Track and Field Teams Travel to Minnesota – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Jan. 24, 2002
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COLUMBUS, Ohio-The Ohio State track and field teams will hit the road Saturday for the second-consecutive weekend when they travel to Minneapolis, Minn. to compete in the Minnesota Gold Country Classic.
Minnesota Gold Country Classic
The men’s and women’s track teams will head to Minnesota to compete in the Minnesota Gold Country Classic. The men will face five teams: Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota State, South Dakota and Brigham Young. The women’s team will compete against six other teams: Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota State, South Dakota, Nevada-Las Vegas and Alabama.
Craig Sets Ohio State Record
Senior co-captain Katy Craig set an Ohio State indoor record in the weight throw at the Jan. 12 OSU Collegiate Duals. She threw for a distance of 68-03.75. Her previous best was last season at the NCAA Championships when she threw 64-11.25.
Owens and Hightower Named to The All-Century Team
Track legend Jesse Owens was named the Ohio State male athlete of the century by the Columbus Touchdown Club. Owens’ legend at Ohio State blossomed, thanks to such feats as setting three world records – in the long jump, 220-yard dash and 220-yard hurdles – within a 70-minute span at the 1935 Big Ten track championships. But he became a household name at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, where he won four gold medals. Stephanie Hightower was named women’s track and field athlete of the century. She was a three-time (1978-80) All-American in the hurdles Last week-Indiana Invitational
The Ohio State men’s and women’s track and field teams fell short in their first road test Saturday, Jan. 19, at Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse in Bloomington, Ind. The men’s squad finished third with 82 points behind first-place Indiana (132.50) and Penn State (104.50). The women’s team captured second place with 120 points. Indiana was first with 134 points and Southern Illinois finished third with 54 points. The men’s team garnered five first-place finishes. Dan Taylor (So., Middlefield, Ohio/Brekshire) guided the Buckeyes with first place finishes in the shot put (18.55 m) and weight throw (20.58 m). Rob Myers (Jr., Rushville, Ohio./Fairfield Union) added a first-place finish in the 1-mile run (4:08.76). Joel Brown (Jr., Baltimore, Md./Woodlawn) topped the field in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.13 seconds. Brad Hart (So., Centerburg, Ohio/Highland) and Jeff Cerveny (Jr., Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) tied for first place in the high jump (2.08 m). The women took home four first-place finishes. Katy Craig (Sr., Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) earned her second-consecutive first-place finish in the weight throw (18.42 m). Jennifer Ordway (So., Holgate, Ohio/Holgate) and Kati Stevens (Sr., Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) helped the women with first-and second-place finishes in the one-mile run (5:08.76 and 5:09.25, respectively). Teammate Tami Smith (Jr., Galloway, Ohio/Westland) earned first place in the women’s high jump with a height of 1.77 meters. Alexis McCall (So., Elyria, Ohio/Elyria) and Erin Carter (Jr., Logan, Ohio/Logan) earned first and second in the shot put with distances of 15.42 meters and 14.90 meters, respectively.
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 play host to the Ohio State Invitational at 11 a.m. Feb. 2 at French Field House. The Buckeyes will compete against Purdue, Eastern Michigan, Dayton, Morehouse, Central State, Kentucky State, Kent State and Toledo.
