizona State in Eugene. Looking forward, Oregon heads to Southern California this week to face off with No. 6 UCLA.@@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&KEY=&SPID=11401&SPSID=94835@@
Softball — Spring Break record: 5-3
Much like baseball, Oregon’s softball team had an up-and-down Spring Break. It began on an ominous note, as the Ducks dropped two of three games in Corvallis to rival Oregon State@@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&KEY=&SPID=245&SPSID=4374@@. It was the first time all season Oregon had lost consecutive games, and the 7-1 series-clinching defeat was its most lopsided of the year.@@see previous@@ Yet, the Ducks bounced right back to win four straight games against Boise State and No. 5 Arizona State before a 7-4 loss to the Sun Devils on Saturday.@@see previous@@ The rubber match of that series on Sunday was cancelled due to rain, and so the Ducks can now look forward to a series at Stanford later this week.
Track and Field — Spring Break results: Nine combined individual victories at USC Trojan Invitational
It’s still early in the outdoor season, but that doesn’t mean the Ducks are taking things lightly. Quite the opposite, in fact, based on the results at the USC Trojan Invitational in Los Angeles back on March 24.@@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&KEY=&SPID=243&SPSID=4364@@ Nine Oregon individuals collected victories at the meet, including four freshman.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=243&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205403488@@ Among the winners were junior Anne Kesselring in the women’s 1,500 meters (4:16.75), sophomore English Gardner in the women’s 400 meters (53.74), freshman Chancey Summers in the women’s high jump (5-10.5/1.79m) and sophomore Boru Guyota in the men’s 1,500 meters (3:47.89).@@see previous@@
The Ducks jump right back into action today, as three competitors — senior Brianne Theisen@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4365&SPID=243&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=1279849&Q_SEASON=2011@@ and freshmen Dakotah Keys@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4365&SPID=243&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=204971331&Q_SEASON=2011@@ and Alec Fellows@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4365&SPID=243&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205271948&Q_SEASON=2011@@ — head to the Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Tennis — Men’s Spring Break record: 2-2; Women’s Spring Break record: 1-4
The going was rough for both tennis squads over the past week, as they combined for a 3-6 record in dual meet action.@@checked@@ The women were swept in back-to-back weekend series against most of the Arizona and both Southern California schools — their only victory coming against Northern Arizona on March 26. The men, meanwhile, managed victories against Portland and Portland State but found themselves stymied by UCLA and USC this weekend and failed to register a single point in both matches combined.@@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&KEY=&SPID=248&SPSID=4404@@
Men’s Golf — Spring Break results: Two tournament victories
The men’s golf team earned two impressive tournament victories over the break in the Duck Invitational in Eugene and the U.S. Intercollegiate in Stanford, Calif.@@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&KEY=&SPID=246&SPSID=4384@@ At their home Eugene Country Club course on March 26 and 27, the Ducks won by two strokes as a team while senior Andrew Vijarro also captured his first career individual win.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=246&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205404541@@ This past weekend, meanwhile, the team managed another narrow victory in the U.S. Intercollegiate, besting second-place Stanford by one stroke.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=246&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205407363@@ This time, it was senior Daniel Miernicki@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=246&ATCLID=1605902&DB_OEM_ID=500@@ who excelled individually, finishing in first overall with a 6-under-204 final score — five strokes ahead of the nearest competition.@@http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/leaderboards/team/static/team_players_2792.html@@