Author Archives | Will Denner

Aaron Wise named semifinalist for Ben Hogan Award

Days after Oregon men’s golfer Aaron Wise made news on Monday with a career-low round at the Western Invitational, he received additional praise away from the course.

Wise was named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2016 Ben Hogan Award on Wednesday. The annual award is given to the most outstanding collegiate golfer.

Although Oregon has seen ups and downs as a team, Wise has been remarkably consistent. In five of nine tournaments this season, he has finished in the top three or better. This includes two individual wins on the season: first at the Jackrabbit last fall and most recently, the Amer Ari Invitational in February.

Only a sophomore, Wise’s four wins is already second all-time in school history, trailing only Daniel Miernicki’s five wins.

Outside of Oregon, Wise is currently the No. 6-ranked amateur in the world. Wise won the Australian Master of the Amateurs at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in January, as well as the Pacific Coast Amateur last July. According to GoDucks.com, the award takes into account both collegiate and amateur tournaments in the last 12 months.

Other semifinalists include Pac-12 golfers Jon Rahm of Arizona State and Stanford’s Maverick McNealy, and No. 1-ranked Auburn senior Michael Johnson.

The list of 10 Ben Hogan Award semifinalists will be narrowed to three finalists on May 3. The winner will be announced at the Colonial Country Club banquet in Fort Worth, Texas on May 23.

Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on Aaron Wise named semifinalist for Ben Hogan Award

Benjamin appears at Oregon football practice, Shebby leaves volleyball team

– Former Oregon basketball player Dwayne Benjamin was seen wearing pads at Oregon football practice Monday, confirming earlier hints at a return to the gridiron. Head coach Mark Helfrich said he “didn’t do a lot” and was “just trying to get involved.”

– Oregon volleyball outside hitter Frankie Shebby was released from the program after violating an academic contract signed freshman year. Shebby played in 23 matches during her sophomore season. She had 116 kills in 362 total attempts.

– Although Oregon baseball’s offense has struggled mightily this season, second baseman Kyle Kasser has provided a spark. Manager George Horton put Kasser in the second spot of the batting order on March 19 against Utah and Kasser responded with three hits, a walk, two RBIs and a run in five plate appearances. Kasser also leads the team with a .400 batting average.

– Sulman Raza of Oregon men’s golf took a redshirt year during the 2014-15 season to focus on academics while continuing to work on his golf game. At the time, Raza could rarely score better than 75 and struggled with putting and ball striking. Now, the redshirt junior has emerged of one of Oregon’s top golfers. Raza finished third at the Southern Highlands last month before winning the Northwest Classic two weeks later. It was the first individual win of Raza’s collegiate career.

– Oregon women’s senior golfer Caroline Inglis has provided plenty of leadership during her time at Oregon. But, the Ducks will be in search of a new leader once Inglis departs at the end of this season. The two likeliest candidates are juniors Cathleen Santoso and Marcella Pranovia, according to the Emerald‘s Gus Morris.

Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on Benjamin appears at Oregon football practice, Shebby leaves volleyball team

After redshirt season, Sulman Raza emerges as one of Oregon’s top golfers

While going through the recruiting process in 2011, Sulman Raza asked Oregon men’s golf head coach Casey Martin about taking a redshirt year during college to focus on academics.

Raza intended to major in architecture – a five-year program. Martin and Raza decided that, during the 2014-15 season, Raza would redshirt while continuing to work on golf. According to Raza, the redshirt year was needed, not only to focus on school but also to improve on his previous two years at Oregon.

“My golf game was not that great,” Raza said. “At the time, I couldn’t break 75. I’d lost some weight and wasn’t working out much in the summer, so I just thought it would be a good opportunity to get my game together and work on a few parts that weren’t so sharp, which were putting, ball-striking and definitely lifting.”

Now a redshirt junior, Raza has emerged as one of Oregon’s most reliable players. On March 9, in the Southern Highlands in Las Vegas, Raza finished tied for third despite the Ducks 10th place team finish. Thirteen days later, Raza won the Northwest Classic at the Willamette Country Club in Canby, Oregon, beating out teammates Nigel Lett and Aaron Wise. It was the first individual win of Raza’s college career.

“Sulman struggled a tad and then popped out of it in Vegas,” Martin said. “To get his first win was huge. He’s done some really good things.”

Raza is the first to acknowledge that he can be too hard on himself after hitting a bad shot. This was particularly true when he played in tough conditions.

“The key for me when I played was just staying really patient out there because I’d struggled in the past with staying patient when elements got in the way,” he said.

Raza’s patience paid off. Strong winds at the Southern Highlands Golf Club hampered the Ducks. No one besides Raza finished higher than 27th.

Wet conditions persisted throughout the Northwest Classic, including a suspension of play during the first round. But, Raza kept his calm, winning the tournament by four strokes (-10).

“Any time you can get a win you’re going to gain so much confidence from it,” said Wise, who has won four tournaments in his two years at Oregon. “Sulman is playing well.”

If Raza continues his run and the Ducks advance to the NCAA championships in May, it could be Raza’s homecoming. Raza, who attended South Eugene High School before joining the Ducks, recognizes the significance of playing for an NCAA title in his hometown, but doesn’t want to put any added pressure on himself or the team.

“Maybe there will be more of that for me since I’m the hometown kid,” Raza said, “but I have to forget, again, a lot of that – take it as another tournament and just enjoy the moment.”

Looking back on last year’s redshirt season, Raza believes it had a sizable impact on where his game is currently.

“Especially mentally, I think I did a lot of reflecting through my last few years when I was redshirting to become a better player,” he said.

Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on After redshirt season, Sulman Raza emerges as one of Oregon’s top golfers

Oregon readies for final stretch as championship season nears

One month and one regular season tournament separate the Oregon men’s golf team from the beginning of championship season.

It hasn’t been the season head coach Casey Martin envisioned. Compared to last season’s breakthrough, in which the Ducks won five regular season tournaments, they’ve finished first in just one tournament this year. The Western Intercollegiate, taking place from April 11-13 in Santa Cruz, California, will be Oregon’s last chance to measure itself before the championship season begins.

“It’s not for lack of effort–we’re trying super hard and the guys are doing a great job,” Martin said. “We just haven’t quite found our flow yet.”

The past two tournaments suggest the Ducks are headed in the right direction. Oregon placed second at the Northwest Classic in Canby, Oregon on March 22. Redshirt junior Sulman Raza’s finished in the individual competition as well. Redshirt junior Nigel Lett and sophomore Aaron Wise finished second and third, respectively.

Four days later, the Ducks finished fifth out of 25 teams at The Goodwin in Stanford, California.

“Everyone else kind of feels the pressure that they want to join [Sulman and Aaron],” Martin said. “They’re doing everything they can, it’s just a matter of relaxing, getting out of our way and letting it happen.”

Behind Raza and Wise, Oregon’s lineup has been inconsistent. Seniors Zach Foushee and Brandon McIver most recently finished 59th and 50th at The Goodwin. Junior Thomas Lim, who played in three of Oregon’s fall tournaments, hasn’t appeared in a lineup since early November.

When asked about Lim’s status after Wednesday’s practice, Martin said, “I’m going to kind of let that go. I’d prefer not to chat about that.”

In Lim’s absence, freshman Edwin Yi and Lett have rotated in and out of the lineup. Martin knows each golfer is capable of playing well in stretches, but neither has distanced himself from the other when playing in the team’s lineup.

“They’ve played well as individuals but when they’ve played on the team they haven’t had their best, which is pretty common, there’s a little more pressure,” Martin said.

Martin has seen one through six in his lineup play high-level golf this season. That’s why at this point in the season, he’s focused more on the mental approach to tournaments. The pressure will increase as the championship season begins, particularly with the NCAA Championships taking place at Eugene Country Club.

“I don’t think it’s anything result-wise, it’s just getting better in our process, getting better at what we’re working on,” Wise said. “We’re trying to get out of the technical side of the game and more into playing with a free mind and really clearing things up.”

Raza echoed Wise’s stance.

“I think it’s, for us mentally, to not get so hard on ourselves because we do from time to time,” he said. “Mentally it’s just going out and getting lost in our process, kind of trusting where our team is at and bringing that same mentality into the postseason.”

After the Ducks finish their regular season, they will play in the Pac-12 Championship, which begins April 29 in Salt Lake City.

Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on Oregon readies for final stretch as championship season nears

Sulman Raza wins Northwest Classic, Ducks finish second

Despite rainy and windy conditions, which momentarily suspended play on Monday, Oregon men’s golf redshirt junior Sulman Raza took home first place at the Northwest Classic in Canby, Oregon on Tuesday.

Raza, who finished a combined 10-under for the tournament, held at the Willamette Valley Country Club, finished par or better throughout the first and second round. His win came after a third place finish in the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas earlier this month. It was the first win of Raza’s collegiate career.

“It was awesome for Sulman,” head coach Casey Martin said to GoDucks.com. “He had a breakthrough last week in Vegas, and then this was another breakthrough, so that’s very encouraging to see him play at that level because he has played beautifully. To play those final two rounds without a bogey was phenomenal because the conditions were quite difficult.”

The Ducks finished second overall (-14), trailing only UNLV (-22) at the conclusion of the tournament.

Playing as an individual, junior Nigel Lett finished second overall with a six-under scorecard. His third round score of four-under 68 was the lowest round of his collegiate career thus far. Because Lett was not a part of Oregon’s playing lineup, his score didn’t affect the team’s score in the tournament.

Not to be outdone, sophomore Aaron Wise placed third in the tournament with a combined five-under. Wise led the field after the first round with a five-under scorecard.

Senior Zach Foushee finished one-under and tied for 11th. Edwin Yi, who continues to see plenty of action in his freshman campaign, finished in a tie for 22nd (+3). Finally, senior Brandon McIver struggled throughout the tournament, particularly the third round when he shot seven-over. McIver finished tied for 56th (+11).

“We just need to get everybody on the same page, because whenever someone’s playing really well, someone’s struggling,” Martin said. “Hopefully, we can push through and finish this year with everyone finding their own zone.”

The Ducks now travel to Stanford, California for The Goodwin, which begins on Thursday. The field includes Pac-12 teams Arizona, Colorado, Stanford, UCLA and USC, as well as UNLV.

Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on Sulman Raza wins Northwest Classic, Ducks finish second

Oregon to face Duke in Sweet 16, women’s basketball advances to WNIT third round

– After a late game rally to get past St. Joseph’s on Sunday, Oregon men’s basketball will play defending champion Duke on Thursday in the Sweet 16. Duke’s combination of big man Marshall Plumlee, and wings Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram, who could be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, present a formidable trio that will challenge Oregon on both ends of the floor. However, Duke has limited depth beyond those three and only bring two players off the bench in most games.

– Oregon women’s basketball kept its season alive with a 84-59 win over Fresno State at Matthew Knight Arena on Monday in the WNIT. The Ducks shot 65 percent for the game and four players reached double figures in scoring, led by Maite Cazorla’s 20 points to go along with nine assists. The win advanced Oregon to the third round of the WNIT, where they will host Utah at Matt Knight on Wednesday. The Ducks defeated Utah in two previous Pac-12 games this season.

– No. 7 Oregon softball opened its Pac-12 slate with a series sweep over No. 8 Washington in Seattle. The series was capped off with a run-ruled, 16-4 win in six innings on Monday. Nikki Udria and Koral Costa each had four RBIs, while Lauren Lindvall added three. The Ducks will play Stanford on Thursday in their home opener, and the first game to be played in the newly-constructed Jane Sanders Stadium.

– Three Oregon track and field athletes were honored by the Pac-12 this week after beginning the outdoor season at the Willie Williams Classic in San Francisco. Devon Allen was named men’s track athlete of the week after winning the the open 100 meter race, 200-meters and 110-meter hurdles. Annie LeBlanc was named women’s track athlete of the week with wins in the 1500 meters and 800-meter race. Finally, Cody Danielson recieved men’s field athlete of the week honors for his 251-9 (76.74m) throw to win the javelin by 40 feet.

– Oregon baseball fell out of D1baseball.com’s top 25 rankings after losing five out the last six, including two of three in their Pac-12 Conference series opener against Utah. While the pitching staff of Cole Irvin, Matt Krook and David Pederson has met preseason expectations, but the offense continues to struggle. The Ducks rank 288th out of 295 in the country in batting average (.207), 262nd in on-base percentage (.314) and 245th in runs scored (74).

“Well, one step forward, and I would say two steps back, but that was five steps back. It was awful,” Oregon coach George Horton said after Oregon’s 2-0 loss to Utah on Sunday.

Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on Oregon to face Duke in Sweet 16, women’s basketball advances to WNIT third round

Oregon survives St. Joseph’s rally, advances to Sweet 16 with 69-64 win

Oregon got a taste of March Madness against St. Joseph’s on Sunday in Spokane, and appeared headed for an early Spring Break.

The Ducks were on the ropes, trailing 58-51 with five and a half minutes remaining. But a late rally, led by Dillon Brooks, Elgin Cook and Tyler Dorsey kept Oregon’s NCAA Tournament run alive, as the Ducks beat St. Joseph’s 69-64.

No. 1 seed Oregon seemed close to blowing the game wide open in the second half when Brooks hit a three-pointer to give the the Ducks a 45-35 lead with 14:22 remaining.

But Saint Joseph’s went on an unanswered 10-point run in the next four minutes, and took their first lead, 50-49, on Lamarr Kimble’s three-pointer. The Ducks’s offense tightened up, looking uncertain of who they should turn to. Kimble pushed the St. Joseph’s lead 58-51 with 5:33 left, their largest of the game.

On offense, Oregon leaned heavily on Brooks and Cook, who were one and two in scoring during the regular season. Brooks had a game-high 25 points, while Cook added 18. Meanwhile, Chris Boucher and Dwayne Benjamin were non-factors on offense, scoring a combined seven points on 3 of 10 shooting.

The same was true for Dorsey, until he stepped up in the waning moments of the game. With under three minutes left, St. Joseph’s gave Oregon a glimmer of hope, but still led 58-56. Cook missed a point blank shot, but out of nowhere came Dorsey for a putback lay-in.

On the next possession, Dorsey pulled up from deep to give the Ducks a go-ahead 61-60 lead. Brooks followed up Dorsey with a three of his own. Oregon hit just 6 of 24 three-pointers, but the last two gave the Ducks a 64-62 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

Dorsey finished with 14 points on 4 of 12 shooting, but made arguably the two most important plays for Oregon down the stretch.

Oregon also closed the game out with timely makes from the foul line, which hadn’t been the case earlier in the season. The Ducks finished 21 of 25 from the line, significantly higher than their 70 percent average coming into the game.

Oregon’s win came during a wild day of NCAA Tournament games that included a Texas A&M win over Northern Iowa in double overtime and No. 7 seed Wisconsin upsetting No. 2 seed Xavier.

Ultimately, however, the top four seeds in the West Region advanced to the Sweet 16, including Oregon. No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 2 Oklahoma are set to play in Anaheim, California on Thursday, while Oregon will face No. 4 Duke immediately following. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. on TBS.

The Ducks last played in the Sweet 16 under Dana Altman in 2013, where they lost to eventual champion Louisville 77-69. Altman has never advanced past the round of 16, but will get another chance on Thursday.

Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on Oregon survives St. Joseph’s rally, advances to Sweet 16 with 69-64 win

Game preview: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 16 Holy Cross

Oregon (27-6) earned a No. 1 seed for the first time in program history thanks in large part to a dominant 88-57 win over Utah in the Pac-12 Championship game. Oregon was picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12 preseason media poll, but exceeded expectations with a 14-4 conference record, including a perfect 9-0 home mark. Head coach Dana Altman has taken the Ducks to the NCAA Tournament four years in a row, which is also a first for the program.

Holy Cross (15-19), on the other hand, became a Cinderella team with an unlikely automatic NCAA Tournament bid as Patriot League tournament champions. As a No. 9 seed, the Crusaders upset Loyola, Bucknell, Army and Lehigh in consecutive days to win the title. Holy Cross advanced to the West Region with a 59-55 defeat of Southern University in a play-in game on Wednesday. First year head coach Bill Carmody has a 1-2 record in the NCAA Tournament, and hasn’t taken a team to the tournament since 1998 with Princeton.

Oregon will face Holy Cross in Spokane, Washington on Friday at 4:27 p.m.

Oregon wins if: Their offense maintains its typical balance. Oregon has the rare fortune of having four or five players leading the team in scoring in any given game. In the Pac-12 Championship, this trend was no different: Chris Boucher scored 19 points against Washington, Elgin Cook had 22 against Arizona and Tyler Dorsey scored 23 points in the championship win over Utah.

Players to watch:

Elgin Cook – In two previous tournaments, the Ducks advance past the round of 32. Along with seniors Dwayne Benjamin and Max Heller, this tournament is Cook’s last chance to get to the Sweet 16 and possibly further. Cook averages 14.5 points per game this season, second only to Dillon Brooks.

Tyler Dorsey – Dorsey has looked passive at times this season when he defers to other players. But, as seen against Utah, when Dorsey is playing aggressively, opponents have a tough time defending both Dorsey and Brooks on the perimeter.

Holy Cross wins if: The Ducks beat themselves with unforced turnovers, missed free throws and get out-hustled on the boards. Oregon has struggled all year with missed free throws. They shot 21-of-36 against Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament semifinal, and nearly threw the game away. As for rebounding, Dana Altman has stressed all year the importance of winning the battle on the boards. This was especially key in their blowout win against Utah in which the Ducks out-rebounded the Utes 36-25, including 17 offensive boards. The Crusaders lack the depth and talent to beat Oregon, but if the Ducks take them lightly, this game could be more competitive than many expect.

Players to watch:

Malachi Alexander – Alexander is Holy Cross’s version of Cook – an undersized forward who can score from the low post and also slash off the dribble to the basket. Alexander leads the Crusaders in scoring, averaging 12 points to go along with five rebounds per game.

Robert Champion – As the Crusaders’ sixth man, Champion scored a team-high 19 points against Southern on 6 of 8 shooting. Champion averages 11.5 points for the season.

Bottom Line: In the entire history of the NCAA Tournament dating back to 1939, a No. 16 seed has never defeated a No. 1 seed. It’s hard to imagine Holy Cross – who only made it to the Big Dance by virtue of winning the Patriot League tournament – becoming the first.

Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on Game preview: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 16 Holy Cross

Oregon men’s basketball earns No. 1 seed, track and field sweeps indoor NCAA Championships

– For the first time in program history, Oregon men’s basketball was awarded a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The selection came after the Ducks won three straight Pac-12 tournament games, including a dominant 88-57 win over Utah in Saturday’s championship.

Oregon will play the winner of Holy Cross and Southern University on Friday in Spokane, Washington. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:27 pm on TruTV.

– Oregon track and field swept the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday. Led by distance-runner Edward Cheserek’s wins in the 3000-meter, 5000-meter and distance medley relay, the Oregon men won for the third year in a row.

Devon Allen won the 60-meter hurdles with a 7.56 second mark – a personal best for Allen. On the women’s side, Raevyn Rodgers finished first in the women’s 800-meter race with a time of 2:04.68. The Oregon women won after finishing second at last years indoor championships.

– Oregon softball pitcher Cheridan Hawkins recorded her seventh career no-hitter on Friday in Stockton, California. Hawkins struck out 13 batters, and the Ducks’ offense jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Oregon followed up the performance with another dominant 11-0 win over Pacific on Saturday, which was head coach Mike White’s 300th win of his career. The Ducks next play Washington in a three-game road series March 19-21 before opening their newly-constructed Jane Sanders Stadium against Stanford on March 24.

– The Pac-12 Conference approved a policy on Saturday that prohibits athletes with misconduct issues from transferring into the conference from outside institutions. First reported by The Oregonian’s John Canzano, the policy will require all student-athlete transfer applicants to disclose to Pac-12 schools if they are eligible to re-enroll at their prior institutions.

“I applaud our university leadership for giving this important issue such thoughtful consideration,” Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said Saturday at the conference championship game. “The safety of all students is a high priority for our universities.”

– No. 20 Oregon men’s tennis extended its match winning streak to eight with a 7-0 sweep of Fresno State at home. The Ducks set an early tone by earning the doubles point, before going on to win all six individual matches. Jayson Amos earned a quick 6-0, 6-1 win before Simon Stevens and Bartosz Sawicki clinched the win. Oregon gets one more preseason tune-up at Drake University before beginning their Pac-12 slate against UCLA on March 25.

– Oregon baseball couldn’t find its offense in a three-game road sweep at Mississippi State. The Ducks batted just .196 for the series and are averaging .206 for the season. The Ducks are now 8-5 and will begin their Pac-12 schedule at PK Park against Utah on Friday.

Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner

 

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on Oregon men’s basketball earns No. 1 seed, track and field sweeps indoor NCAA Championships

Ducks can’t overcome early deficit at Southern Highlands Collegiate, finish 10th

In a quick turnaround from last week’s Southwestern Jones Invitational, the Oregon men’s golf team fell behind early at the Southern Highlands Tournament in Las Vegas and finished 10th on Wednesday.

The Ducks fell behind much of the field early into the tournament and shot a combined 16-over 304 in Monday’s first round. They improved by seven strokes in the second round and 17 strokes in the third, but it was too little too late.

Freshman Edwin Yi, one week after playing his best collegiate tournament to date, came back to earth with a combined +22 over three rounds. Seniors Zach Foushee and Brandon McIver finished +7 and +11 respectively. Even usually-reliable sophomore Aaron Wise shot nine-over.

The lone bright spot for the Ducks was redshirt junior Sulman Raza. Shaking off a five-over first round, Raza shot three and four under in the final two rounds, good enough to tie for third on the individual leaderboard.

Thanks in large part to Raza, the Ducks shot one-under as a team in the third round. Oregon was the only team to shoot under par on Wednesday.

USC (+5) finished first, winning its second consecutive tournament, following last week’s victory at the Southwestern Jones Invitational. Florida’s Sam Horsfield won the tournament as an individual with a combined seven-under scorecard.

The tournament, which included No. 1 Illinois, No. 4 USC, No. 6 Arizona State, No. 8 Alabama and No. 11 Texas, featured the deepest field the Ducks have faced this season to date. With much of this field likely contending for an NCAA Championship in May, this tournament served as a reminder that the Ducks have a lot to work on between now and then.

Next up, Oregon will travel to nearby Canby, Oregon to compete in the Oregon State Invite, which goes from March 21-22.

Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner

Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on Ducks can’t overcome early deficit at Southern Highlands Collegiate, finish 10th