2004 Ohio State Track and Field Season Outlook – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/30/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Dec. 30, 2003
Five outdoor All-America honors, four indoor All-Americans, 10 outdoor NCAA qualifiers, six indoor national qualifiers, a NCAA Mideast Regional Champion, three Mideast Region runners-up, seven Big Ten outdoor champions and five Big Ten indoor crowns were added to the Ohio State track and field individual achievements resume in 2003. As a team, the Buckeyes scored a fourth place finish on the men’s side at the Mideast Regionals and a sixth-place tally on the women’s end, while serving as the host of the inaugural event. The Buckeyes also placed fourth on the men’s and women’s ends at both the indoor and outdoor conference competitions.
All the achievements earned both individually and as a unit in 2003 will serve as a solid stepping stone for the 2004 Ohio State men’s and women’s track and field team. Buckeye head coach Russ Rogers, who enters his 17th season at the Ohio State helm, looks for banner performances from a strong returning class of seniors and juniors, while also seeking solid contributions from a talented freshmen class.
“We have a lot of talented athletes returning this season,” Rogers said. “There are some solid leaders on this team. If we stay healthy, both the men’s and women’s teams should be Top 3 in the Big Ten. The men have a real good shot at contending for the top spot in the outdoor season.”
The Buckeyes boast a group of seniors dually loaded in talent and leadership as five-time All-American Dan Taylor leads a unit rich in experience at the national level. Taylor is the reigning Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year in both the indoor and outdoor campaigns as he looks to defend his conference titles in the weight throw and shot put in the indoor season and add conference crowns in the hammer and discus to his outdoor shot put title in 2002 and 2003. Fellow senior Joel Brown also returns to defend his Big Ten title in the outdoor high hurdles, while another senior hurdler Molly Logan aims for her first conference championship on the women’s side. Senior distance man Rob Myers returns for the outdoor season in hopes of gaining his second straight All-America honor, while freshman Aaron Fisher will seek to defend his 2003 Big Ten title in the 5,000 meters.
Additional points should come from defending indoor and outdoor multi-events champion senior Nichollette Chambers and sophomore sensation Amarachi Ukabam, who topped the conference field in the discus last season and later won the NCAA Mideast Regional championship in the same event en route to being named Big Ten Outdoor Freshman of the Year.
The When and the Where
Once again Ohio State boasts a challenging indoor and outdoor schedule for the 2004 season as it plays host to some of the top teams and meets in the country.
“Our schedule is strong across the board,” Rogers said. “It will test our team the entire year, which is important especially since the Olympic trials are coming up.”
Highlighting the indoor season are four home events at French Field House, including the opening event of the season as OSU welcomes competing schools to the Buckeye Invitational Jan. 10. After traveling to the Rod McCravy Invite at the University of Kentucky, the Buckeyes close out the month of January with consecutive home meets as Indiana and Purdue travel to Columbus for the annual tri-meet between the Buckeyes, Boilermakers and Hoosiers Jan. 24 before French serves as the venue for the 2004 running of the Ohio State Invitational Jan. 31.
The Buckeyes take to the road for the next two weeks, competing in the Indiana Invitational Feb. 6-7 and the Nittany Lion Invitational on the campus of Penn State University Feb. 13-14 before closing the indoor regular season at home as host of the Scarlet and Gray Invitational Feb. 21.
Ohio State will head to the Big Ten championships Feb. 28-29 with the men set to compete at Ann Arbor, Mich., while the women’s competition will take place at Iowa City, Iowa. The indoor campaign concludes March 12 -13 in Fayetteville, Ark. for the NCAA Championships.
The Buckeyes once again will commence the outdoor season in the western portion of the country as the team travels for two consecutive weekends of competition before heading back to Columbus for the home opening Ohio State Relays April 10 in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Following a second trip to the west coast for the Brutus Hamilton Invite at Cal-Berkeley, the Buckeyes return to JOMS to welcome schools from around the state in the All-Ohio Championships.
Perhaps the finest outdoor meet in the country – the Penn Relays – awaits the Buckeyes the next week as the squad splits and competes in three separate events as parts of the team will head to Philadelphia for the Penn Relays (April 22-24), while others from the team will compete at Otterbein College (April 23) or at the Hillsdale Distance Carnival (April 24).
Highlighting the track and field home season for Ohio State will be the 19th annual running of the Jesse Owens Track Classic April 30 and May 1 at JOMS. The 2003 event was the largest to date in the 18 years of the Jesse Owens Classic, with teams traveling from across the United States and Canada to compete in the two-day event. The Jesse Owens Classic has served as a stage for numerous past and future Olympians, including former Ohio State Olympic competitors Mark Croghan, Robert Gary, Butch Reynolds, Dominique Calloway and Stephanie Hightower.
The outdoor season closes at the Campbell-Wright Open at the University of Akron May 8 before the squad heads to conference championship competition at Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich May 14-16. Two weeks later, the Buckeyes compete at the Mideast Regional competition May 28-29 in Baton Rouge, La. in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Championship held June 9-12 in Austin, Texas.
“The tri-meet with Indiana and Purdue is at home this year and highlights our indoor schedule,” Rogers said. “The Ohio State Invitational is another good home meet. We travel to Penn State and Kentucky indoors as well. In the outdoor season, we have the Jesse Owens Classic as our big home meet. So many great schools come and compete each year in that event. The Penn Relays is the best meet every season. We also go to Cal-Berkeley in April. That will be a great experience. The next week we host the All-Ohio Track Championships, which is a great showcase for the sport of track and field in Ohio.”
The Throwers
The throws unit highlighted the 2003 campaign as senior Dan Taylor continued to build upon his record-setting career at Ohio State, topping his own program standard nearly on a weekly basis en route to earning Big Ten Athlete of the Year honors and All-American awards. On the women’s side, sophomore Amarachi Ukabam turned in one of the greatest first year performances in Ohio State history as she claimed the 2003 Big Ten discus championship and the Mideast regional title two weeks later.
Ohio State throws coach John Smith looks for Taylor and Ukabam to strive past their achievements in 2003 and reach new heights in the upcoming season.
“This obviously is the year for Dan to win national championships in both the indoor and outdoor seasons,” Smith said. “He has a real chance at winning both the weight and shot put in the indoor season, which has never been done before. It will be interesting to see if he can pull it off. Dan is in better shape than he was last year and he has his eyes set on winning national titles and gaining a spot in the U.S. Olympic team. He truly is the finest male athlete I have coached.
“Amarachi grew up in a hurry last season,” Smith, who enters his fifth season at Ohio State, continued. “She has the ability to be the top thrower in the Big Ten. She is almost as good as Dan was last season, so she is a year ahead of pace as a sophomore. She has the potential to win the shot put, discus and weight throws at the Big Ten meets.”
The talent on the OSU throw team reaches much deeper than Taylor and Ukabam as returning All-Big Ten performer Keturah Lofton will seek a conference title in the indoor weight and the outdoor hammer, while former Big Ten shot put champion Alexis McCall looks to regain her success from the 2002 season. Added in that group is two-time Big Ten javelin champion George Hoover, who looks to fully-recover from an elbow injury that held him out of the entire 2002 season and less than 100 percent in many events last year.
“Keturah actually will compete alongside Amarachi in the discus and weight. They could finish 1-2 in the Big Ten in both,” Smith said. “Lofton can be a national qualifier in both the hammer and the weight. Alexis should be completely back from her injury and be back to where she was her sophomore year when she was a Big Ten champ in the shot put.
“George Hoover finally is healthy as well. It has taken two years for him to comeback, so he is hungry to throw like he did when he won back-to-back Big Ten championships in the javelin.”
The men’s side also boasts another foursome of talented throwers who should make solid contributions to the team this season.
“Kenny Howell really will help in the shot put, indoor weight and outdoor discus,” Smith said. “Bryan Duby definitely can score in the weight and hammer. So can Mike D’Andrea if he stays healthy. Mike is a talented athlete and should be in the Top 3 in the conference in the shot put.”
D’Andrea is a member of the Ohio State football team as is senior Jason Caldwell and sophomore Quinn Pitcock, while Howell is a transfer from West Virginia, where he was a member of the Mountaineer football squad as well. Along with Duby, who set personal records last season, the foursome has the potential to score major points for the Buckeyes in 2004.
The women’s throw squad is just as deep as Smith welcomes back seniors Katie Houser and Shelaine Larson, who both will compete in multiple throw events, while sophomore Tiffany Davis, who converted from the sprint team, could serve as the No. 2 or 3 slot in the hammer.
Overall, Smith is excited to see what his throw squads can do as they improve during the course of the indoor and outdoor seasons.
“I have talked to them all individually about what they can do this year,” Smith said. “I think the success we had last year has helped fuel confidence on this team. This is a season where I expect most of these athletes to explode.”
The Jump Events
Although the Buckeyes lost several top performers in the jump events to graduation, including five-time Big Ten high jump champion Tami Smith, Ohio State returns an outstanding batch of accomplished student-athletes, led by 2003 All-Americans Drew Carter and Shayla Moore, who will seek their first conference titles this season. Others looked to contribute heavily in the jumps are seniors Billy Mills in the high jump and Nosa Ehimwenman in both the long and triple jumps. Junior Rosalind Goodwin will strive for Big Ten honors in the triple and long jumps as well.
Ohio State jumps coach Jack Warner looks for his team to build upon the success from last year and score a few more Big Ten championships and All-America honors.
“We should be in the Top 3 squads in the Big Ten this season,” Warner, who served as a coach for the United States Junior National team in Barbados in July, said. “We placed one point out of first place at the outdoor Big Ten meet last season. I look for a stronger performance from our team this year. We should be able to score major points in all the jump events.”
Carter, who suffered a leg injury as wide out on the Ohio State football team, hopes to fully-recover for the outdoor campaign and strive for his third All-Big Ten honor, while Moore will seek her first All-Big Ten selection and her second as an All-American.
“Drew Carter should lead the team coming back from an All-American season,” Warner said. “He peeked at nationals last season. Shayla will be a leader on our women’s team. She also is coming off an All-American performance last season.
“Rosalind should improve from last season in both the long jump and triple jump. I also look for Nosa (Ehimwenman) and Billy Mills to score more points this season.”
Other contributors on the women’s side include juniors Zakiya Harris in the long jump and triple jump, while fellow junior Alicia Monroe will take part in the high jump and triple jump events. Also looked to for contributions are freshmen Jenna Harris, a New Jersey state champion in the long jump, and Jesse Stringer, who will look to follow in the footsteps of Tami Smith in the high jump.
The men’s side is bolstered by returning junior Richard Hurt.
The pole vault squad also enjoys several key returnees in senior Seth MacCarter on the men’s side and senior Becky Heintz and sophomore Robyn Mroz on the women’s side, while Ashland transfer Jason Dahlman will boost team point totals as well. Heintz and Mroz share the Ohio State outdoor pole vault record at 11-11.75, set last season.
“Robyn and Becky should both score at Big Ten’s,” Warner said. “They should improve on record-setting years last season. Seth MacCarter will follow up a solid year last season as well.”
The Sprint Squad
Although his eligibility has been exhausted during the indoor portion of the 2004 season, the outdoor campaign presents a stage for Ohio State senior sprinter/hurdler Joel Browns to eclipse the records and feats he accomplished in 2003. Brown, an All-American in both the indoor 60-meter hurdles and outdoor 110-meter hurdles, will attempt to defend his Big Ten championship in the 110m event in May, while also looking to claim conference honors and qualify for nationals in the 200-meter dash and as the anchor man on the 4×100-meter relay. Joining Brown on the relay squad are D. Carter, M. Jenkins and Greg Norman. The quartet earned second at the 2003 Big Ten Championships and qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regionals.
“We have a lot back on our relay teams,” Rogers said. “We get Joel Brown back in the outdoor season. He’ll be back with Mike Jenkins, Drew Carter and Greg Norman. They ran well last year and have a good chance to win at the Big Ten meet.”
Jenkins will serve as a top contender in the 200-meter dash, while Norman will be the OSU No. 1 in the 100-meter event in the outdoor season and the 60-meters during the indoor session.
Fellow hurdlers, seniors Molly Logan and Brandi Hogan, lead the women’s end of the sprint unit as the pair looks to conclude their careers with strong performances in the hurdle and relay events. Fellow senior Nichollette Chambers, the 2003 Big Ten champion in both the indoor and outdoor multi-events, and junior Pannsy Henry also should be slotted into the relay squads in both the 4×100 and 4×200-meter events.
Freshman Jenna Harris also will look to supply team points in the sprints as a competitor in the 60-meter dash and 200 meters.
“This is part of the team with a lot of leadership,” Rogers said. “We have a lot back in Joel Brown, John Morris, Greg Norman, Brandon Mitchell, with the men, and Molly Logan, Brandi Hogan, Pannsy Henry and Zakiya Harris with the women. I expect Joel Brown to win the hurdles at the Big Ten meet and help the relays place. Logan should win the hurdles as well and also help in the relays. Dalanda Jackson is back. She should place high in both the 100 and 400 hurdles. We’ll count on Brandi Hogan and Pannsy Henry heavily as well.”
The Distance Field
The Ohio State men’s and women’s distance runners once again will be a key component to this year’s squad as the men return all but two runners from the 2003 season. On the women’s side, the Buckeyes return top runners Lyndsi Gay and Robyn Detty, both of whom posted strong cross country seasons this past fall.
“Up until her injury, Lyndsi was having a great cross country season,” Chad Myers, Ohio State cross country and track and field assistant coach, said. “I expect her to get right back into the mix. She has been running a lot since the end of the cross country season and I expect her to have a great spring.”
This past fall, both men’s and women’s cross country squads once again posted strong seasons as the women earned their highest finish at the 2003 Big Ten Cross Country Championships since 1994, while the men qualified for the NCAA championships for the second-consecutive season.
Gay along with Detty, who finished 18th at the 2003 Big Ten Cross Country Championships, comprise a group of runners that should score well for the Buckeyes this spring.
“I thought we had a very successful cross-country season this past fall,” Myers said. “We got some great performances out of Robyn and Lyndsi during the cross country season and I expect both of them to have great track seasons.”
On the men’s side, the Buckeyes return an array of talent, including Rob Myers, who will return for the outdoor season, but will sit-out during the indoor competition. In 2003, Myers notched two sub-four minute miles during the indoor season and set school marks in the 1,000-meter run and mile run.
“Rob has three goals this season. He wants to be a Big Ten champion, Top 3 at the NCAA’s and make the finals of the Olympic trials,” Robert Gary, Ohio State cross country head coach and track and field assistant, said. “After the huge jump he made in cross country and his indoor 3:58 mile from last year, I think he’ll achieve all three.”
The Buckeyes also return 2003 cross country co-captain Sjaan Gerth who has posted back-to-back third-place finishes in the steeplechase at the Big Ten championships and should vie for first place this season.
Sophomore Aaron Fisher will seek to top a stellar sophomore campaign in 2003. Fisher won the 5,000-meter run at the Big Ten outdoor championship, clocking a career-best 14:19.21, while also earning all-conference honors in the steeplechase with another career-mark of 8:48.23.
The trio of Fisher, Gerth and Myers look to score major points in the upcoming track and field season.
“The 2003 cross country team is the best we have ever had at Ohio State,” Gary said. “We had another great cross country season and I hope for a great spring.”
Multi-events
Senior Nicholette Chambers will seek to defend her 2003 conference titles in the indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon as she looks to top her own record in the pentathlon, which she established last year with 3,793 points at the Big Ten meet.
Notable Newcomers
Ohio State welcomes several new faces to the team in 2004 and looks for each to help fill voids left by graduated seniors from a season ago. Topping that list is freshman high jumper Jenna Harris, a New Jersey high school state champion, who will be asked to fill the large shoes of departed senior and five-time Big Ten champion Tami Smith in the long jump and make heavy contributions to the sprints.
Gerald Griffin adds to the sprint squads as a specialist in the 200 and 400-meter sprints.
Kenny Howell, a transfer from West Virginia, was a four-time All-Big East performer his first two seasons in track and field, while also playing football for the Mountaineers. Howell specializes in the shot put in the indoor season and the shot put and discus in the outdoor session.
