Women Crowned 2019 Big Ten Indoor Champions

Ann Arbor, MI – The Buckeyes showed the rest of the Big Ten what they’ve been up to this season, and it was spectacular. The women finished this year’s Big Ten Championships with a bang as they were crowned the Champs.

Gallery | Results

With 112 team points and nearly 30 points ahead of the pack, the Buckeye women are the 2019 @bigten Indoor Champions!

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆#GoBucks #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/sV2m6Tx87I

— Ohio State T&F/XC (@OhioStateTFXC) February 23, 2019

The competition started off well as senior Nick Gray won the men’s 60m dash with a time of 6.64s, which was a facility record. Gray was not finished, however, as the Pickerington native crossed the finish line with a time of 20.48s in the 200m dash, earning another gold medal and the number two seed in the entire NCAA.

Alexus Pyles, who set four personal records during the championships, claimed bronze in the women’s 60m hurdles, her new fastest time clocking in at 8.35s.

Julia Rizk’s to-do list:

✅ Set a new PR in the women’s mile by 8 seconds!
✅ Take second in at #B1GTF 🥈

Mission complete. Congratulations! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/2AlpGhqqVy

— Ohio State T&F/XC (@OhioStateTFXC) February 23, 2019

Senior runner Karrington Winters pushed hard to close out the women’s 400m dash with a time of 53.22 to take the third spot on the podium.

Michigan native Anavia Battle, ran a personal best 60m dash with a time of 7.28s to claim silver. The sophomore didn’t stop there; she earned the title of Big Ten Champion in the 200m dash with the best time in the NCAA and Ohio State history (22.80s).

Sade Olatoye breaks ANOTHER SCHOOL RECORD!! Her 17.88m Shot Put wins 🥇!! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/b0Xc6D3TIO

— Ohio State T&F/XC (@OhioStateTFXC) February 23, 2019

Olatoye’s new school record and Michigan facility record also lands her the number one spot in the nation for women’s shot put. She is now the undisputed champion in both weight throw and shot put both in the Nation and in the Big Ten Conference.

Frank Hayes, a mid-distance specialist, won his first Big Ten title as a Buckeye in the men’s 600m run with a winning time of 1:17.24s. On the women’s side of the 600m competition, Annie Ubbing picked up bronze with a time of 1:30.25.

Veteran pole vaulter Cole Gorski earned a bronze medal to help the Buckeyes’ scoring efforts. He was able to clear a max height of 5.34m.

Day One

Ohio State got off to a solid start in the Big Ten Championships on Friday. While most of the events were Prelims for the Finals on Saturday, the Buckeyes still picked up three medals in the pentathlon, long jump, and weight throw.

Alexus Pyles got the Bucks off to the perfect start with her best finish in the pentathlon, scoring a total of 3993 points to earn bronze. Among her great performances were her personal records in long jump (5.92m) and high jump (1.68m).

DaJuan Seward snags 🥈! His 7.36m leap gives the Buckeyes their second medal of the day! 😎 #StrongerTogether #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/k8wpxgwwZi

— Ohio State T&F/XC (@OhioStateTFXC) February 23, 2019

Sade Olatoye broke her own school record in weight throw, as her 24.07m toss easily gave Ohio State its first gold medal. She now claims six Big Ten titles throughout her career as a Buckeye.

Quoting Coach Dennis

“This group of women is the strongest team across all event areas since 2015 when we last won an indoor Big 10 Championship team title. Conference championship wins require depth in all event areas; and our coaching staff prepared these women to compete well across the event areas of sprints, throws, jumps, middle and distance events.

“Our women decided last year while watching the men hoist their historical conference trophies that they would win in 2019. They worked hard to dominate the conference and now look forward to the NCAA national championships.

“Sade Olatoye leads the nation in both the weight throw and Shot Put events. Anavia Battle leads the nation with a world leading performance in the 200 meters. Julia Ritz is among the top five nationally in the Mile. This is the strongest group of women since I’ve been here to represent Ohio State at the National Championships.

“Our men will also have a presence on the national stage with FranK Hayes in the 800m run and Nick Gray in the 200m dash. Coaches Ashley Kovac, Khadevis Robinson, Sara Vergote, Victor Houston and Joel Brown deserve a lot of credit for preparing both our women and men for our successful competitive results.”

Up Next

Keep an eye out for NCAA qualified Buckeyes soon! Go Bucks!