Emily Enders is looking forward to the Pacific-10 Conference Championships this weekend, not only for another chance to don an Oregon uniform, but also to showcase her pole vaulting skills honed over four years in Eugene.
“I’m really, really, really excited to compete,” Enders said. “This year’s taken a slow start and right now I feel great physically and so I’m ready to get out there and compete.”
Enders, a senior from Snohomish, Wash., achieved her season- best of 12-foot, 9 1/2 inches at the Pepsi Team Invitational and tied it at the Oregon Twilight.
Enders and her teammates travel to Stanford this weekend for the Pacific-10 Conference Championships.
“It’s coming down to the end of my season and my track career, and so I’m trying to make the most out of these last three meets and enjoy it to the fullest,” Enders said.
Enders is the veteran of a promising core of pole vaulters, including freshman Eniko Eros and sophomore Tara Rhein, who’ve both earned their regional qualifying marks.
“I feel like I’m the mother of the team this year, which I enjoy,” Enders said. “I like being a mentor and guiding the good new athletes.”
This being close to Mother’s Day, is there any significance?
“I didn’t think about that, but maybe,” Enders said, laughing. “I should tell them to give me cards.”
The Oregon women’s team earned fifth place in last year’s championships and with the development of the team’s veterans and infusion of young talent, the Ducks expressed confidence in the team’s potential.
“There’s kind of this intensity in the air all around the team this year, and I think we really have the potential to outdo ourselves and I’m really excited to see how the team does,” Enders said.
Track and Field Director Vin Lananna also expects big things.
“We made great progress last year,” he said. “We moved from the bottom of the Pac-10 to the middle of the Pac-10 and now it’s time to stabilize that and then take a real big assault and getting us up in the top three contending positions, and I feel like we’re poised to be able to do that. We’ll need this year to be able to lay that foundation.”
Rebekah Noble and Lananna remained coy Tuesday about what events she’s going to be doing this weekend, specifically whether she’ll double up and run the 800 meters and 1,500 or just do one of the two.
Thrower Britney Henry is following up her performance last weekend with her final appearance at the Pac-10 Championships.
Henry equaled her Oregon school record in the Twilight with a throw of 221-07, but tweaked her back during the competition. She says her back is a little tight, but she is receiving massages and will be fine for this weekend.
“Last weekend I had a pretty stellar performance against some very great girls,” Henry said. “It’s kind of a prelude to Pac-10s.”
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