The pre-conference basketball season started well for both the Oregon State Beavers and the Oregon Ducks. The Beavers, led by “point center” Roeland Schaftenaar and guard Calvin Haynes, opened at 6-5, while the Ducks, featuring sophomore post man Michael Dunigan and junior college transfer guard Malcom Armstead, started at 8-4. 

The Ducks began the Pac-10 season at 2-0, while the Beavers climbed within a game of the hoped-for .500 at 2-3, including a win over the Ducks. However, things have not gone well as the season continued. The Ducks lost 5 straight conference games, including a 89-57 rout by California. Poor shooting by every Duck on the team played the key role. The Beavers have been similarly poor, also falling to 2-5 and a tie for last in the Pac-10. Uninspired play by the entire team has been a problem for the Beaver hoopsters.

College football has always been successful in garnering season-long attention with the race for the Heisman Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player on an NCAA team. Track is hoping to add to the attention it receives at the college level with the inauguration of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s Bowerman Awards. These awards were initiated to recognize the most outstanding male and female collegiate track and field athletes of the year.

The first winner of the women’s award was Colorado’s Jennifer Barringer. Barringer’s senior season included 6 collegiate records and NCAA individual championships in the 3000 indoors and the 3000 steeplechase outdoors. Barringer also holds the US record in the steeplechase, was a 2008 Olympian, and finished 5th in the steeplechase in last year’s World Championship.

Galen Rupp, also a 2008 Olympian, was rewarded for his phenomenal senior season at Oregon. Entering his senior year Rupp had not won an NCAA championship, but he finished the year having won the NCAA Cross-Country Championship, 3000 and 5000 meter races indoors, and the 5000 and 10000 outdoors. He also anchored the winning Distance Medley relay team indoors. He finished 8th in the 10,000 in the 2009 World Championships.

A watch list of competitors for the 2010 awards has been released as well. The list included, among others, Andrew Wheating of Oregon, defending NCAA Champion in the 800 meters, his teammate Ashton Eaton, multi-event national champion both indoors and outdoors, NCAA Cross-Country individual champion Samuel Chelanga of Liberty University, Oregon’s indoor and outdoor women’s multi-event champion Brianne Theisen, and women’s NCAA Cross-Country Champion Jennifer Bizzarri.