Track and Field Athletes Receive Top Awards in the Big Ten – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/1/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
March 1, 2000
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Junior Donica Merriman (Trotwood, Ohio) was named the Big Ten’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year and on Sunday, she was named Most Valuable Performer at the 2000 Indoor Track and Field Big Ten’s Championships. Merriman and senior Dominque Calloway (Aurora, Colo.) were named to the Women’s All-Big Ten Team, as they led Ohio State to a sixth-place finish and Ian Connor (Lexington, Ohio) and Andrew Pierce (Yellow Springs, Ohio) were named to the Men’s All-Big Ten Team as they led Ohio State to a fourth-place finish at this past weekend’s Big Ten Championships.%^$
%^$Merriman’s MVP performance was highlighted with her first-place finishes in the 200 and the 60-meter hurdles. For the second consecutive year, Merriman earned a record breaking time in the 60 hurdles (8.19). She won the 200 with her seasonal best time of 23.93. She earned a provisional qualifying time of 7.41 in the 60-meter dash in which she placed fourth, and was a member of the third place 4×400-meter relay team (3:45.35).%^$
%^$”Donica has had this meet in focus all season,” head coach Russ Rogers said. “She wanted to do well for the team and she wanted to be noticed as a key athlete to help strengthen her chances of making the Olympic team.”%^$
%^$ All season, Merriman has had consistently strong performances, but her true abilities seemed to shine through at the Cannon IV Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. on Feb. 13. It was at this meet where she broke the 60 hurdles school record set last year by Calloway (8.16) with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 8.11. She also provisionally qualified in the 200 with a time 23.94.%^$
%^$ Assistant coach Candy Young said there were several mental factors that affected Merriman earlier in the season that were resolved for this meet. Earlier in the season, Merriman was struggling with the possibility of facing surgery but when she learned it wasn’t necessary, she was immediately ready to focus on track.%^$
%^$
%^$ “She has really matured as an athlete this year and I think that has made a big difference in her performances,” Young said. “She did a really good job of pulling things together after the surgery factor was behind her. She is now competing at the same level of some of the elite athletes in the U.S.”%^$
%^$ Merriman’s goal is to qualify for this year’s Olympic team. She has already qualified for the Olympic trials in July 14-21. Currently, Merriman’s times rank her second in the 60 hurdles, 12th in the 200 and 13th in the 60 dash in the NCAA.%^$
%^$ Senior Dominque Calloway earned 18 points for the Buckeyes at the Big Ten Championships, placing first in the 400 with a provisional qualifying time of 54.89 and placing second to Merriman in the 60 hurdles with a provisional qualifying time of 8.24. She also was the anchor of the 4×400-meter relay team.%^$
%^$ “Dominque has done a great job all season,” Rogers said. “We changed some of her training to help her qualify for the Olympic 400-meter hurdles and this has slightly taken an edge off her other events. However, our main goal is to help our athletes qualify for the Olympics.”%^$
%^$ Junior Ian Connor placed first for the Buckeyes in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:12.95 and he placed second in the mile (4:11.08). Earlier in the season, he provisionally qualified for the 3,000 (8:05.31) and the 5,000 (14:00.23).%^$
%^$ “Ian has been working hard and he was very motivated to win the 3,000,” Rogers said.%^$
%^$ Junior Andrew Pierce won the 400 for the second consecutive year. He earned an automatic qualifying time of 46.46. He placed second in the 200, earning his seasonal best time of 21.51. He also anchored the second place 4×400 meter relay team (3:12.56). Pierce had come within hundredths of a second of automatically qualifying two times this season and this was a main goal for him this weekend.%^$
%^$ “He is constantly working to improve his times for his overall goal of making the Olympic Team,” Rogers said.%^$
%^$ None of Ohio State’s athletes will be competing in the USATF Championships this weekend. The Buckeye’s next event will be the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. on Saturday and Sunday, March 11-12.%^$
%^$ –GO BUCKS!–
