Track and Field Athletes Receive Top Awards – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/28/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Feb. 28, 2001
COLUMBUS, Ohio– Andrew Pierce (Sr., Yellow Springs, Ohio/ Yellow Springs) received Athlete of the Big Ten Championship and Athlete of the Year honors after shattering three Big Ten meet records and taking titles in the 400-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 4×400-meter relay at the Big Ten Championships in State College Pa. last weekend. Pierce broke the record in the 400-meter dash by nearly a full second as he posted a time of 45.46, the best time in the NCAA this season. He also captured a meet record time of 20.84 in the 200-meter dash and anchored the 4×400 team to a title and meet record time of 3:08.71. Pierce also joined his teammates Ian Connor (Sr., Lexington, Ohio/ Northmoor) Rob Myers (Jr., Rushville, Ohio/Fairfield) Courtney Cornwall (Sr., Cedarhurst, N.Y./Lawrence ), Thomas Dickson (Sr., Vincent,Wis.) Edison Francis ( Sr., St. James, Trinidad/Queens Royal College) who were named to All-Big Ten First Team. Connor took titles in both the 3000 -meter run (8:08.19) and the 5,000-meter (14:01.92). Myers placed first in the mile with a time of 4:08.78. Cornwall, Dickson, and Francis contributed to the success of the 4×400-meter relay team.
Donica Merriman (Sr., Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood) was named Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Championships after she led the women’s squad to a second-place team finish. Merriman won both the 60-meter hurdles (7.98) and the 200-meter dash (24.10). Her time of 7.98 in the hurdles shattered the five-year old Lambert Fieldhouse record of 8.09 and topped the Big Ten meet record (8.12) she set last year. Her time in the hurdles also automatically qualified her for the NCAA Championships and earned Merriman her fourth title in the 60-meter hurdles. Merriman also received All-Big Ten First Team honors.
Other Buckeyes named to the Women’s All-Big Ten Team were Katy Craig (Jr., Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) and Tami Smith (So., Galloway, Ohio/Westland). Craig won the weight throw with a toss of 63-11.50 while Smith captured an individual title in the high jump clearing 5-10.00. Second Team All-Big Team honors were given to Alexis McCall (Fr., Elyria, Ohio/Elyria) Desiree Jones (Jr., Akron, Ohio/Buchtel) and Onica Fraser ( Jr., Brooklyn, N.Y. /Najareth Regional). McCall posted a second-place finish in the shot put in her first Big Ten Championship (52’08. 25). Jones placed second in the women’s pentathlon, scoring 3,700 points.
