Track and Field’s Jesse Owens Classic Attracts Top Competition – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/2/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
May 2, 2000
COLUMBUS, Ohio –
Jesse Owens Back on Track
Sunday marks the 15th anniversary of the Jesse Owens Classic, which will be held at the new Jesse Owens Memorial Complex. Last year because of the Ohio Stadium renovation, the Jesse Owens Classic had to be canceled, but this year with the Jesse Owens Memorial Complex, the Classic and its tradition can continue. The morning track and field events begin at 9 a.m. and the afternoon events begin at 1:15. The last event is the men’s 4×400-meter relay, which is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
Over 15 schools are planning to attend the Classic including five Big Ten schools. Several world-class athletes will be competing in preparation for the Olympic Trials in June. The Classic is designed to have seeded and unseeded athletes compete separately. The seeded events compose most of the afternoon schedule.
The following Buckeyes will be competing in the seeded races: Dominque Calloway, Nicholette Chambers, Tina Johnson, Donica Merriman, Mandy Osmond, Ayanna Reece, Joel Brown, Ian Connor, Courntey Cornwall, Thomas Dickson, David Gonzalez, Rob Myers and Andrew Pierce.
These Buckeyes will be facing several former Olympic athletes, national champions and athletes trying to qualify for this year’s Olympics along with all of the collegiate athletes that have NCAA qualifying marks in their sight. Sunday will be full of close races because everyone will be pushing for the fastest times and distances.
“We are very excited about bringing the Jesse Owens Classic back this year,” head coach Russ Rogers said. “I think we are going to see a lot of great competition. Our goal as a team is to get as many of our athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships, and I think the strong competition will help push them to the marks needed to qualify.”
A Man Named Jesse
Construction is moving along on the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium and the facility is now available for training and competition. Located in the northwest corner of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center Complex, the newest athletics facility features a grandstand and a concourse level elevated above a playing surface that is used for track and field, soccer and lacrosse. It will house a working press box as well as home, visiting and officials’ locker rooms. Integrated into the campus architecturally, the complex will be surrounded by a wrought iron fence with brick piers and green and white ash trees and will be the home to the Jesse Owens Memorial Wall, record plaque and statue.
Big Ten Athlete of the Week
Because of Donica Merriman’s (Jr., Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison) outstanding performance at the Penn Relays, she was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week on Tuesday for the second time this season. Topping her performance was her first-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles with the world’s fastest time this season, 12.70.
Last Week’s Recap
Members of the Ohio State men’s and women’s track and field teams competed at the 106th Penn Relays Carnival Saturday at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pa.
Donica Merriman added another highlight to her phenomenal season as she won the 100-meter hurdles with the world’s fastest this season of 12.70. This time also set a new standard for the Penn Relays and it shattered the school record of 12.84, which she set last season. Merriman also anchored the 4×200-meter relay team, which earned a time of 1:36.10 and was a member of the 4×100-meter relay team (45.36).
Andrew Pierce (Jr., Yellow Springs, Ohio/Yellow Springs) also gave a strong performance as he helped lead two relay teams to Top 5 finishes. The men’s 4×400 composed of Kambon Sampson (Jr., Barrovalie, St. Vincent/Barrovalie Secondary), Joel Brown (Fr., Baltimore, Mar./Woodlawn), Thomas Dickson (Jr., Newark, N.J.) and anchored by Pierce earned their fastest time of the season, 3:06.33, in the qualifying trials with Pierce running a 44.0 split. In the championship race, the relay team placed third with a time of 3:06.80. The sprint medley team composed of Ryan Grear (Jr., Barnsville, Ohio/Barnsville), Edison Francis (Jr., St. James, Trinidad/ Queens Royal College), Andrew Pierce and Rob Myers (Fr., Rushville, Ohio/Fairfield Union) placed fifth with a time of 9:34.22.
Ian Connor (Jr., Lexington, Ohio/Northmor Local) recorded a team season-best 8:47.21 in the steeplechase championship to place eighth. His time is the fastest in the Big Ten so far this season. Ayanna Reece (Sr., Bronx, N.Y./George Washington) placed third in the 400-meter hurdles with her best time this season, 58.86 .
“I think our team ran very well,” head coach Russ Rogers said. “We were the only team there that ran in five championship races and we are very proud of that.”
Several members of the Ohio State men’s and women’s track and field teams competed at the Bearcat Classic Saturday. Over 15 schools from Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia attended the Classic, which was hosted by the University of Cincinnati.
The distance and field event athletes represented Ohio State and gave a dominating performance as the women earned 10 Top 5 finishes in nine events and the men earned nine Top 5 finishes in 10 events. The Buckeyes’ first-place finishers included Mandy Osmond (Fr., Guelph, Ontario/St. James), Katy Craig (So., Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) and David Gonzalez (Sr., Bolingbrook, Ill./Boilingbrook). Osmond won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:14.1. Craig, who placed fifth in the hammer throw (166’7?) and sixth in discus at the Penn Relays on Thursday, continued her success at the Bearcat Classic by winning the hammer throw (172’11”) and placing second in the discus (154’3?). Setting the pace in the 1,500-meter run was Gonzalez as he finished first with a time of 3:52.23.
Many other Buckeyes showed strong performances and continued to improve their seasonal marks. Keeley Hancox (So., Franklin, Pa./Franklin) placed second in the javelin and broke the school record for the fourth week in a row with a distance of 131’4?. Jon Lageman (Fr., Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) and Andrew Saurer (So., Smithsville, Ohio/Smithsville) placed second and third in the hammer throw and Saurer also placed fourth in the shot put improving his seasonal mark to 49’0-1/2?.
Meet the Coach
In his 12 years at Ohio State, Russ Rogers has produced 100 Big Ten indoor and outdoor track and field champions, 10 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 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.
What’s Next
Next week, the Buckeyes travel to Ann Arbor for the Michigan Invitational on Saturday, May 13. This will be the last regular meet of the season before the Big Ten Championships on May 20-21.
Ohio State Outdoor Track and Field Seasonal Bests Women’s Event Time/Mark Athlete Date 100-Meter Dash 11.65 Donica Merriman 4/15/00 200-Meter Dash 23.12 Donica Merriman 4/15/00 25.10 Nicholette Chambers4/15/00 400-Meter Dash 55.50 Tina Johnson 4/15/00 55.94 Ayanna Reece 4/7/00 58.54 Rhondalynn Crawford3/25/00 800-Meter Dash 2:11.98 Mandy Omond 3/25/00 1,500-Meter Run 4:28.52 Mandy Osmond 4/8/00 4:43.30 Alexis Schulist 4/15/00 3,000-Meter Run 10:21.39 Karyn Kelly 4/15/00 10:23.89 Alexis Schulist 4/15/00 5K Run 17:57.20 Alexis Schulist 3/25/00 100-Meter Hurdles 12.70 Donica Merriman 4/29/00 12.93 Dominque Calloway 4/15/00 14.13 Molly Logan 4/22/00 14.35 Nicholette Chambers3/25/00 400-Meter Hurdles 57.22 Dominque Calloway 4/8/00 58.86 Ayanna Reece 4/27/00 1:05.23 Molly Logan 4/22/00 4×100-Meter Relay 44.99 Nicholette Chambers4/15/00 Dominque Calloway Tina Johnson Donica Merriman 4×400-Meter Relay 3:41.33 Ayanna Reece 4/8/00 Tina Johnson Donica Merriman Dominque Calloway High Jump 5’8-1/2? Tami Smith 4/8/00 5’6? Cathy Carlin 4/15/00 5’6? Desiree Jones 4/15/00 5’2? Nicholette Chambers4/7/00 Long Jump 19’5-1/2? Nicholette Chambers4/15/00 19’4-1/4? Tina Johnson 4/22/00 Triple Jump 38’9 Nicholette Chambers4/15/00 Pole Vault 11’7-3/4? Rachel Zukowski 3/25/00 Discus 154’3? Katy Craig 4/29/00 133’5? Erin Carter 4/29/00 Shot Put 45’5? Desiree Jones 4/15/00 43’8? Erin Carter 4/29/00 Hammer Throw 172’11” Katy Craig 4/29/00 133’1? Erin Carter 4/22/00 Javelin Throw 131’4? Keeley Hancox 4/29/00 113’11” Nicholette Chambers4/15/00 108’4? Desiree Jones 4/22/00
Men’s Event Time/Mark Athlete Date 100-Meter Dash 10.68 Ryan Grear 4/15/00 10.88 Edison Francis 4/15/00 200-Meter Dash 21.24 Andrew Pierce 4/15/00 21.81 Kambon Sampson 4/15/00 21.99 Edison Francis 4/15/00 400-Meter Dash 45.49 Andrew Pierce 4/15/00 47.56 Thomas Dickson 3/25/00 48.16 Kambon Sampson 4/15/00 800-Meter Dash 1:50.08 Rob Myers 3/25/00 1:54.53 Marcus Harris 4/15/00 1:54.78 Ian Connor 4/7/00 1,500-Meter Run 3:48.42 Rob Myers 4/15/00 3:51.02 David Gonzalez 4/15/00 4:00.81 Derrick Butler 4/28/00 3,000-Meter Run 8:31.37 David Gonzalez 4/15/00 5K Run 14:47.42 David Gonzalez 4/22/00 14:53.03 Ian Connor 3/25/00 14:54.62 Derrick Butler 4/22/00 Steeplechase 8:47.21 Ian Connor 4/29/00 9:28.72 J.J. O’Rielly 4/29/00 9:46.47 Josh Folger 4/29/00 110-Meter Hurdles14.34 Joel Brown 4/7/00 14.49 Ryan Grear 4/22/00 400-Meter Hurdles52.07 Courtney Cornwall 4/8/00 54.54 Joel Brown 4/7/00 4×100-Meter Relay40.58 Joel Brown 4/15/00 Ryan Grear Kambon Sampson Edison Francis 4×400-Meter Relay3:06.33 Courtney Cornwall 4/28/00 Thomas Dickson Joel Brown Andrew Pierce High Jump 6’4? Jeff Cerveny 3/25/00 Long Jump 21’11-1/2? Jeff Cerveny 4/22/00 Triple Jump 41’3-1/2? Jeff Cerveny 4/15/00 Pole Vault 16’0-3/4? Corey Johnson 4/15/00 Shot Put 49’0-1/2? Andrew Saurer 4/29/00 48’9-1/2? Aaron Bilovecky 4/29/00 Discus 152’3? Rusty Azbell 4/8/00 148’03” John Norman 4/15/00 140’1? Andrew Saurer 4/29/00 Hammer 178’8? Jon Lageman 4/15/00 176’0? Andrew Saurer 4/29/00 167’01 Rusty Azbell 4/22/00 165’11” John Norman 4/29/00 Javelin 218’1? George Hoover 4/22/00
Buckeyes’ Level in the Big Ten Women’s Events 100-Meter Dash 1. Lorraine Dunlop Indiana 11.49 2. Chequetta Bearfield Illinois 11.55 3. Donica Merriman Ohio State 11.65 200-Meter Dash 1. Donica Merriman Ohio State 23.12 800-Meter Dash 1. Stephanie Pesch Wisconsin 2:08.65 2. Andrea Geurtsen Wisconsin 2:10.24 3. Mandy Osmond Ohio State 2:11.98 100-Meter Hurdles 1. Donica Merriman Ohio State 12.70 2. Dominque Calloway Ohio State 12.93 400-Meter Hurdles 1. Dominque Calloway Ohio State 57.22 2. Ayanna Reece Ohio State 58.86 4×100-Meter Relay 1. Indiana 44.22 2. Ohio State 44.99 4×400-Meter Relay 1. Indiana 3:38.02 2. Ohio State 3:41.33 High Jump 1. Carri Long Purdue 5’10-1/2? 2. Tami Smith Ohio State 5’8-1/2? Long Jump 1. Tisha Ponder Illinois 20’9-3/4? 2. Tandrea Foster Indiana 19’8? 3. Nicolette Chambers Ohio State 19’5-1/2? Women’s Hammer Throw 1. Beth Howard Minnesota 194’1? 2. Serene Ross Purdue 185’8? 3. Katy Craig Ohio State 172’11”
Men’s Events 200-Meter Dash 1. Mike Bennett Wisconsin 20.66 2. Babutrunde Ridley Illinois 21.05 3. Andrew Pierce Ohio State 21.24 400-Meter Dash 1. Andrew Pierce Ohio State 45.49 800-Meter Dash 1. T. Ben Karcz Penn State 1:49.54 2. Brett Tipton Indiana 1:49.78 3. Rob Myers Ohio State 1:50.08 1,500-Meter Run 1. Andrew McKessock Minnesota 3:45.40 2. Nate Clay Minnesota 3:46.38 3. Rob Myers Ohio State 3:48.32 110-Meter Hurdles 1. T.J. Nelson Wisconsin 13.85 2. Sherman Armstrong Illinois 14.03 3. Joel Brown Ohio State 14.34 4×100-Meter Relay 1. Minnesota 40.19 2. Illinois 40.35 3. Ohio State 40.58 4×400-Meter Relay 1. Ohio State 3:06.33 Javelin 1. Dan Ralph Iowa 227’10 2. George Hoover Ohio State 218’1?
Ohio State NCAA Qualifiers Dominque Calloway 100-Meter Hurdles 13.07 Automatic 3/25/00 12.94 Automatic 4/8/00 12.93 Automatic 4/15/00 400-Meter Hurdles 57.98 Provisional 3/25/00 57.22 Provisional 4/8/00 58.36 Provisional 4/15/00 Donica Merriman 100-Meter Hurdles 12.97 Automatic 3/25/00 12.92 Automatic 3/15/00 12.70 Automatic 4/29/00 200-Meter Dash 23.28 Provisional 3/25/00 23.12 Provisional 4/15/00 Women’s 4×100-Meter Relay (Chambers, Calloway, Johnson, Merriman) 41.36 Provisional 4/15/00 Andrew Pierce 400-Meter Dash 45.69 Provisional 3/25/00 45.58 Provisional 4/8/00 45.49 Provisional 4/15/00
Men’s 4×400-Meter Relay (Brown, Cornwall, Dickson, Pierce) 3:06.96 Provisional 3/25/00 3:06.63 Provisional 4/8/00 3:06.33 Provisional 4/28/00
Athletes and Events to Keep an Eye On at the Jesse Owens Classic Men’s Events Men’s 800-Meter Run Rob Myers (Fr., Ohio State) *Third in the Big Ten with time of 1:50.08 Marcus Harris (Sr., Ohio State) *Fastest time this season is 1:54.53 Men’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase Ian Connor (Jr., Ohio State) *Looking for NCAA automatic and Olympic Trials qualifying times of 8.43. *Goal is to stay with Robert Gary to help him reach qualifying times *Earned fastest time in the steeplechase last week at Penn Relays, 8.47.21. This time is the fastest in the Big Ten. *All-American in cross country, indoor and outdoor track Robert Gary *Former Big Ten Champion *1996 Olympian in steeplechase *Assistant Ohio State track and field coach, head cross country coach Men’s 3,000-Meter Run Mark Croghan *Former Big Ten Champion *Two-time NCAA Champion *1992 and 1996 Olympian in the steeplechase David Gonzalez (Sr., Ohio State) *Looking for NCAA qualifying times *Fastest time in the 1,500-meter run is 3:51.02 Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles Allen Johnson *1996 Olympic champion in the 110 hurdles Terrence Trammell *1999 NCAA Outdoor Champion *2000 NCAA Indoor Champion in the 60-meter hurdles Men’s Hammer Throw Jud Logan *Competed in the 1984, 1988, 1992 Olympics Men’s 400-Meter Dash Andrew Pierce (Jr., Ohio State) *Holds fastest time in the Big Ten this season, 45.49 *Looking for an NCAA automatic qualifying time *Big Ten Champion in the 400 and All-American *Qualified for the 2000 Olympic Trials Ronnie Williams *Best time this season is 45.7 Men’s Long Jump Ray Hawkins *Personal record in the long jump is 26’8?
Women’s Events Women’s 100-Meter Dash Donica Merriman (Jr., Ohio State) *Third in the Big Ten with the time of 11.65 *Junior at Ohio State Tonya Carter (Sr., Florida State) *ACC Champion in the 100 meters with a time of 11.31 seconds and the 200 meter event with a time of 23.63 *ACC Performer of the Year *2000 National Indoor Champion in the 60-meter dash Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles Donica Merriman (Jr., Ohio State) *Set the world’s fastest time (12.70) this season at the Penn Relays *Qualified for the 2000 Olympic Trials Dominque Calloway (Sr., Ohio State) *Qualified for the 2000 Olympic Trials *Fastest time this season is 12.93 Women’s 1,500-Meter Run Mandy Osmond (Fr., Ohio State) *Has the fourth fastest time in the Big Ten, 4:28.52, in the 1,500 run and the third fastest time ( 2:11.98) in the 800-meter run Women’s Shot Put Connie Pierce Smith *Performed on three Olympic Teams *Holds eight National Championships
