Track and Field Set For Pacesetter Invitational – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/18/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
April 18, 2001
COLUMBUS, Ohio-The Buckeyes will travel across the state border to compete in the Pacesetter Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind. April 21. The event is hosted by Indiana State and will be held at ISU’s Mark Field. OSU and ISU competed in the Sea Ray Relays April 12-14 at the University of Tennessee’s Tom Black Track. Men’s and women’s hammer throw events kick off the Pacesetter Invitational Friday, with the rest of the events taking place 9:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Saturday.
The Pacesetter Invitational
The Pacesetter Invitational features 10 teams, including host Indiana State, Illinois State, Eastern Illinois and Valparaiso. Ohio State is the only team among the participants to appear in the TrackWire Top 25. The men maintained their No. 24 ranking with a strong showing in the Sea Ray Relays and trail No. 23 UCLA by one point. The Buckeye women also competed well at the Sea Ray Relays, but have not cracked the TrackWire Top 25 yet.
Indiana State appears to be the strongest team the Buckeyes will face during the invitational. The Sycamores posted good times at the Sea Ray Relays, placing second in the men’s sprint medley(3:20.73) and third in the men’s 4×110 meter shuttle hurdle relay (55:47). Aubrey Herring received an automatic NCAA Championship invite by posting a time of 13:42 in the 110-meter hurdles, the best time of any collegiate athlete in the relay. Also for the Sycamores, Josh Mastison placed fourth in shot put with a toss of 54’7.5?. For the women, Beth Hilton posted a fourth place finish in hammer throw, recording an NCAA provisional mark of 186’2?.
Good Week For Merriman
Donica Merriman (Sr., Trotwood, Ohio) entered her final collegiate outdoor track season in big way. The Buckeye senior helped the women’s 4×200-meter relay break the 18 year-old school record during the Sea Ray Relays. The relay team , consisting of Onica Fraser (So., Brooklyn, N.Y.), Dalanda Jackson (Fr., Shaker Heights, Ohio), Tina Johnson (Sr., Burlington, N.J.) and Merriman, obliterated the previous record of 1:39.64 by over three seconds, posting a time of 1:36.16. The same relay team placed fifth in the 4×100-meter relay with a season best time of 45.78. Merriman continued her dominant performance by posting her first NCAA outdoor automatic qualifying time in the 100-meter hurdles with a 12.95. She later recorded a time of 23.62 in the 200-meter dash to finish third. Merriman also led the shuttle hurdle relay team to a first place finish (55.77). The senior’s efforts during the weekend were enough to win her Big Ten Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors.
Noting The Men’s Competition
Ohio State’s Andrew Pierce (Sr.,Yellow Springs, Ohio) will most likely not see the same quality competition this weekend that was present at the Sea Ray Relays. Pierce, ranked No. 3 in the 200-meter at the Sea Ray Relays, raced last week against most of the Top 10 in the nation. In the Pacesetter Invitational, Pierce’s closest competition will be Indiana State’s Ron Sayles, who is ranked No. 73.
In discus, No. 14 Dan Taylor (Fr., Middlefield, Ohio) could have his hands full with No. 9 Jesse Rhoades of Indiana State. Taylor’s best mark of 54.20 meters is .35 meters short of Rhoades’ high mark.
Noting The Women’s Events
Donica Merriman (Sr., Trotwood, Ohio), No. 4 in the nation in the 100-meters, looks to get back into the swing of the event. The All-American did not run the event in the Sea Ray Relays or the Wheeling Jesuit Invitational. Her closest competition in the Pacesetter Invitational will most likely be No. 47 Latoya Jagoe of Indiana State.
Ohio State’s field event specialists, including Katy Craig (Jr. Hilliard, Ohio) on hammer throw, will do battle with quality opposition. Craig will face Indiana State’s Beth Hilton, who bested Craig in the hammer throw at the Sea Ray Relays. Craig and Hilton also will do battle on discus, where Craig has a slightly better seed mark.
Meet The Coach
In his 13 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 has more than 30 years of head coaching experience in national and international track and field.
Rogers came to Ohio State from Fairleigh Dickinson University, located in Teaneck, New Jersey, where he was the head coach for both the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams for 10 years.
Buckeyes on the Road
The Ohio State track and field team has not had much time to rest this season. Within a month, the Buckeyes will have traveled to Arizona, West Virginia, Tennessee and Indiana. The torrid traveling doesn’t seem to be having an effect on the team however. Team times have improved weekly and nine season bests were recorded at the Sea Ray Relays. After the Pacesetter Invitational, the team will have two more road meets before returning home. The Penn Relays take place April 26-28 in Philadelphia, Pa., overlapping with the Bearcat Classic at the University of Cincinnati April 28. The Buckeyes will compete in the Jesse Owens Track Classic May 6 in Columbus before hitting the road again May 12 to take part in the Billy Hayes Invitational at the University of Indiana.
