Ohio State Thrower Dan Taylor Named Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Jan. 13, 2004
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State five-time All-American Dan Taylor (Sr., Middlefield, Ohio/ Berkshire) kicked off the 2004 indoor track and field campaign in grand fashion Saturday in the season-opening Buckeye Invitational in French Field House. The reigning Big Ten indoor and outdoor athlete of the year established an American collegiate record in the weight throw with a heave of 76-2.25 (23.22 meters), surpassing the previous mark of 74-8.5 held by Kevin Mannon of Wyoming. For his efforts, Taylor was named the first male indoor athlete of the week by the Big Ten in the 2004 season.
Taylor’s performance eclipsed his previous Big Ten and Ohio State weight throw records set March 3, 2003 at 22.35 meters, while falling shy of the NCAA record 24.02-meter mark set by Libor Charfreitag – a native of Slovakia – of SMU March 9, 2001.
Taylor also scored a first-place standing in the shot put with a throw of 66-6.5. His combined efforts in the weight throw and shot put Saturday set the all-time best performance in the two events in the history of indoor track and field. Taylor, whose career-best in the shot put is 69-11, now holds the all-time combined career record between the two events.
The Middlefield, Ohio native won seven weekly conference honors last season, including the final outdoor athlete of the week award May 12, 2003. Over the last two seasons Taylor has earned Big Ten athlete of the week honors on eight separate occasions.
