Big Ten Championships Next Hurdle for Ohio State Track and Field – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
May 13, 2003
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State track and field squads wrapped up the 2003 regular season last week in final preparation for the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships set for Friday, May 16 through Sunday, May 18. The University of Minnesota will serve as host to this year’s event.
2003 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Where: Univ. of Minnesota, Bierman Stadium
When: Friday, May 16 @ 1 p.m. (CDT), Saturday, May 17 @ 10:30 a.m. (CDT), Sunday, May 18 @ 12:40 p.m. (CDT)
Main Information: www.gophersports.com
LAST WEEK: CAMPBELL/ WRIGHT OPEN
Once again headlining last week’s trip North to the University of Akron were standout throwers senior Krista Keir and junior Dan Taylor. Keir scored first place efforts in both the shot put and discus, while Taylor earned a first place mark in the discus as he set an Ohio State record for the seventh-straight week with 190-10 performance.
Jumper Nosa Ehimwenman also claimed first place in multiple events as he bested the field in the long jump(24-0.25) and triple jump (49-0.75).
TAYLOR SCORES SEVENTH
Taylor was named to his seventh Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor May 12 following yet another record setting performance Saturday. The 2003 Big Ten Indoor Athlete of the Year shattered his own previous Ohio State program standard of 187-4 with a 190-10 first place performance in the men’s discus. The mark also serves as a venue record at Akron’s Lee Jackson Field.
A previous winner three times during the indoor campaign, Taylor matched that total in the outdoor season as he was named the April 29 honoree following titlewinning performances at the Penn Relays. The most recent honor serves as Taylor’s seventh thus far in 2003.
Taylor now has collected Big Ten Athlete of the Week merits thus far in 2003 coming Jan. 14, Jan. 22, Feb. 11, April 1, April 15, April 29 and Tuesday’s honor.
BUCKEYES PEAKING AT RIGHT TIME
Numerous Buckeyes scored season-best performances in the final meet of the regular season. Included in the list were a trio of women’s throwers as junior Alexis McCall posted a 50-8 in the shot put, while sophomore Shelaine Larson set her personal best with a 150-0 to regional qualify in the discus. Freshman Amarchi Ukabam climbed the descending order charts with a 183-2 in the discus.
The high jump event saw both Tami Smith and Billy Mills earn season-best marks as Mills leapt 6-9.75, while Smith marked a 5-9.25.
Ehimwneman scored a season-best 24-0.75 to win the triple jump, while vaulter Seth MacCarter cleared 16-0 to record a personal best.
SMITH SEEKS SIXTH BIG TEN TITLE IN HIGH JUMP
Senior Tami Smith will travel to the Big Ten Championships in search of her second-straight conference outdoor high jump title in as many seasons. Smith will also be seeking her sixth overall high jump championship in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Smith recorded her third-consecutive indoor title at the conference meet in March with a leap of 5-9.75.
MROZ AND HEINTZ SET OSU STANDARDS IN SAME EVENT
Pole vaulters Robyn Mroz and Becky Heintz each eclipsed the Ohio State program record in the women’s pole vault event at the Campbell / Wright Open last week. Each vaulter posted an 11-11.75 to claim a tie for second place in the event. Mroz also set the OSU indoor standard this winter topping a mark previously set by Heintz.
ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER RECORDS FALLS
An Ohio State program record has fallen in each of the eight events this outdoor season as Krista Keir kicked off 2003 with a 186-1 to best her previous OSU mark of 182-4 in the discus at the season-opening Baldy Castillo Classic.
Since Keir’s effort, Dan Taylor has gone on a seven-week tear where he has set an OSU standard in the throw events at each meet. Taylor’s first mark came at the Arizona State Invite when he scored a 204-10 to win the hammer. A week later Taylor topped his own mark in the hammer at the Ohio State Relays and coupled that performance with a record-setter in the discus as well (187-4).
Taylor also eclipsed his record in the hammer for a fourth time this season to win the Penn Relays Men’s Collegiate Hammer Throw Championship of America with a 209-8. Sandwiched between his OSU outdoor marks was a Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium record effort of 65-6.25 in the shot put at the All-Ohio Championships.
At the Jesse Owens Track Classic, Taylor moved past his own stadium record in the shot put and his OSU mark in the hammer, while setting the standard in the discus a week later at the Campbell/ Wright Open.
CARTER AND JENKINS A WELCOME RETURN
The Jesse Owens Track Classic marked the welcome return of two speedy wide receivers from the OSU football team. Juniors Drew Carter and Michael Jenkins, competing in their first event since joining the football team for spring drills, helped lead Ohio State to an exhilarating photo finish victory in the men’s 4×100-meter relay.
Carter ran the second leg of the event and passed the baton to Jenkins who carried to anchorman Joel Brown, who edged Central Michigan and Team USA at the finish line in a season best 41.24.
TAYLOR SECOND PLACE? NOT LIKELY
With the two titles in the discus and shot put at the Jesse Owens Classic and his first place performance at Akron, Taylor has claimed first place in 11 of his last 14 throw events. In all, Taylor posted first place in 12 of 14 regular season indoor events to lead to 23 wins in 28 total events during regular season meets.
Taylor also took first place in both the weight and shot put at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.
GARY, CROGHAN HIGHLIGHT JESSE OWENS DISTANCE FIELD
In the Jesse Owens distance carnival, former OSU star and Olympian Mark Croghan bested the field in the 3,000-meter steeplechase narrowly missing the Jesse Owens Classic record with an 8:39.34. The steeplechase also saw marked success for three current Buckeyes as Sjaan Gerth scored a season-best 8:53.68 to take second, while Aaron Fisher placed third with another season-mark of 8:56.72. Brian Olinger rounded out the OSU effort taking 10th with a 9:10.74. Olinger scored the third Ohio State season-best of the event.
Another former Olympian and Buckeye great Robert Gary, who serves as the Ohio State distance coach, ran in the men’s 5,000-meters, but dropped out midway through the race to coach his competitors. Tim Broe, also an Adidas team member, finished the event in a Jesse Owens Stadium record 13:41.00. OSU senior distance runner Derek Butler claimed second behind Broe as he regionally qualified for his second event with a 14:21.92.
NUMEROUS RECORDS FALL AT JESSE OWENS CLASSIC
Outside of Dan Taylor’s sixth-straight week of shattering an OSU standard, other records fell by the wayside at the 18th running of the Jesse Owens Track Classic. Included in the list was a mark set in the women’s hammer throw as unattached competitor Tara Loper eclipsed the previous mark of 207-10 with a 215-4 to claim the title.
Friday night’s competition featured several other marks as Colleen Scott, who competed in the classic unattached, set a stadium and event record in the women’s triple jump with a leap of 44-0.50, while Damond Campbell of Tennessee scored an event record on the men’s side with a 52.75.
Setting records in Saturday’s finals were Penn State sprinter Consuella Moore, who won the women’s 200-meter dash with a wind aided (4.6) 23.29, also in the men’s 200 meters LeShaunte Edwards established a Jesse Owens Stadium record with a 20.71.
In addition, Tim Broe, an Adidas team member, continued on to finish the 5,000-meter run in a Jesse Owens Stadium record 13:41.00. The venue mark also fell in the women’s 5,000-meter run as Sarah Vergote of Toledo posted a 16:55.15 to pace the field.
MACCARTER LATEST TO JOIN REGIONAL RANKS – TOTAL HITS 30
The conclusion of the 2003 outdoor regular season marked one of the final chances to post qualifying marks to the NCAA Regional Championships.
Junior Seth MacCarter was the latest to join the list of OSU qualifiers as he posted a 16-0.75 in the men’s pole vault.
Others included in the list are 2002 Indoor All-Americans Dalanda Jackson (400-meter hurdles and 100-meter hurdles), Tami Smith (high jump) and three-time qualifier George Hoover (javelin).
Nine Buckeyes have qualified in multiple events as Dan Taylor and Amarachi Ukabam have posted qualifiers in the shot put, discus and hammer throw, respectively. More recently, Shelaine Larson (discus) and Nosa Ehimwenman (long jump) are the latest to join the crew.
In all, the throwers lead the way with an impressive 16 qualifying scores, while the jumpers have added nine of their own.
Other recent Buckeyes to join the list are throwers Bryan Duby and Rusty Azbel, both in the hammer, and hurdler Molly Logan, who has now qualified in two events with her 1:01.36 in the 400-meter hurdles, which joins her 100-meter hurdle time of 13.39 as a regional qualifier.
Distance runner Derek Butler also became a multiple qualifier with his 14:21.92 in the 5,000-meter run at the Jesse Owens.
SEVEN SCORE SEASON OR CAREER-BESTS AT PENN RELAYS
The Penn Relays showcased several Buckeye personal and season-best efforts. Included in the group were Tami Smith, who equaled her 2003 mark of 5-8.75 to place fourth in the high jump, while Joel Brown clocked a career-low 13.76 in both the prelims and finals of the 110-meter hurdles to take fourth overall.
Freshman Amarachi Ukabam established career-highs in both the hammer and shot put as her 178-3 in the hammer earned a third place standing in the Women’s Championship of America.
Dalanda Jackson (1:01.14 – 400m hurdles), Rusty Azbell (183-3 – hammer) and Erin Carter (50-9.50 – shot put) all set career-bests, while junior Alexis McCall heaved a season-best 50-6.25.
TAYLOR SINKS TEETH INTO TRACKSHARK.COM HONOR
Dan Taylor, who was named both Male Track Athlete of the Penn Relays and Big Ten Athlete of the Week was named Athlete of the Week by trackshark.com for his performance at the Penn Relays.
In all, Taylor has reaped six Big Ten weekly awards, one USTA honor and two Male Athlete of the Tournament honors.
HAPPY RETURNS
The Baldy Castillo Invitational March 21 and 22 marked the returns of a pair of Ohio State All-American performers in senior Dalanda Jackson and junior George Hoover.
Hoover, the 2000 and 2001 conference champion in the javelin, posted a 209-4 in his first collegiate event since the 2001 NCAA championships at the Baldy Castillo and topped that effort with a 211-11 to lead the field at the Arizona State Invitational.
Jackson, an All-American in 2002, captured first place in either the 100-meter hurdles or the 400m hurdles in each of the first three weeks of competition. Her 101:38 effort in the 400-meter hurdles at the ASU Invite serves as a regional qualifier, as did her 13.76 in the 100-meter hurdles prelims at the Pacesetter Invite.
UKABAM HONORED BY BIG TEN
Ohio State freshman thrower Amarachi Ukabam was deemed Big Ten Athlete of the Week April 8 after claiming first place in both the women’s shot put and the hammer throw Saturday at the 2003 Ohio State Relays.
Ukabam scored a career-best 49-7 to win the women’s shot put adding her second regional qualifying mark in the event this season, while also claiming first in the women’s discus with another regional mark of 159-6.
Ukabam, who posted a team and personal-best 169-7 in the hammer at the Arizona State Invitational, joins fellow thrower Dan Taylor and hurdlers Joel Brown and Molly Logan as Big Ten honorees for the 2003 indoor and outdoor seasons.
ASSISTANT COACH GARY COMPETES IN U.S. 8K CHAMPIONSHIP
Ohio State cross country head coach Robert Gary (Ohio State, 1996) finished 11th at the 2003 United States 8K Championships Saturday in New York City’s Central Park.
Running against one of the strongest and deepest fields put together for a USA national championship, Gray clocked 23:09 in wet conditions over the rolling 4.97-mile course. Olympian and pre race favorite Meb Keflezighi missed the course record by two seconds to win in 22:28.
Former Ohio State distance great and Olympian Mark Croghan, Gary’s training partner, finished 17th posting a mark of 23:16.
TAYLOR EARNS USTA ACCOLADES
Dan Taylor was named 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.
FORMER STANDOUT HIGHTOWER TO JOINS U.S. OLYMPIC STAFF
Former Olympian Stephanie Hightower of Columbus, Ohio, has been named to Team USA women’s staff for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Hightower, who ran at Ohio State from 1977-1980 will serve as the squad’s head manager, working with women’s head coach Sue Humphrey.
Hightower currently serves with Women’s USA Track and Field and previously worked as an assistant manager for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and head manager for the 1999 World Championship Team in Seville, Spain.
NEXT UP
Ohio State athletes will compete in a selected “last chance” meet next week as their final opportunity to compete for bids to the NCAA Regional Championships set to be held at OSU’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium May 30 and 31.
