Dan Taylor Named 2003 Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
March 4, 2003
Columbus, Ohio – Ohio State junior thrower Dan Taylor (Middlefield, Ohio/Berkshire) was named Tuesday as the Big Ten Conference Men’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Championship in a vote of the league’s coaches.
Taylor set a new Big Ten Championships record en route to winning the 35-pound weight throw (22.35 meters) and also claimed the shot put title with his 20.00m mark. Taylor is a two-time All-Big Ten selection and holds the top mark in the nation in the weight throw. 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. Taylor helped the Buckeyes to a fourth place finish at the Conference Championships.
Ohio State has claimed the Big Ten’s Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Championship title twice in the past three years. Former Buckeye sprinter Andrew Pierce (1998-2001) also completed the sweep of both awards in 2001. It is the second Athlete of the Year award for a Buckeye and the third time an OSU student-athlete has been named the Conference’s Athlete of the Championship.
Taylor and his fellow national qualifiers will compete at the 2003 NCAA Indoor National Championships held in Fayetteville, Ark. March 14 and 15.
