Track and Field Teams Travel to Ann Arbor – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
May 9, 2002
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
COLUMBUS, Ohio -The Ohio State track and field teams will compete in the Len Paddock Invitational Friday and Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich. Running events will begin Friday evening at 6:30 while action Saturday will start at 12:30 p.m. Field events will begin at 11 a.m. both days. The event will be the final competition before the Big Ten championships May 17-19.
SCHEDULE CHANGE
The Buckeyes were originally scheduled to compete in the Billy Hayes Invitational hosted by Indiana. The change was made early in the week to head to Ann Arbor.
A LOOK AT THE COMPETITION
The Len Paddock Invitational, hosted by Michigan, will be a non-scoring meet. Among the teams expected to compete are squads from Michigan State, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Kent State, Toledo and Bowling Green.
Michigan freshman Alan Webb, who competed last week in the Jesse Owens Track Classic, will run Friday night in the 1,500 meter run. Webb is the American high school record holder in the mile with a time of 3:53.43. Former All-American Tim Broe also will make an appearance in the events. Broe is the No. 1-ranked American in the 3,000-meter run.
LAST TIME OUT – JESSE OWENS CLASSIC
The Buckeyes, led by first-place finishers Billy Mills, Nosa Ehimwenman, Tami Smith and Dan Taylor, had a successful day at the 17th-annual Jesse Owens Track Classic in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium May 5. Mills placed first in the high jump with a jump of 2.13 meters (6-11.75 feet), a personal best. Ehimwenman, the Buckeyes’ lone competitor in the triple jump, was first with a jump of 15.36 (50-04.75). Taylor won the shot put with a throw of 18.89 meters (61-11.75), good enough to qualify for the NCAA championships provisionally.
Alexis McCall placed second in the shot put with a throw of 16.12 (52-10.75) to qualify automatically to the NCAA championships and set the Ohio State outdoor record. Krista Keir finished fourth (14.93), exceeding the provisional mark. She automatically qualified for the championships earlier this season. Former Buckeye standout Ian Connor placed first in the 3,000-meter steeplechase
The day brought the offical dedication of Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium and to OSU Track Legand Jesse Owens. In opening ceremonies, Ohio State President William “Brit” E. Kirwan, OSU Athletics Director Andy Geiger and Gloria, Owens’ daughter, cut the ceremonial red ribbon to dedicate the stadium.
SPECTACULAR SMITH
Tami Smith had another outstanding performance at the Jesse Owens Track Classic in the high jump, reaching a height of 1.81 meters (5-11.25). She has placed first in all but one meet she has competed in this season, finishing second at the prestigious Penn Relays. She qualified automatically for the NCAA event at the TCU Invitational earlier this season.
GODWIN SETS PERSONAL BESTS
Rosalind Godwin had an outstanding day at the Jesse Owens Track Clasic, as she set personal bests in both the long jump and the triple jump. Her jump of 12.45 (40-10.25) exceeded her previous high by a 1-2, while her jump of 5.85 (19-02.50) in the triple jump was a foot longer than her previous mark.
BUCKEYES WILL COMPETE IN BATON ROUGE
Krista Keir set a school record in the discus at the All-Ohio Championships April 13 in Columbus with her toss of 182-4 (55.57). The throw earned her a NCAA automatic bid to the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Championships hosted by LSU in Baton Rouge, La. Tami Smith automatically qualified with a leap of 6-0 (1.83) in the high jump at the Texas Christian Inviataional April 20. Alexis McCall set the Ohio State outdoor record in the shot put with a throw of 16.12 (52-10.75) to qualify automatically to the NCAA championships. McCall set the record at the Jesse Owens Track Classic May 5.
TAYLOR EARNS BIG TEN ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS
Ohio State sophomore Dan Taylor earned Big Ten Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week April 10 after his performance at the Wheeling Jesuit Invitational, Ohio State’s first outdoor track meet of the season. Taylor broke a 20-year old school record with his toss of 180-2 (54.92m) in the discus. The previous record of 178-2 was set back in 1982 by Kevin Akins. In the shot put, Taylor earned a NCAA provisional qualification with a distance throw of 61-1 L (18.62m). He also placed third in the hammer throw with a toss of 182-7 (55.65m).
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.
MEET COACH RUSS 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 be back in action in the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 17-19 in Madison, Wis. The championships will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin.
