WNBA's Sting waive ex-UO standout Bills.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Andrea Bills, an all-Pac-10 Conference center for Oregon last season, was waived on Tuesday by the Charlotte Sting of the Women's National Basketball Association.

The 6-foot-3 player from Moreno Valley, Calif., signed with Charlotte as a free-agent rookie on April 19 and reported to the team's training camp on April 22.

Bills played eight scoreless minutes in the Sting's 69-64 exhibition loss to Connecticut on Sunday. She had two rebounds and three turnovers.

Another former Oregon player, 6-4 forward Cathrine Kraayeveld, from Kirkland, Wash., remains on the San Antonio Silver Stars roster.

Also an all-Pac-10 selection last season, Kraayeveld was chosen in the third round of the WNBA draft on April 16 by San Antonio.

USA Softball extends

invite to OSU's McGowan

CORVALLIS - Oregon State pitcher Brianne McGowan has earned an invitation to participate in the USA Softball national team selection camp June 13-17.

The tryouts will be held at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., as 32 athletes will seek positions on the 18-member national team and a 16-member elite team that will represent the U.S. in various international events this year.

McGowan, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Reno, Nev., has a 33-6 record, including 29 complete games and 10 shutouts. Her 33 wins are an OSU single-season record and her 279 strikeouts are just nine shy of a school single-season record.

Maui Invitational adds

Oregon to its 2008 field

For Oregon basketball fans who've always wanted a reason to spend Thanksgiving in Hawaii, the Duck men's team can offer one - if you can wait 3 1/2 years.

Oregon has been invited to play in the 2008 EA Sports Maui Invitational, along with North Carolina, Indiana, Texas, Notre Dame, St. Joseph's, Alabama and host Chaminade. Brackets for the late-November tournament will not be announced until that summer.

"For years we have wanted to participate in the Maui Invitational," UO coach Ernie Kent said. "Year in and year out, it is one of the premier tournaments in college basketball."

It will be Oregon's first appearance in the Maui event.

Eugene hockey returns

under Generals banner

Eugene's return to Junior B hockey became official Tuesday with the announcement of the new team's nickname - the Generals - and its head coach, Robert Freeland.

"We wanted a name that signaled a strategic, advancing, powerful presence on the ice," team owner Ken Evans said. "Something aggressive. Something smart. And that is what led us to name this team the Eugene Generals."

Evans also unveiled the Generals' blue-and-gold logo.

Freeland, whose coaching career began in 1987, spent the past five years as the general manager of the Portland Pioneers. Two of those years he was an assistant coach with the Pioneers, who were champions of the Northern Pacific Hockey League.

Eugene joins the NPHL, which includes teams in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The Generals plan to recruit 20 to 25 players from scouting stops in Chicago, Las Vegas, Colorado Springs, Colo., Detroit, Lake Placid, N.Y., and Vancouver, B.C.

The season begins in September.

Kostic headlines OSU's hall of fame inductees

CORVALLIS - Tanja Kostic, a two-time Pac-10 Conference basketball player of the year and the Beavers' career leader in scoring and rebounds, has been named to the Oregon State Sports Hall of Fame.

Other inductees for the 11th class of the school's hall of fame include gymnast Traci Crover, wrestler Jim Crumley, high jumper Tim Woods and the 1954-55 men's basketball team.

The induction ceremony will be held Sept. 23 at Reser Stadium.

Kostic scored 2,349 points and had 1,001 rebounds. The native of Sweden led the Beavers to three NCAA tournament appearances.

Crover led the Beavers to four Pac-10 Conference titles and was the 1993 co-NCAA Regional champion on the beam.

Crumley earned All-American status three times at 177 pounds and finished second at the 1970 NCAA Championships. He later served as an OSU assistant coach from 1983-89.

Woods, who won the 1972 NCAA high jump title with a mark of 7 feet, 3 1/4 inches, holds the OSU record of 7-4 1/2 .

Amory ``Slats'' Gill led the 1954-55 team to the NCAA West Regional Championship game, where the Beavers fell 57-56 to the eventual NCAA champion San Francisco Dons, led by Bill Russell.

UO's Swinnen regional tennis award nominee

Oregon tennis standout Sven Swinnen was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship nominee for the West Region on Tuesday.

He is one of 10 regional nominees vying for the national award given to the top men's player for his sportsmanship, character, academic excellence and performance on the tennis court.

Swinnen was named first-team all-Pac-10 after setting a UO singles record of 26-8. He will make his second straight appearance at the NCAA Individual Championships that begin May 25 at College Station, Texas.

Beavers capture their

second Civil War Cup

Oregon State has won the 2004-05 Civil War Cup by a 12-5 margin over Oregon, which still holds a 3-2-1 edge in the six-year-old rivalry series.

OSU scored its points in football (two), men's basketball (one), wrestling (two), volleyball (two), softball (two), women's soccer (one), men's golf (one) and women's golf (one).

The Civil War Series supports both institutions financially.

Dexter disc golf tourney to benefit jobseekers

The first "Oregon Voices" disc golf tournament, sponsored by the Eugene Disc Golf Club, will be Saturday in Dexter to help those without a phone find employment.

Registration starts at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Dexter Lake Disc Golf Course, about 11 miles east of Interstate 5 on Highway 58, with tee-off at 10 a.m. Players are asked to make donations of $5 to $10.

Proceeds will go to Oregon Public Communications, which assists jobseekers in Lane County to maintain consistent telephone numbers as they apply for work.