– Oregon freshman Edward Cheserek was voted by the nation’s indoor track & field coaches and the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coach Association as the Division I Men’s National Athlete of the Year. This past weekend, Cheserek swept the 3,000 and 5,000 meters events at the NCAA Championships held in Albuquerque, N.M., to lead the men to their first national title since 2009.
– Cheserek wasn’t the only Duck to win a national award Wednesday. Oregon head coach Robert Johnson won both the Division I Men’s and Women’s National Coach of the Year awards. Johnson coached the men to their first national championship since 2009 and the women to their fifth consecutive title. This now makes Johnson the Women’s Indoor National Coach of the Year for the fourth straight year.
– Oregon men’s basketball freshman transfer Brandon Austin, along with Providence freshman Rodney Bullock, was accused of sexually assaulting a Providence student in November. The allegations were reportedly made “a couple of weeks ago” and the Providence Police Department is currently investigating Austin and Bullock. Austin transferred to Oregon — currently preparing for the NCAA tournament — from Providence in January and won’t be eligible to play for the Ducks until December.
– The seventh-seeded Oregon men’s basketball team will meet 10 seed BYU on Thursday, March 20 at 12:10 p.m. PST in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The two teams met this season on Dec. 21, when the Ducks beat the Cougars 100-96 in overtime. The winner will face either two seed Wisconsin or 15 seed American University in the third round.
– In the Rainbow Wahine Classic, the No. 2 Oregon softball team lost in the championship game to James Madison 3-0. The Ducks finished 5-1 in the tournament and will begin Pac-12 play on Saturday, March 22. After the tournament, sophomore Alyssa Gillespie was awarded Most Valuable Player after batting .500 (10-for-20) in the tournament. Cheridan Hawkins also finished as co-Most Valuable Pitcher, allowing just two runs in the tournament for a 0.78 ERA.
– The Oregon Women’s basketball team received a bid from the WNIT selection committee Monday night. The Ducks will host Pacific on Thursday at Matt Knight Arena. This is Oregon’s sixth trip to the WNIT. The Ducks have won WNIT championships in 1989 and 2002. Oregon is 3-0 all-time against Pacific — 2-0 at Matt Knight Arena. The WNIT will mark Paul Westhead’s final game(s) as Oregon’s head coach.
– Emerald sports reporter Joseph Hoyt joined KWVA Sports’ “Quack Smack” Tuesday night, giving insight into Oregon’s possible NCAA tournament run and other bracket matchups. He also talked about the Oregon women’s basketball team and what they are playing for in the final game(s) under Westhead. KWVA’s Quack Smack airs from 6-7 p.m. Monday through Friday and will continue to feature an Emerald sports reporter every Tuesday. KWVA also airs Friday Night Spotlight from 7-9 p.m. each week.
Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3