Track and Field Wraps Up Season at Home – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Feb. 12, 2002
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COLUMBUS, Ohio-The Ohio State track and field teams return to Columbus Saturday for the final meet of the regular season. The Buckeyes will play host to the Scarlet and Gray Invitational at French Field House at 10 a.m. The Buckeyes will compete against: Ashland, Vanderbilt, Miami (Ohio), Akron, Rio Grande, Marshall, Cincinnati, Wheeling Jesuit, Ohio, Montclair State and Ohio Wesleyan.
No One Can Beat Smith
Defending Big Ten high jump champion Tami Smith has continued to dominate the competition this year. She has placed first in all five high jump events this season, including a season-best 1.83 meters at the New York Invitational. That mark automatically qualifies her for the NCAA high jump championship as well as sets a meet record and OSU record.
Craig Breaks Her Own Record
Co-captain Katy Craig set Ohio State indoor and French Field House records in the weight throw at the Feb. 2 OSU Invitational. She threw for a distance of 68-06. This distance was good enough for third on the NCAA list and a Big Ten best this season. Her previous best was 68-03.75, set earlier this season at the OSU Collegiate Duals (Jan. 12).
Taylor Tops Big Ten in Shot Put
Dan Taylor guided the men’s team with a first-place finish in the shot put at the OSU Invitational with a distance of 65-07 3/4. This distance ranks fourth on the NCAA list and is the best in the Big Ten this season.
Myers on a Roll
Rob Myers has been on a roll lately in the 1-mile run. He has placed first in three of the last four meets, including a meet record at the Minnesota Gold Country Classic with a time of 4:03.70. His time at Minnesota is a career best and is second all-time in Ohio State history.
Men Set Two Meet Records
Along with Rob Myers’ meet record at the Minnesota Gold Country Classic, junior Joel Brown set a meet record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.02 seconds. That time beats his previous career high, which he set last season by one-hundredth of a second (8.03).
Owens Leads 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. 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-New York Invitational
The Ohio State women’s track and field teams placed fifth at the New York Road Runners Collegiate Invitational with 44 points. Louisiana State (79), South Carolina (69), Stanford (56) and Arkansas (51) captured the top four spots. The men finished 11th with 16.5 points.
Tami Smith and Dalanda Jackson led the women by winning the high jump and 60-meter hurdles, respectively. Smith remained undefeated in the high jump this season with a jump of 1.83 meters. That mark automatically qualifies her for the NCAA high jump as well as setting a meet record and OSU record. Jackson won the hurdles event with a time of 8.28 seconds. Katy Craig earned second-place in the weight throw, reaching a distance of 20.82 meters. Teammate Alexis McCall garnered a second-place finish in the shot put (15.94 meters).
Dan Taylor guided the men’s team with a third-place finish in the shot put (18.31 meters) and a fifth-place finish in the weight throw (19.51 meters). Andrew Sauer recorded a fourth-place finish in the weight throw with a distance of 19.70 meters.
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. 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 where he served as the head coach for men’s and women’s track and field as well as the cross country teams for 10 years.
Up Next
The Buckeyes will compete at the Big Ten Indoor Championships Feb. 23 and 24. The men will travel to Minnesota, while the women will head to Penn State.
