Track and Field Opens Big Ten Season at Indiana – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Jan. 17, 2002
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COLUMBUS, Ohio-The Ohio State track and field teams will hit the road Saturday for the first time in 2002 when it travels to Bloomington, Ind. The men will take on the Hoosiers and Penn State, while the women will compete against Indiana and Southern Illinos.
Last Week-OSU Collegiate Duals
The Ohio State men’s and women’s track and field teams started the indoor season strong in the Ohio State Collegiate Duals Saturday, Jan. 12, at French Field House. The men’s squad finished first with 130 points in front of second place Indiana State (92) and Western Carolina (84). The women’s team also captured first place with 149 points. Western Carolina was second with 88 and Indiana State ended with 86. Nosa Ehimwenman (So., Flossmorr, Ill./Homewood Flossmorr) guided the men with first-place finishes in the men’s long jump (23-4) and triple jump (51-0 l). Kati Stevens (Sr., Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) helped the women with victories in the one mile run (5:11.8) and the 3,000 meter run (10:20.37). Teammate Dalanda Jackson (So., Shaker Heights, Ohio/Shaker Heights) earned wins in the 200 meter dash (25.54) and 60 meter hurdles (8.55).
Scouting Indiana
Both the Indiana women’s and men’s track and field teams gained momentum over the weekend as they opened the 2002 indoor season with wins over the visiting Michigan Wolverines. The men’s 100-59 victory over Michigan represented the largest winning margin by the Hoosiers over the Wolverines since the two teams faced off in 1992 and Indiana defeated their conference rival, 92-30. Sophomore Ryan Sarbinoff claimed wins in two individual events, the 200 and 400-meter dashes and was backed up in the 200 meters by fellow sophomore Contrell Ash, a common trend among the Hoosiers. Indiana held the top two spots in seven of their victories. The Indiana women were down, 77-76, heading into the final event, the women’s 4×400 meter relay. On the final of two laps on the 200 meter indoor track, Tia Trent overtook her opponent on the final curve to give the Hoosiers the 81-80 victory. Indiana claimed wins in ten of the 15 events.
Scouting Penn State
The Penn State men’s and women’s track teams both collected victories at the U.S. Coaches Series Meet. The men won six individual titles and posted a team score of 226.5 to more than double runner-up Seton Hall with 96.5.Penn State also garnered three NCAA qualifiers on the day, including Eddie Drummond who posted an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 6.60 in finishing second by a hair in the 60-meter dash. Also getting NCAA provisional qualifying marks on the day were junior Guy Rose and senior Ryan Olkowski. Rose won the 60-meter hurdles in 7.80 seconds, one of three Nittany Lions to place in the top five in the event, while Olkowski won the high jump with an NCAA qualifying leap of 7-1. Olkowski also won the long jump on the day with a leap of 23-6 3/4.
Scouting Southern Illinois
The SIU women’s team added three first-place showings and placed second with 130 points at the Saluki Booster Invitational. They finished behind Southeast Missouri State (144) and in front of Mississippi (127), Louisville (88) and Troy State (32). The women were led by sophomore Noa Beitler’s first-place time in the 600 meter run (1:37.27), junior Latrice Gray’s first-place high jump (5-7) and freshman Mariann Ahuna’s first-place triple jump ( 39-10 1/2), which puts her fifth on the SIU all-time list.
Newcomers Add Depth
Ohio State added 12 key freshman to the roster this season. Robin Detty (Indianpolis, Ind., Lawrence North), Aaron Fisher (Indianpolis, Ind., Franklin Central), Daniel Glaz (Palos Hills, Ill., A.A. Stagg), Rosalind Godwin(Prospect, Ky., Louisville Ballard), Zakiya Harris (Canton, Ohio, Massillon Perry), Alicia Kuhn (Galion, Ohio, Colonel Crawford), Jacob McCauley (Enon, Ohio, Greenon), Shayla Moore (Jessup, Md., Long Beach), Greg Norman (Amherst, Ohio, Amherst Steele), Brian Olinger (Fresno, Ohio, Ridgewood), Matt Penza (Girard, Ohio, Girard) and Stephanie Ray (Sylvania, Ohio, Sylvania) will add depth to the team.
High Hopes for 2002
After a strong finish to last season, the indoor track squad is looking to return atop the Big Ten standings.
“I am really optimistic about our chance to equal, if not better, our performances of last season,” Russ Rogers, OSU track and field coach, said. “If we can stay healthy and aim to raise some performances that came out of last year’s championships, we can make a legitimate run for a top-three finish.”
Meet Coach Rogers
In his 14 years at Ohio State, Russ Rogers has produced more than 100 Big Ten indoor and outdoor track and field champions, 10 NCAA indoor and outdoor champions and 69 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. 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.
Last Season
The Ohio State men’s and women’s track teams won a combined 10 Big Ten titles during the 2001 Big Ten Indoor Championships. Senior Andrew Pierce led the men with three first-place finishes, all in record-setting fashion, claiming the 200- and 400-meter dashes and as a member of the 4×400 relay team. Senior Ian Connor also captured two Big Ten titles. He won both the 3,000 and 5,000- meter runs. Senior Donica Merriman paced the women’s unit in matching its highest indoor championship finish (2nd), capturing the 60-meter hurdles and the 200. The Big Ten Indoor Athlete of the Year, Merriman won just the second (the first in 18 years) NCAA indoor title for the program, winning the 60 hurdles.
Up Next
The Buckeyes will travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to compete in the Minnesota Gold Country Classic Jan. 25 and 26.
