PORTLAND, Ore. -- One of the many Oregon athletes headed to the Olympic games in Beijing is Beaverton High School graduate Elsie Windes.

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The 23-year-old Windes cracked the starting lineup on the U.S. women's water polo team, which will be one of the favorites at the Olympics next month.

Windes is a defender who becomes a scoring threat when the United States is on the counterattack.

In a recent four-game series with Australia, she scored eight goals.

Windes competed for California in college while her father, Doug, is a former USC swimmer who was good enough to compete in the 1968 U.S. Olympic trials.