They may not receive the fame or adoration of the University’s varsity athletes, but the men and women who comprise UO’s club sports teams compete with just as much heart.
The Emerald highlights some resounding achievements made by club sports over the 2009-2010 school year.
Women’s Ultimate

Fugue, the University’s women’s ultimate team, enjoyed a historic 2010 season. With the exception of a single loss to rival Wisconsin, Fugue enjoyed an unblemished season that was capped off by an 15-8 win over UC Santa Barbara in the championship game of the College Women’s Championships. The Ducks were the No. 1 team in the country for most of the season and enjoyed multiple lengthy winning streaks along the way.
Men’s Ultimate

Despite a tough run in the season-ending college championships that ended in a 13th place finish, the men’s ultimate team enjoyed a largely successful season. The Ducks ended the regular season as the No. 1 ranked team in the country on the strength of a 26-2 record, with a 23-game winning streak along the way.
Men’s Rugby

Although the men’s rugby team didn’t achieve as much success as some other club sports, they did continue to make progress in their transition to the Division I level. Since the 2002 season when the rugby squad transitioned from Division II to Division I, the Ducks have struggled to assert themselves as a top team but remain optimistic about the future. “Our games have been a lot closer,” club coordinator David Hoffenberg said. “We’re just a year away from taking that step to the next level.”
Women’s Rugby

Sources close to the team called it a rebuilding year. But translating rebuilding into rugby terms means giving more effort, putting in more time, and ultimately trying to win just as much. The Dirty Ducks put in hundreds of miles on the well-worn grass of Riverfront Park and clawed their way into a tournament play-in game against one of the nation’s best in Cal. After a sound loss, the team felt only optimistic and proceeded to keep working through the end of the spring.
“(The Cal loss) shows where we can get to, where we can be. We can take it to the next level,” player Megan Adams said.
Juggling

Although it’s not a competitive sport in the traditional sense, the juggling club is populated with some of the University’s more coordinated athletes. Nearly 40 people meet weekly to practice their juggling, unicycling, and myriad other circus acts. Once they feel confident in their skills, the jugglers have the opportunity to perform at various functions and festivals.
Hockey

Heavy favorites in the Pac-8, Oregon’s almost perfect regular-season record spoke for itself. Anchored by a strong senior class, the team went 14-2 in the regular season but fell short of expectations in the conference tournament. Nevertheless, the team got a chance to play at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., home to the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.
Jiu-Jitsu

The martial art is quickly growing in popularity, and club membership nearly doubled
between fall term and spring. The club also took a step forward when it found a coach, jiu-jitsu black belt Gerald Strebendt. Multiple jiu-jitsu players for the club earned first, second, or third place medals in grappling competitions around the state.
Lacrosse

The men punched their ticket to nationals in Colorado yet again this year and won the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League with an upset over Canadian powerhouse Simon Fraser. The women’s club team experienced an undefeated regular season and a trip to nationals with their youngest squad in years.
But no matter how many wins or losses the club teams endured, the opportunity to continue competing at a high level throughout college is a valuable experience for the hundreds of club sports athletes.
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