Track and Field Looks for Quality at National Invitational – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/25/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Jan. 25, 2000
Buckeyes Focus on NCAA’s
Ohio State’s track team travels to State College, Pa. where Penn State is hosting the National Invitational beginning on Friday, Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. continuing through Saturday, Jan. 29.
“We used last week’s meet against Indiana, Washington and Western Carolina as a way to focus on the areas that need fine-tuning for this week’s National Invitational,” Andrew Pierce, who finished first in the 600 (1:18.16) on Saturday, said.
“The National Invitational is one of our teams’ key meets and we want to focus on getting our athletes qualified for the NCAA’s,” head coach, Russ Rogers said.
“We will be placing our athletes in the events they have the best chance of qualifying for the NCAA’s in, instead of putting them in three or four events where they will score points for the team” Candy Young, assistant coach said. “We’re looking for quality, not so much quantity.”
So far this season, Andrew Pierce, Dominque Calloway and Donica Merriman all have recorded NCAA provisional qualifying times. Pierce (46.70) and Calloway (54.29) recorded a provisional times in the 400 and Calloway (8.25) and Merriman (8.30) in the 60-meter hurdles.
“We are proud of our athletes who have provisionally qualified, but this week with Penn State’s new facility and fast track we want to get them and others automatically qualified for the NCAA’s,” Rogers said.
Recap of Ohio State- Indiana- Washington – Western Carolina
Last Saturday, Ohio State competed against Washington, Indiana and Western Carolina at the French Field House. Ohio State men’s track team was edged by Indiana, and Ohio State’s women captured third behind first-place Indiana and second-place Washington at Saturday’s home track meet. Both men and women gave an impressive performance with the men earning 150 points and the women with 121.5.
Ohio State men’s distance runners had a successful day placing first and second in the 3,000-meter run and the mile run, with Ian Connor leading the pack in both events. Andrew Pierce came very close to breaking the 1996 school record in the 600. The record is 1:18.05, and Pierce recorded a time of 1:18.16. He also was the anchor for the first place 4×400-meter relay team (3:16.52).
Dominique Calloway led the women with three first-place finishes in the 60-meter low hurdles (8.37), 200 (24.72) and 60 (7.54). Again for the second week in a row she recorded a provisional qualifying time in the 60-meter hurdles.
Head coach Russ Rogers said he was satisfied with his teams performances. “Our goal was to be competitive, and I feel we achieved that,”
Ohio State on the Fast Track
Ohio State has more than fast competition to push them to faster times and higher jumps, they will also be competing in Penn State’s brand new Multi-Sport Facility. This facility is one of the most versatile in the nation with features including six 42-inch lanes with hydraulically banked turns and eight 48-inch sprint lanes down the middle. All running lanes and runways have a polyurethane surface. There are two triple and long jump runways and two pole vault runways.
Meet the Coach
In his 12 years at Ohio State, Russ Rogers has produced 100 Big Ten indoor and outdoor track and field champions, ten NCAA indoor and outdoor champions and 65 All-Americans. His 1993 teams alone produced 16 All-Americans and 12 Big Ten champions in both indoor and outdoor events.
Rogers was recently chosen as the head coach of the national team that participated in the 1999 World Indoor Championships in Macbashi, Japan.
Rogers has more than 30 years of head coaching experience in national and international track and field.
His most recent experience was with the U.S. team at the 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was also the 1988 sprint coach for the U.S. Olympic Team which competed in Seoul, Korea, the 1987 coach of the World University Games team, the 1985-86 head coach of the U.S. track team and has numerous other coaching credentials.
Rogers came to Ohio State from Fairleigh Dickinson University, located in Teaneck, N.J., where he was the head coach for both the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams for 10 years.
Next Week’s Action
Next week the Buckeyes travel to New York, N.Y. for the Millrose Games on Friday, Feb. 4.
