Eugene Ducks Made Their Mark In 2016
01/01/17 | Cross Country, Football, General, Men's Golf, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, @GoDucksMoseley
From the golf course to the gridiron, from harriers to the hardwood, Eugene natives provided many of the most memorable moments in Oregon athletics in 2016.
Maggie Schmaedick's finishing kick in the NCAA cross country championships on Nov. 19 did more than clinch a national title for the Oregon women.
It also capped what was a remarkable calendar year of 2016 for Duck athletes from right here in Eugene.
As much as anything, the past year in UO athletics is the story of local kids making good. From the golf course to the gridiron, from harriers to the hardwood, Eugene natives provided many of the most memorable moments in Oregon athletics in 2016.
In the spring, Caroline Inglis shot a course-record 7-under 65 at Eugene Country Club, helping send the UO women's team into match play of the NCAA championships. Ten days later another Eugene native, Sulman Raza, hit the putt in extra holes that clinched the NCAA team title for the Oregon men, the first ever for that program.
Come fall, freshman Justin Herbert improbably began preseason practice as the fifth-string quarterback, then won the starting job in October. He became the first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Ducks since 1983, following in the footsteps of his fellow Sheldon High graduate, the future NFL starter Chris Miller. On the same day Schmaedick helped the UO cross country team win an NCAA title, Herbert was quarterbacking the football team's dramatic upset at Utah.
In November, the UO women's basketball team began play, led by the program's most experienced player, junior Lexi Bando. The sharp-shooting guard led the Ducks in their WNIT run last winter by averaging 18.2 points in five games, and she continues to be a mainstay with her three-point marksmanship and gritty defense as a junior.
And then, later in November, Schmaedick added the exclamation point. With Oregon locked in a tight race for the team title, Schmaedick frantically kicked for the finish line, knowing she would factor into the team score as the Ducks' fifth and final counting runner.
She didn't know the team closest to the Ducks in the standings was Michigan. She didn't know the runner she passed just before the finish line was a Wolverine. And she didn't know that her kick past the Michigan runner was the difference in Oregon's one-point victory in the team race over the Wolverines — not until much later, at least.
But Schmaedick's resolve proved that, along with talent and training, local pride can provide an extra boost for the Eugene student-athletes competing for their hometown university. In a year that featured an array of unforgettable performances by local Ducks, Schmaedick's kick was a fitting finale for 2016.
It also capped what was a remarkable calendar year of 2016 for Duck athletes from right here in Eugene.
As much as anything, the past year in UO athletics is the story of local kids making good. From the golf course to the gridiron, from harriers to the hardwood, Eugene natives provided many of the most memorable moments in Oregon athletics in 2016.
In the spring, Caroline Inglis shot a course-record 7-under 65 at Eugene Country Club, helping send the UO women's team into match play of the NCAA championships. Ten days later another Eugene native, Sulman Raza, hit the putt in extra holes that clinched the NCAA team title for the Oregon men, the first ever for that program.
Come fall, freshman Justin Herbert improbably began preseason practice as the fifth-string quarterback, then won the starting job in October. He became the first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Ducks since 1983, following in the footsteps of his fellow Sheldon High graduate, the future NFL starter Chris Miller. On the same day Schmaedick helped the UO cross country team win an NCAA title, Herbert was quarterbacking the football team's dramatic upset at Utah.
In November, the UO women's basketball team began play, led by the program's most experienced player, junior Lexi Bando. The sharp-shooting guard led the Ducks in their WNIT run last winter by averaging 18.2 points in five games, and she continues to be a mainstay with her three-point marksmanship and gritty defense as a junior.
And then, later in November, Schmaedick added the exclamation point. With Oregon locked in a tight race for the team title, Schmaedick frantically kicked for the finish line, knowing she would factor into the team score as the Ducks' fifth and final counting runner.
She didn't know the team closest to the Ducks in the standings was Michigan. She didn't know the runner she passed just before the finish line was a Wolverine. And she didn't know that her kick past the Michigan runner was the difference in Oregon's one-point victory in the team race over the Wolverines — not until much later, at least.
But Schmaedick's resolve proved that, along with talent and training, local pride can provide an extra boost for the Eugene student-athletes competing for their hometown university. In a year that featured an array of unforgettable performances by local Ducks, Schmaedick's kick was a fitting finale for 2016.
Players Mentioned
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