Track and Field Heads to Tempe, Ariz. to Start 2003 Outdoor Season – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
March 19, 2003
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Following fourth place performances in each of the men’s and women’s Big Ten Track and Field Big Ten Championships, Ohio State’s national qualifiers competed in the 2003 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, where Ohio State thrower Dan Taylor scored a second place finish in the shot put with a career-high 21.33-meter effort and third in the weight throw (21.00). Rob Myers posted a Top 10 finish in the one-mile run (4:07.36), Keturah Lofton placed 11th in the women’s weight (19.01m). The Buckeyes travel to Tempe, Ariz. to open the 2003 outdoor season to compete in the Baldy Castillo Classic.
OHIO STATE AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Junior All-American thrower Dan Taylor captured a second place finish in the men’s shot put with a personal best 21.33-meter effort to help lead the Buckeyes to a tie for 14th place in the men’s competition.
Taylor coupled his runner-up standing in the shot put with a third place 21.00m effort in the weight throw Friday.
Also competing in the throw events was sophomore Keturah Lofton, who recorded a 19.01m mark to earn an 11th place finish. Lofton joined fellow female thrower Krista Keir as an NCAA qualifier. Keir placed 17th in Friday’s shot put event (15.20m).
Distance runner Rob Myers advanced to Saturday’s finals with a qualifying mark in Friday’s preliminary rounds. Myers scored a Top 10 finish as he posted a 4:07.36 to earn eighth. Chris Mulvaney of host Arkansas won the event with a 4:05.70.
Hurdler Molly Logan competed Friday in the 60-meter hurdles but failed to earn a berth in the finals, as did senior hurdler Joel Brown, who missed earning a berth in Saturday’s final by .01 with a mark of 7.78 in the men’s 60-meter hurdles.
A GLANCE AT THE OUTDOOR SEASON
The beginning of the 2003 outdoor campaign welcomes the return of 2000 and 2001 Big Ten javelin champion George Hoover, who has recovered from an elbow injury that befell him in the 2002 season. Hoover is the Ohio State record holder in the event at 230-9.
Indoor All-American thrower Dan Taylor will look to carry his record-breaking success to the outdoor field as he looks to build upon his school record in the discus (182-0).
Tami Smith will attempt to defend her conference title in the women’s high jump, while two throwers, Alexis McCall and Krista Keir will look for repeat performances in their respective outdoor events.
Joel Brown will lead the sprint squad, while Rob Myers will head the OSU distance team.
EIGHT BUCKEYES EARN ALL-BIG TEN
Eight Buckeyes were recognized as first and second team All-Big Ten performers after placing either first or second in their respective events at the 2003 Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Leading the Ohio State honorees was thrower Taylor, who topped his own OSU and Big Ten record mark en route to claiming the weight throw crown as he posted a sweep of the weekend’s throw events. His mark of 22.35m (73-4.00) bested his Ohio State and conference record-setting mark of 22.03m set earlier this season and out-performed teammate Rusty Azbell – 19.74m (64-9.25) – as Taylor tallied his third career Big Ten throwing title. The honor is Azbell’s first of his career.
Brown claimed first team all-conference as he posted a 7.80 in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, while fellow senior high jumper Tami Smith captured her third-consecutive indoor conference title with a leap of 5-9.75.
Also earning recognition on the women’s side was Nicholette Chambers, who turned in an Ohio State record-setting performance scoring 3,793 points to capture the conference title in the pentathlon.
Ohio State continued their strong performances in the field events as Lofton led the way placing second in the weight throw with a mark of 62-1.75, while Keir rounded-out the Ohio State all-conference effort with a second place throw of 16.26m (53-4.25).
RECAPPING THE 2003 BIG TEN INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Men: The men’s squad found itself in first place after day one action as Taylor scored a title-winning oerformance in the shot put, while Drew Carter earned eight team points with a second place standing in the long jump.
Day two saw the Buckeyes claim a fourth place team finish as Taylor contributed another 10 points with a sweep of the throw events, while Joel Brown also netted 10 points for the Ohio State cause as he claimed the 60-meter hurdles championship with a provisional qualifying mark of 7.80.
In the one-mile run , Rob Myers captured third finishing in a time of 4:07.43, while pole vaulter Seth MacCarter also posted a third place finish with a 16-0.75 figure.
The Women: The Buckeyes finished the event with 69.0 points to edge out Wisconsin for fourth place.
Tami Smith captured her third-consecutive conference title in the high jump. Smith defended her title in a jump-off with a leap of 5-9.75.
Ohio State continued their strong performances in the field events, placing four individuals in the Top 8 in the weight throw. Lofton led the way placing second with a throw of 62-1.75. In her first appearance at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, Amarachi Ukabam turned in a strong performance with a throw of 59-2 and placed fourth.
In the shot put, Keir placed second with a throw of 16.26m (53-4.25). Erin Carter also scored points for the Buckeyes with an eighth place finish throwing a distance of 48-9.50.
TAYLOR EARNS USTA WEEKLY AWARD
Dan Taylor (Middlefield, Ohio/Berkshire) was named Friday as the United States Track and Field Coaches Association Athlete of the Week for March 6. Taylor earned the honor with a Big Ten record-setting performance to win the conference weight throw title, which he combined with a first place finish in the shot put.
The Middlefield, Ohio native placed first in 12 of 14 throw events during the 2003 indoor season and has automatically qualified in both the weight throw and the shot put for the NCAA Championships set for March 14 and 15.
OSU SWEEPS BIG TEN ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS
Ohio State sprinter/hurdlers Joel Brown (Sr., Baltimore, Md.) and Molly Logan (Jr., Darby, Pa.) set new Ohio State program records with a sweep of the hurdles events Saturday at the Scarlet and Gray Invitational en route to claiming Big Ten Track and Field Athlete of the Week awards for Feb. 25.
Brown, who established a new Ohio State all-time mark in the 60m hurdles with a 7.77 on Feb. 8, 2003, set a new Ohio State indoor record with a 7.18 mark in the 55m hurdles Saturday during the Scarlet and Gray Invitational. Brown’s mark serves as an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships. Brown also scored a first place finish in the 200m dash with a time of 21.78.
Logan, who has captured first place four consecutive weeks in the hurdles events, provisionally qualified for national competition with a new French Field House record 7.68 mark in the 55m hurdles.
Brown and Logan also have provisionally qualified in the 60m hurdles in 2003. Brown twice with a 7.77 at the Rod McCravy Invitational and the Sykes/Sabock Challenge Cup and Logan with an 8.26 performance at the Sykes/ Sabock.
With the weekly award, Brown and Logan join Ohio State thrower and three-time conference honoree Dan Taylor (Middlefield, Ohio) for a total of five Big Ten Track and Field Athlete of the Week merits during the 2003 indoor season.
BUCKEYE MEN AMONG NATION’S ELITE
The Ohio State men’s track and field squad, which placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships, currently sits at the No. 12 spot in the Feb. 24 Trackwire.com poll.
TAYLOR SECOND PLACE? NOT LIKELY
Dan Taylor once again dominated the throwing events for the eighth-consecutive meet as he topped the feild in both the shot put and weight throw at the Big Ten Championships.
The Middlefield, Ohio product bested his own school record in the weight throw to place first at the McCravy Invite Feb. 8 and establish a new Big Ten record in the event with a toss of 22.03m. Taylor also grabbed first in the shot put with a mark of 19.45m. Both figures serve as automatic qualifiers, while the figure in the weight throw is the best in the nation this season.
In the Ohio State Invite, Taylor posted a 20.52m throw in the shot put to once again automatically qualify for national competition and claim first place for the fourth-consecutive event. The figure is the best in the nation in the 2003 season.
In all, Taylor has placed first in 12 of 14 throwing events this season, including wins in all seven shot put events in 2003.
OHIO STATE PLAYS HOSTS TO NCAA REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
The NCAA has announced that The Ohio State University has been awarded the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Regional Championships to be held at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on May 30 and 31.
The event will feature over 900 student-athletes competing over the two-days of action.
UP NEXT
The Buckeyes will remain in Tempe, Ariz. to compete in the Arizona State Invitational Saturday, March 29.
