Men’s Distance Area Excels at Big Ten Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
May 20, 2003
Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio State distance squad outscored all other Big Ten programs in the 1,500-meter and longer events. Derrick Butler’s surprise 10,000m win on the first night of championships set the stage for his training mates over the next two days.
The following day’s steeplechase event Aaron Fisher and Sjaan Gerth set a fast tempo that immediately thinned out the field. Fisher, in his first year in the event led with 500m to go when the defending champion finally passed him to take second for the Buckeyes, while Gerth, having placed third at the 2002 Championships, used a very strong kick to finish fourth. Fisher’s time of 8:48 moves him to the 15th fastest time in the country.
Earlier that day, All-American Rob Myers finished 2nd in his 1,500m heat with a regional qualifying mark of 3:48. An advancement made all the more impressive by the fact that it was only Myers’ second race of the season due to injury.
“Derrick’s race was unbelievable and I am so proud of him,” Coach Robert Gary commented. “He has been one of the most consistent performers in the Big Ten meet. As a walk-on, Derrick scored every year in the 10,000m – I would guess there have not been more than two or three others to accomplish that in the history of the conference. Rob’s race was very much in control.
On the steeplechasers finish, Gary commented, “Fisher and Gerth really got the race going. We talked for the last couple weeks about making sure it was a strong pace. Sjaan paid for having led most of the first half of the race, but finished very strong. Being only Aaron Fisher’s third steeple ever, 8:48 is faster than Mark Croghan (3-time Olympian, O.S.U. Alum) or I (1996 Oiympian, O.S.U. Alum) ran that early in our collegiate careers”.
The final day began with a 6th place showing in the 1500m for Rob Myers. Being a little short on fitness and having won the title a number of times, Myers was definitely disappointed.
But Gary was quick to point out, “It was the first Big 10 meet that Rob did not finish in the top 3. He is simply a little short on fitness and I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks leading up to the Regionals, NCAA’s, and the U.S. Championships.”
The last event for the distance crew was the 5,000m. Once again, Derrick Butler assumed his place up in the top 6 in the race with Aaron Fisher keeping pace during the early stages. As the race wore on, the Buckeye duo worked their way up the front and with 300m to go, Aaron Fisher launched a kick that would put him clear of the field all the way to the finish. It was the freshman’s first Big Ten title and it was the first time he had ever run the event. Derrick Butler capped his Big Ten career with a fourth place finish. Butler scored in two distance events indoors and two distance events outdoors – he was the only runner in the conference to do so this year.
“As an area, the guys take a lot of pride in going up against the rest of the conference,” Gary reflected. “After the team’s 2nd place finish in cross country, the program feels like it should duplicate the performance on the track. I thought they all did a great job and they have set a high standard of performance for the incoming freshman to work towards.”
