Buckeyes Use Scarlet and Gray Invitational For A Final Tune-Up – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/15/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Feb. 15, 2000
COLUMBUS,Ohio –
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%^$Final Meet Before Big Ten
%^$The Ohio State track team returns home to the French Field House for the Scarlet and Gray Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 19 beginning at 9 a.m. The Buckeyes will compete against Ashland, Ball State, Rio Grande, Troy State and Wheeling Jesuit. The Scarlet and Gray Invitational is the last meet before next week’s Big Ten Championships.%^$
%^$”We are using this weekend as a final tune-up for the Big Ten’s,” Assistant coach, Candy Young said. “We are very pleased with this past weekend’s performance. Everything is on course.”%^$
%^$Many of the athletes improved their seasonal times, distances and jumps showing signs that they are ready for their seasonal peak at the Big Ten.%^$
%^$Assistant coach John Smith said the Scarlet and Gray Invitational or the Big Ten Championships is when the throwers will reach their personal bests because they have been lifting hard over the past few weeks.
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%^$Last Weekend’s Recap
%^$Ohio State men’s and women’s track teams traveled to Indianapolis, Ind. for the Cannon IV Classic on Friday and Saturday. The Buckeyes competed against 75 teams and reached seasonal bests in over 15 events.%^$
%^$Donica Merriman became the first Buckeye of the season to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. Merriman broke the 60-meter low hurdles school record (Dominque Calloway, 8.16) with an automatic qualifying time of 8.11. She also was successful in the 200, with a third-place finish and a provisional qualifying time of 23.94.%^$
%^$Ian Conner’s success continued with his fourth-place finish in the 5,000-meter run, in which he recorded a provisional qualifying time of 14:00.23. Last week at Kent State he provisionally qualified in the 3,000-meter run.%^$
%^$Calloway, Andrew Pierce and the men’s 4×400-meter relay team all improved their provisional qualifying times, but were unable to reach the automatic qualifying mark. Calloway placed fourth in the 60 hurdles with a provisional qualifying time of 8.24. The automatic qualifying mark is 8.17. Pierce placed first in the 400 with a provisional qualifying time of 46.35, just three-hundredths of a second away from the 46.32 automatic qualifying mark. He also anchored the first-place 4×400 meter relay team, which recorded a provisional qualifying time of 3:09.82. Other members of the relay team were Courtney Cornwall, Joel Brown and Thomas Dickson.%^$
%^$Pole Vaulter, Rachel Zukowski broke her own school record, which she set last week, clearing a height of 11’05-3/4?. Mandy Osmond set a new standard in the 800-meter run by breaking the school record with a time of 2:10.98.%^$
%^$Tami Smith tied for third in the high jump with a seasonal best height of 5’7-3/4?. Nicholette Chambers recorded a seasonal best in the long jump with a distance of 18’8?. Alexis Schulist (17:30.22) and Karyn Kelly (17:31.97) both achieved their seasonal bests in the 5,000-meter run.%^$
%^$For the men, Andrew Saurer improved his personal record with a distance of 54’08” in the weight throw. Ryan Grear improved his seasonal best in the 60-meter high hurdles with a time of 8.02. David Gonzalez earned a seasonal best in the mile with a time of 4:07.69.
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%^$Meet the Coach
%^$In his 12 years at Ohio State, Russ Rogers has produced 100 Big Ten indoor and outdoor track and field champions, ten NCAA indoor and outdoor champions and 65 All-Americans. His 1993 teams alone produced 16 All-Americans and 12 Big Ten champions in both indoor and outdoor events.%^$
%^$Rogers was recently chosen as the head coach of the national team that participated in the 1999 World Indoor Championships in Macbashi, Japan.%^$
%^$Rogers has more than 30 years of head coaching experience in national and international track and field.%^$
%^$His most recent experience was with the U.S. team at the 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was also the 1988 sprint coach for the U.S. Olympic Team which competed in Seoul, Korea, the 1987 coach of the World University Games team, the 1985-86 head coach of the U.S. track team and has numerous other coaching credentials.%^$
%^$Rogers came to Ohio State from Fairleigh Dickinson University, located in Teaneck, N.J., where he was the head coach for both the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams for 10 years.
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%^$Next Week’s Action
%^$Next week the men travel to Bloomington, Ind. and the women travel to Minneapolis, Minn. for the Big Ten Championships on Friday, Feb. 26 continuing Saturday, Feb. 27. Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door.
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%^$How the Buckeyes Compare to the Big Ten
%^$The Big Ten Championships are one week away, and several Buckeyes are setting the Big Ten standards with their times. At this point in the season, over 10 Ohio State athletes hold Top 6 positions in comparison to other Big Ten athlete’s times.%^$
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%^$Athlete School Event Time%^$1. Donica Merriman Ohio State 60 Hurdles 8.11%^$2. Dominque Calloway Ohio State 60 Hurdles 8.24%^$
%^$1. Dominque Calloway Ohio State 400 54.29%^$
%^$1. Donica Merriman Ohio State 200 23.94%^$
%^$1. Lisa Oullet Ohio State 800 2:10.69%^$2. Mandy Osmond Ohio State 800 2:10.98%^$
%^$1. Women’s 4×400 Illinois 4×400 3:44.84%^$2. Women’s 4×400 Michigan 4×400 3:45.90%^$3. Women’s 4×400 Ohio State 4×400 3:48.23%^$
%^$1. Carri Long Purdue High Jump 5’11-1/4?%^$2. Nicole Denamur Michigan High Jump 5’08?%^$3. Tami Smith Ohio State High Jump 5?07-3/4?%^$
%^$1. Aubrey Schmitt Minnesota Weight Throw 62’08-1/2?%^$2. Jennifer Brown Indiana Weight Throw 62’03?%^$3. Beth Howard Minnesota Weight Throw 58’07-1/2?%^$4. Katy Craig Ohio State Weight Throw 55’11?%^$
%^$1. Sherman Armstrong Illinois 60 Hurdles 7.82%^$2. Guy Rose Penn State 60 Hurdles 7.92%^$3. T.J. Nelson Wisconsin 60 Hurdles 7.99%^$4. Ryan Grear Ohio State 60 Hurdles 8.02%^$
%^$1. Andrew Pierce Ohio State 400 46.35%^$
%^$1. Jason Van Swol Illinois 800 1:50.20%^$2. Rob Myers Ohio State 800 1:50.95%^$
%^$1. Jay Cantin Michigan Mile 3:59.90%^$2. Andrew McKessock Minnesota Mile 4:02.56%^$3. Nate Uselding Wisconsin Mile 4:06.07%^$4. Nate Clay Minnesota Mile 4:06.87%^$5. Rob Myers Ohio State Mile 4:07.31%^$6. David Gonzalez Ohio State Mile 4:07.69%^$
%^$1. Jay Schoenfelder Wisconsin 3,000 8:02.81%^$2. Ian Conner Ohio State 3,000 8:05.31%^$
%^$1. Ian Conner Ohio State 5,000 14:00.23%^$
%^$1. Men’s 4×400 Ohio State 4×400 3:09.88%^$
%^$1. Men’s Distance Medly Ohio State Distance Medly 9:44.82%^$
