The Nominees Are: O Heroes Award
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
On Monday, May 11, the UO athletic department will host its O Show award night in Matthew Knight Arena, hosted by ESPN’s Neil Everett.
The awards to be handed out have long been considered distinguished accolades within the department, and this year the nominees and winners will be acknowledged on a more public stage. Nominations were made by UO student-athletes, and winners were selected by the student-athletes and athletic department staff.
The O Heroes award is given to the student-athlete who makes the most impact in the community through the O Heroes program. Special mention also to UO student-athlete development coordinator Resa Lovelace, who oversees the program and provided much of the following information.
ELIJAH GEORGE, football
Starting over the summer, Elijah participated in the Candelighters Fishing trip with kids who have beaten cancer. In the fall, he went and bowled a few games with special needs children and adults as a part of the Special Olympics bowling tournament. In an effort to motivate elementary school kids to succeed in school and their sport, he visited Family School/Arts & Tech. To finish out the Winter term, he joined his teammates in donating food for Thanksgiving and going Christmas shopping for the kids in the community. After returning from the College Football Playoff National Championship game, he joined O Heroes for the PE Field day for homeschooled kids. In an effort to motivate black youth in Eugene, he worked with the Lane Equity and Achievement Program (LEAP). As a part of an annual tradition for Dr. Seuss’s birthday, she participated in Duck into a Book. Elijah is a pre-engineering major with a 2.65 GPA, and the offensive tackle anticipates making his debut on the football field this fall.
LAUREN JONES, acrobatics & tumbling
In her short time at the UO, Lauren made her impact on the community relatively fast. She started very early on by participating in the annual Susan G. Komen “Race for the Cure.” She then followed that up by spending time on Mt. Pisgah planting trees. In a group effort with her teammates she donated and delivered food to families in need for Thanksgiving. She would also spend time at Avamere which is a senior citizen home in Eugene. One of her last acts of community service was at National Girl and Women in Sports day, where the youth of Eugene/Springfield could learn the various sports that are offered at Oregon. A chemistry major, Jones passed away this past season, a tremendous loss to her team, the athletic department and the community.
MONICA PETCHAKAN, golf
Monica was heavily involved in activities with campus entities. She worked very closely with the UO Miracle group, who hosted the Pie Fest event along with the Dance Marathon. As the community service leader of her team, she encouraged them and the men’s golf team to participate in the First Tee Golf Clinic, which focused on giving underprivileged kids an opportunity to learn the sport of golf. She participated in our annual Thanksgiving Baskets, National Girls & Women in Sports Day clinic and Duck into a Book reading program. Monica is a business administration major with a 3.12 GPA, and finished in a tie for sixth in her lone tournament appearance this year, the Culturame Classic.
ERIN SCHILMOELLER, lacrosse
In early October, Erin took to Mt. Pisgah to help plant trees and restore Oregon forestry. In a group effort with her teammates, she donated and delivered food to families in need for Thanksgiving. Working with a UNICEF on-campus group, she helped raise money for the “Chemo Ducks," benefiting kids fighting cancer at Dorenbecher Children's Hospital in Portland. As a part of an annual tradition for Dr. Seuss’s birthday, she participated in Duck into a Book. Before the lacrosse season got underway, she helped at National Girl and Women in Sports day, where the youth of Eugene/Springfield could learn the various sports that are offered at Oregon. Erin sports a 3.7 GPA in communication disorders science, and appeared in five games as a reserve for the lacrosse team.
JUWAAN WILLIAMS, football
Started the academic year off by participating in the ASL field day, which brought deaf elementary school students from the state of Oregon to Pape Field for a field day. He then participated in Special Olympics bowling with special needs children and adults. He went shopping and delivered the food to families for Thanksgiving. Shopped for kids in the community, who otherwise would not have had a Christmas present through the Giving Tree. After returning from the National Championship game, he joined us in the PE Field day for homeschooled kids. In an effort to motivate black youth in Eugene, he worked with the Lane Equity and Achievement Program (LEAP). In mid-February, helped run “Hero for a Day” with foster boys in the community, as a huge field day. As a part of an annual tradition for Dr. Seuss’s birthday, he participated in Duck into a Book. In his debut season on the gridiron, Williams had 16 tackles and one sack as a redshirt freshman safety last fall, while maintaining a 2.64 GPA in journalism.
Check back later this week for previews of more O Show award nominees.
