Ducks' Holliday earns award for West region.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Redshirt senior Becky Holliday was honored Tuesday by the U.S. Track Coaches Association as the West Regional women's track and field athlete of the year.

The Sparks, Nev., native was one of 18 men and women selected who will be honored Monday prior to the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Championships at the Mondo Coaches Banquet at Sacramento State University, and she will be up for the national honor that will be announced next week.

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

A three-time all-American, Holliday has led the collegiate pole vault rankings most of the 2003 outdoor season. In May, she won titles with school records of 14 feet, 6 inches in the Pac-10 Championships and 14-8 in the West Regional Championships.

The latter mark broke the American collegiate record by a quarter-inch and moved her to sixth all-time on the U.S. list, while the former stood as a conference meet record.

During the outdoor regular season, she also cleared 14 feet with a then-school record in the Mount SAC Relays (second, 14-5 1/4). Indoors in 2003, she added her third all-America honor in the NCAA Championships (second, 14-3 1/4) with a then-school record after topping 14 feet in the Mountain Pacific Championships (second, 14-1 3/4 ).

The men's award went to Washington pole vaulter and 2003 NCAA indoor champion Brad Walker.

Ducks put 21 individuals,

one relay team in NCAAs

The University of Oregon men's and women's track and field teams received confirmation Tuesday that 13 men, eight women and one men's relay have qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, to be held June 11-14 in Sacramento.

Only one Duck, junior pole vaulter Trevor Woods, received an at-large invitation to the meet. The rest made it in via last week's regional qualifying or NCAA qualifying marks recorded during the season.

Becky Holliday is ranked first in the women's pole vault, and teammate Niki McEwen is ranked fourth in the event. Among Oregon's men, decathlete Santiago Lorenzo is the highest-seeded individual, ranking third in his specialty.

Two UO football games

to be shown on TBS

Two of Oregon's away football games, at Arizona on Sept. 13 and at Washington on Nov. 1, have been chosen for national telecast by TBS with 7 p.m. kickoffs.

The addition of those two games, announced Tuesday, means that at least four of Oregon's six road games this season will be televised live. The Ducks' games at Mississippi State on Aug. 30 and at Utah on Oct. 3 will be shown on ESPN2, the opener at 6 p.m. PDT and the game in Salt Lake City on a Friday at 7 p.m. PDT.

Oregon's home game against Michigan on Sept. 20 also will be televised regionally by ABC, with a 12:30 p.m. kickoff at Autzen Stadium.

Former OSU golfer

makes U.S. Open field

Former Oregon State golfer Anthony Arvidson has qualified for the United States Open, held June 12-15 at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill.

A total of 13 sectional qualifier tournaments were held throughout the country Monday and Tuesday, with a total of 83 players advancing to the 156-player field at the Open. The remaining 73 were exempt from qualifying.

Arvidson shot a 138 over two rounds at the sectional qualifier in Tarzana, Calif., at the El Caballero Country Club, where 78 players competed for four spots in the Open. The Beaverton native was one of three players tied for second.

Five Midwestern players

make softball series

Five Midwestern League players have been invited to play in the 4A senior all-star softball series this weekend in Portland.

Marshfield's Jamie Strong and Makenzie Marineau will be joined on the State team by Stephanie Bour of Springfield, Cijay Koanui of North Eugene and Lindsay Ciullo of Lebanon. Springfield's Kim Badley and North Eugene's Mike Jodoin are assistant coaches.

The State team will face the Metro team Saturday night at Erv Lind Stadium following the Class 4A championship game, which starts at 4 p.m. The two teams will play again at 10 a.m. and noon Sunday at Mount Hood Community College.

Higgins back in booth

for Ems' radio broadcasts

Dennis Higgins, who previously served as the radio play-by-play voice of the Eugene Emeralds in 1993 and '94, will return to that assignment for this season in addition to his new duties as the team's assistant general manager.

`I'm thrilled to be back,' said Higgins, who has worked as the play-by-play broadcaster for the Wichita Wranglers of the Texas League and on the broadcast team of the San Francisco Giants since leaving Eugene.

Ray Martin, who had been the play-by-play announcer for the Ems in recent seasons, will continue to work on the broadcasts of home games while also serving as the official scorer. Ems games will again be broadcast on KPNW-AM (1120).

Kennedy, Confer earn

LCC track awards

Kellen Kennedy and Megan Confer were named most outstanding at the Lane Community College track and field awards banquet.

Keith Baker and MacKenzie Winkle won the Titans' high-point awards; Brian Bartow, Steve Hammond and Stephanie Carter were named most improved; and Evan Lybarger and Meghann Quinn received the coaches awards.