Ohio State Remains in Tempe for Arizona State Invite – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
March 24, 2004
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s and women’s track and field teams opened the 2004 outdoor season with a trip to Tempe, Ariz. for the second consecutive season. The Buckeyes, who competed in the Baldy Castillo Invite last week, remain on the campus of Arizona State University for the 2004 ASU Invite.
The Buckeyes will limit competition to one day at the ASU Invite as the field events for the meet are set for a 10 a.m. start, while the running events will begin at 6 p.m.
TAYLOR’S STREAK CARRIES INTO THE OUTDOOR OPENER
The 2004 NCAA champion in the indoor shot put and weight throw, OSU senior Dan Taylor, extended his 2004 win streak in the throw events to 18 with a first-place measure of 183-7 Saturday at the Baldy Castillo Invite. Taylor, the Ohio State record holder in both the discus and hammer, won all 17 throw events between the shot and weight during the indoor season. Taylor’s mark served as a Mideast regional qualifier.
BROWN CLOCKS REGIONAL QUALIFIER IN WOMEN’S 800M
Ohio State senior mid-distance runner Tamecia Brown turned in a 2:09.21 to take second place in the women’s 800-meter run Saturday at the Baldy Castillo. Her time, which served as a Mideast regional qualifier, is the second best figure in Ohio State history in the women’s 800m. Former Buckeye Carrie Hoblet, who scored a 2:07.43 in 1999.
LAST WEEK: BUCKEYES OPEN OUTDOOR YEAR
Day two competition at the Baldy Castillo Invite was led by Ohio State senior Dan Taylor as he finished first in the discus with a throw of 183 feet, 7 inches (183-7), continuing his streak of first-place finishes, which dates back to the start of the 2004 indoor season. Taylor’s mark in the event qualified him for the 2004 Mideast Regional Championships.
Senior distance runner Tamecia Brown also qualified for the 2004 Regional Championships with her second-place finish in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:09.21. Brown’s time in the event ranks as the second best time in school history.
Also posting a strong performance for the Buckeyes was senior Seth McCarter as he placed third in the pole vault with a jump of 15-7.
In day one, competition was led by a first-place effort by 2002 All-American thrower Alexis McCall, who bested the field in the women’s shot put with a heave that reached 44 feet, 9 l inches (44-9.75). Fellow thrower Katy Houser also posted a Top 10 finish with a seventh-place performance in the women’s hammer. Houser recorded a 163-7.
Also turning in a strong effort on the women’s side was senior pole vaulter Becky Heintz, who took third at a height of 11-3.75.
OSU ASSISTANT GARY CONTINUES PREP FOR 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES
Robert Gary, head coach of the men’s cross country team and track and field assistant coach at Ohio State, will run at the 2004 United States Men’s 8-Kilometer Championships Saturday at Central Park in New York City. Gary, who took 11th at the event in 2003, will use the race as part of his training for a run at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Last week, Gary turned in the top time on the U.S. team at the 2004 Cross Country World Championships in Brussels, Belgium in the men’s short race, placing 33rd in a time of 12:12.
In all, the expected field of approximately 40 athletes includes seven past Olympians and 28 men who have broken 14 minutes in 5,000 meters in their careers. Gary, who competed at Ohio State from 1992-1995, was an Olympian in 1996 in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.
OHIO STATE’S TAYLOR FIRST TO ACCOMPLISH INDOOR THROWS SWEEP IN NCAA HISTORY
Ohio State senior thrower Dan Taylor completed the sweep of the throw events at the 2004 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. with a first-place measure in the weight throw Saturday afternoon. Taylor, who holds the American collegiate record in the weight at 78 feet, 9 L inches (78-9.25/24.01m), tossed a mark of 77-7.50 (23.66m) to top runner-up Keith McBride of Purdue (71-2.75/ 21.71m) by more than 6 feet.
Friday at the event, which was held at the University of Arkansas’ Randall Tyson Indoor Track Center, Taylor bested the field in the shot put to claim Ohio State’s first NCAA indoor title since 2001. With the wins, Taylor becomes the first student-athlete to win both competitions at the national indoor meet in NCAA history.
Taylor, a native of Middlefield, Ohio, won the shot put Friday, recording a throw of 66-7.25 (20.30m) in his fifth and final attempt.
The two-time defending Big Ten champion in both throw events was the national runner-up in the shot put and the third-place finisher the weight at the 2003 NCAA Indoor Championships.
THREE BUCKEYE WOMEN EARN ALL-AMERICA HONORS AT INDOOR NCAA’S
Taylor was not the only Buckeye to gain All-American status in multiple events at the national meet as sophomore thrower Amarachi Ukabam tallied a ninth-place standing the shot put with a personal-best 54-11.25 and a 11th-place effort in the weight with a measure of 63-11.50, which fell directly behind teammate and fellow All-America honoree in the weight, Keturah Lofton, who reached 65-11.
The fourth Buckeye to merit All-American was junior jumper Rosalind Goodwin, who posted 12th-place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 42-0.50. Goodwin also competed in the long jump, where she added another 12th-place finish, falling just shy of All-American distance at 19-8.
TAYLOR JOINS ELITE OSU GROUP WITH MULTIPLE INDOOR NATIONAL TITLES
The first-place finishes in both events also qualify Taylor as the first Buckeye to capture multiple NCAA indoor crowns in the same season since former Buckeye Donald Bennett claimed the national titles in the 100-yard and 220-yard dash events in 1932. Taylor joins Bennett, George Simpson, who won the 100-yard and 220-yard dashes in 1928, and Chris Nelloms, the winner of the 200-meter dash at the 1993 and 1994 national meets, as the only Buckeyes to win two NCAA indoor titles in a career. Former Ohio State great Jesse Owens won multiple national titles in the 1935 and 1936 outdoor seasons, but did not win a national championship indoors.
MYERS RUNS AT 2004 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HUNGARY
Ohio State senior Rob Myers, who exhausted his eligibility in the 2004 indoor season and will return in the outdoor season, competed in the 2004 World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Budapest, Hungary. During the event, Myers placed seventh in preliminaries of the men’s 1,500-meter run, finishing in a time of 3:43.73.
The Rushville, Ohio native qualified for the world event while competing at the 2004 United States Indoor Track and Field Championships, as he posted a time of 3:40.80 to finish first in the in the 1,500-meter run.
TAYLOR COMPLETES 2004 INDOOR SEASON UNBEATEN IN THROWS
Taylor proved perfect in the 2004 indoor season as he placed first in each of the 17 combined weight and shot put competitions, including both regular and post season events.
The perfect performances were highlighted by repeat Big Ten championships in each event, while the senior also became the first student-athlete in NCAA history to be crowned national champion in both events at the 2004 NCAA meet.
BUCKEYES WELCOME BACK QUARTET OF NATIONAL QUALIFIERS
A trio of Buckeye seniors sat out the indoor campaign and are set to return as eligible competitors in the outdoor season. Former All-Americans Rob Myers and Joel Brown are joined by two-time national qualifier Molly Logan as each will seek to bolster the Buckeye team effort in the outdoor season.
Each senior tuned up for their return to the Buckeye roster as unattached competitors in the indoor season.
Myers clocked the third-best time run by an American this season in the men’s mile with a time of 4:00.17, Feb. 6 at the Indiana Invitational to win the event as an unattached competitor and competed at the U.S. World Championships, where he clocked a qualifying time for the 2004 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Two fellow seniors who also had used their eligibility in indoor season competed well in the hurdles events as unattached competitors. OSU seniors Joel Brown, an All-American in both the indoor and outdoor sessions in 2003, and Molly Logan have turned in top times in the men’s and women’s 60-meter hurdles in preparation for their return to the Buckeye squad in the outdoor season.
Brown clocked a 7.81 to claim second at the Indiana Invitational, while Logan topped the field in the same event on the women’s side with a time of 8.30. Logan also clocked an 8.30 to win the event at the Ohio State Invite Jan. 31. Brown claimed first at the OSU Invite in a time of 7.92 and added a 7.64 in the 55-meter hurdles in the indoor opener to win first place at the Buckeye Invite Jan. 10.
In addition to Brown, Logan and Myers, Ohio State welcomes back two-time Big Ten javelin champion George Hoover in the outdoor campaign. Hoover, a senior who holds the OSU record in the event, qualified for the NCAA Mideast regionals last season.
TAYLOR REPEATS AS BIG TEN WEIGHT AND SHOT PUT CHAMPION
Ohio State senior Dan Taylor succeeded in defending his 2003 indoor weight and shot put titles at the 2004 conference meet as he posted a Michigan track record-setting heave of 66 feet, 11 L inches (66-11.25/ 20.40m) in the shot in day one. He then scored his second conference weight throw title in the last two seasons as he snapped the Michigan Indoor Track Building venue mark and his own Big Ten championship meet standard with a winning 75-8.25 (23.07m) measure.
Taylor is the first Buckeye to repeat as Big Ten champion in two events since Aaron Payne did so in 1990 and 1991 in the 55-meter and 200-meter dash events.
GOODWIN TALLIES SWEEP OF BIG TEN LONG JUMP AND TRIPLE JUMP
Junior jumper Rosalind Goodwin, who set Ohio State and Iowa venue records to win the long jump Saturday at 20-9, also bested her own OSU standard and Hawkeye venue record to win the triple jump with a leap of 43-6.50 (13.27m). Goodwin, who hails from Louisville, Ky., has established an Ohio State record in either the long or triple jumps in five consecutive events.
Goodwin is the first Buckeye to sweep the indoor long and triple jumps. She is the first to win the triple jump since Shandi Boyd-Pleasant in 1997 and the first in the long jump since Theresa Diggs in 1987.
LOFTON WINS WEIGHT TITLE, UKABAM SCORES RUNNER-UP IN WEIGHT AND SHOT PUT AT CONFERENCE MEET
Keturah Lofton was responsible for setting an Iowa track record with her winning mark of 65-7.75 in the weight throw as Buckeyes staked the Top 3 spots in event. Sophomore Amarachi Ukabam, who claimed runner-up in the shot put Saturday, took second behind Lofton with a 63-5 (19.33m) as she staked to all-conference honors in both the weight and shot put.
Lofton earned All-Big Ten honors for the second time in her career. Ukabam, the reigning outdoor female freshman of the year in the league, added her first indoor all-conference honor.
Former Buckeye Katy Craig was the last to win the women’s weight at the indoor Big Ten meet in 2002.
U.S. COACHES ASSOC. NAMES TAYLOR GREAT LAKES MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Taylor was named Great Lakes Regional Male Athlete of the Year by the United States Track and Field Coaches Association Tuesday. The native of Middlefield, Ohio established the American collegiate record in the weight throw on three separate occasions this season, including his current standard of 78 feet, 9 L inches (78-9.25/ 24.01m) set at the regular season-ending Scarlet and Gray Invitational Feb. 21. The five-time All-American followed that effort at the Big Ten championships, where he successfully defended his 2003 conference titles in both the weight and shot put with heaves of 75-8.25 and 66-11.25, respectively.
BUCKEYES BOAST SEVEN ALL-BIG TEN INDOOR HONOREES
For their first and second-place efforts at the 2004 Big Ten Indoor Championships, Goodwin, Lofton, Taylor and Ukabam all received all-conference honors. Freshman Jessica Stringer added a secon-place effort in the women’s high jump as well.
TAYLOR SETS AMERICAN COLLEGIATE WEIGHT MARK FOR THIRD TIME IN ’04
Dan Taylor eclipsed his own American collegiate record in the weight throw for the second time in three weeks Saturday at the Scarlet and Gray Invite in French Field House. The senior posted a winning mark of 78 feet, 9 1/4 inches (78-9.25/24.01 meters) as he narrowly missed setting a NCAA record in the event by a mere centimeter. Taylor fell shy of the NCAA mark of 24.02 meters set by Leibor Charfreitag of Southern Methodist at the 2001 NCAA Championships.
The 78-9.25 defeated his previous standard of 76-3, which he set at the Indiana Invite.
Taylor initially set the American collegiate record figure of 76-2.25 Jan. 10.
GOODWIN LEAPS PAST OSU RECORDS
Ohio State junior long jumper Rosalind Goodwin won her sixth straight long jump competition Feb. 28 at the Big Ten meet. In doing so, Goodwin posted a provisional qualifier in the event for the fourth week in a row and bested her previous Ohio State record of 20-6.50 with a 20-9 leap to score 10 first-place points for the Buckeyes.
Goodwin, who has turned in NCAA provisional qualifying performances in each of the last three triple jump competitions, set OSU and French Field House records with her winning effort of 43-3 at the Scarlet and Gray Invite. She followed that with a leap of 43-6.50 to win the conference title at the Big Ten meet Feb. 29.
Tamecia Brown SNAPS OSU RECORD IN THE 800 METERS
At the 2004 Sykes/Sabock Challenge Feb. 14, Ohio State senior Tamecia Brown clocked a school record time of 2:10.51 in the 800-meter run. Brown bested that mark at the Alex Wilson Last Chance meet at Notre Dame March 6 with a 2:08.87.
The previous record of 2:10.98 was held by Mandy Osmond in 2000.
TAYLOR AND LOFTON DEEMED BIG TEN ATHLETES OF THE WEEK, TAYLOR HONORED BY TRACKSHARK.COM
Ohio State laid claim to both the men’s and women’s side of the Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor for the third time this season as throwers Dan Taylor and Keturah Lofton received the honor Feb. 24. The weekly award is the fifth this season for Taylor and the second in the last two weeks as the senior shattered his own American collegiate record in the weight throw at the Scarlet and Gray Invitational Saturday at Ohio State’s French Field House. Lofton also won the weight with a career best 67-4.
Taylor eclipsed his own American collegiate record in the weight for the second time in the last three weeks as he narrowly missed setting a NCAA record in the event by a mere centimeter. Taylor fell shy of the NCAA mark of 24.02 meters set by Leibor Charfreitag of Southern Methodist at the 2001 NCAA Championships.
The five-time All-American and defending Big Ten champion in both the indoor shot put and weight throw opened the day with a season-best 67-1.25 to win the shot put competition. The Middlefield, Ohio product has placed first in each of the 14 throw events this season as he heads to the Big Ten indoor championships Saturday and Sunday at Ann Arbor. Mich.
For Lofton, the honor served as the first of her career and the second by an Ohio State thrower this season. Fellow Buckeye Amarachi Ukabam won the accolade after a pair of first-place marks at the OSU Tri-meet. Lofton captured the weekly honor with a career-best 67-4 to win the weight, while also taking third in the shot put behind Ukabam with a 48-1.75. Lofton, whose throw automatically qualified her for the 2004 NCAA Championships March 12-13 in Fayetteville, Ark., shared the women’s award with fellow thrower Sarah Adelaine of Michigan.
In addition to Taylor’s Big Ten honor, his 12th in the last two seasons, he also was recognized by trackshark.com for his efforts as the internet publication named him athlete of the Week.
MOVIN’ ON UP: ALL-TIME PERFORMANCE CHARTS
In addition to the Ohio State records set in the women’s pole vault, 800-meter run, triple jump and long jump and the men’s weight throw this season, numerous Buckeyes have etched their names into the OSU all-time performance lists.
Goodwin heads the field as she has moved into the No. 1 position in both the triple jump (43-6.50) in addition to her top mark in the long jump (20-9), while Tamecia Brown now owns the school title in the 800m at 2:08.87.
Throwers Lofton and Ukabam moved into the Top 3 in both the weight and shot put this season. Ukabam recorded a 52-9.25 in the shot put and a 65-10.50 in the weight earlier this season, while Lofton boasts the third best score in the weight at 67-4.
Senior Lyndsi Gay clocked the third-fastest time in OSU history in the 5,000 meters at the Indiana Invite.
Pole vaulter Becky Heintz claimed the top spot in the women’s annals as she became the first Buckeye woman to eclipse 12 feet. Fellow vaulter Robyn Mroz staked the No. 2 spot with a mark just shy of 12 feet. On the men’s side, senior Seth MacCarter owns the third best all-time at 16-8.75.
Ukabam and Lofton have claimed the second best spots in OSU history in the weight and shot. Ukabam owns the No. 2 spot in the shot at 54-11.25, while Lofton’s heave of 67-4 at the Buckeye Invite serves as No. 2 in the weight.
ASST. COACH GARY PLACES THIRD AT U.S. CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Ohio State men’s cross country coach Robert Gary, competed in the 2004 United States Cross Country Championships in Indianapolis, Ind. The two-day event served as a qualifier for 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, March 20 in Brussels, Belgium.
The Top 6 finishers in the Open and Junior races were eligible to compete in the event.
Gary (1993-96) highlighted the event as he placed third in the men’s open 4-kilometer and second in the 12-kilometer divisions, posting times of 11:15 and 35:07, respectively, to earn a spot on the world cross country team. Gary will compete in the 4-kilometer run at the World Cross Country Championships.
Connor (1996-99), who completed his Buckeye career two years ago, still trains with the team and placed sixth in a time of 11:22 in the men’s open 4-kilometer event to earn a spot on world cross country squad.
TAYLOR AND UKABAM SCORE BACK-TO-BACK BIG TEN ATHLETES OF THE WEEK JAN. 20 AND 27
Ohio State throwers Dan Taylor and Amarachi Ukabam not only have dominated their competition in the throw events this season, winning 14 of the 16 throw competitions, but the tandem has nearly owned the Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors in 2004 before recipients from other Big Ten institutions claimed the honors Feb. 3.
Taylor garnered his third award in as many weeks Jan. 27 after first-place performances in both the shot put (65-0.75) and weight throw (73-9.75) at the Indiana-Purdue-Ohio State Tri-Meet with NCAA indoor championship automatic qualifying marks in both events.
Ukabam scored her second honor in as many weeks with first placers in the weight and shot put as well. Ukabam’s mark in the weight (65-10.50) served as an automatic national qualifier, while her effort in the shot put (52-8.25) provisionally qualified for the NCAA’s.
Taylor’s weekly honor is his 10th in the last two seasons. The award is the third won by Ukabam in her career.
TAYLOR COMPLETES FRENCH FIELD HOUSE CAREER WITH WIN STREAK IN 11 STRAIGHT EVENTS AND 13-OF-14
With his victories in each of the weight throw and shot put competitions at the Buckeye Invite, the IU-PU-OSU Tri-meet, the Ohio State Invite and the Scarlet and Gray Invite, Taylor claimed his 11th straight crown and 13th in 14 total events at French Field House spanning the past two seasons.
Additionally, Taylor, who scored first place in 12 of 14 indoor throw events last season prior to the NCAA Championships, now has claimed top honors in 26 of the last 28 regular season throw events since the beginning of the 2003 season.
BUCKEYE MEN RANKED No. 11 BY TRACKWIRE.COM
The Ohio State men’s team was recognized as the No. 11 team in the country by the March 9 Trackwire.com poll. The Buckeyes are one of six Big Ten squads in the Top 25 as Michigan is rated the highest at No. 5, with Minnesota ranked in eighth. Arkansas held the No. 1 slot on March 9.
TAYLOR SETS AMERICAN COLLEGIATE RECORD TO OPEN 2004 SEASON
Five-time All-American Dan Taylor kicked off the 2004 season in grand fashion as 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.
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 DEEMED USATF MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – JAN. 12
Taylor was named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after setting an American collegiate record in the weight throw Saturday at the Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio.
Taylor also was named USATF athlete of the week March 16, 2003 after claiming Top 3 marks in both the weight and shot put at the 2003 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
TAYLOR AND UKABAM REPRESENT U.S. AT PAN AM GAMES
Throwers Dan Taylor, a senior, and sophomore Amarchi Ukabam celebrated their Big Ten championship seasons last year as selections to the 2004 United States Pan American Games members.
Taylor competed in the senior games in the Dominican Republic, while Ukabam scored a junior championship in the discus in Barbados.
OSU’S WARNER NAMED TO U.S. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS STAFF
Jack Warner, Ohio State track and field assistant coach, was officially named to the 2005 United States World Championships coaching staff in December. Warner will serve as the sprints and hurdles coach at the event held in Helsinki, Finland. Dates for the championships are to be announced in the future.
HARRIS CONTINUES TO ROLL IN FIRST SEASON
Freshman Jenna Harris has established herself as the squad’s top sprinter on the women’s side as she has posted top times for OSU in the 60m dash and the 200m dash in each of the last five meets, including Top 5 marks at the Big Ten championships.
During the UK Invite, Harris posted times of 7.51 and 24.51 to win and added first-place times in both the IU-PU-OSU Tri-Meet and the Ohio State Invite.
Most recently, Harris posted season-bests in the 60m and 200m as she timed a 7.48 in the 60m at the Sykes/Sabock Challenge and a 24.18 in the 200m and winner in the 60m at the Scarlet and Gray Invite last week.
HEINTZ BECOMES FIRST BUCKEYE WOMAN TO CLEAR 12 FEET IN POLE VAULT
Senior Becky Heintz and sophomore Robyn Mroz each posted the top mark in the pole vault event at the OSU Invitational Jan. 31 with an Ohio State all-time height of 11-11.75.
The mark stood for just one week as Heintz became the first Buckeye to clear 12-feet in the women’s pole vault, setting a record with a height of 12-1.50 to place second at the Indiana Invite.
Heintz and Mroz snapped the previous mark held by Mroz, who cleared 11-8 Feb. 14, 2003.
Ironically, both Heintz and Mroz share the outdoor pole vault standard at Ohio State as well at the same height of 11-11.75.
WHAT’S AHEAD
The Buckeyes head back to Columbus for the 2004 home season opener – The Ohio State Relays – at 10 a.m. April 3.
