Dan Taylor Earns Multiple Honors after First Full Outdoor Competition – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/30/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
March 30, 2004
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State thrower Dan Taylor, the 2004 NCAA indoor national champion in both the weight throw and shot put events, continued his successful senior season in his first full competition last Friday at the Arizona State Invitational in Tempe, Ariz. Throwing three events in just one day, Taylor topped the field in both the discus and shot put events, while taking third in the hammer with an Ohio State record heave of 222 feet, 5 inches (222-5/69.79m). For his efforts, Taylor was honored Tuesday by both the Big Ten and the United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) as their male athlete of the week for March 29.
Taylor, a native of Middlefield, Ohio, opened the day with his record-setting mark to take third in the hammer behind two unattached competitors as he topped his previous OSU standard of 217-5 set last season. Later, Taylor grabbed first-place honors in both the discus and shot put as he reached 65-8.75 in the shot and 185-0 in the discus. Taylor, the American collegiate record holder in the weight throw, gained the top spot in the country in the shot with his throw Friday. Each of his performances at the ASU Invite earned Taylor a spot in the 2004 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships May 28-29 in Baton Rouge, La.
Ironically, the record-setting measure by Taylor in the hammer is the first event in 20 combined indoor and outdoor throw competitions that Taylor did not place first in the 2004 season.
The Big Ten honor served as Taylor’s 13th in the last two indoor and outdoor seasons. Taylor previously was honored by the USTCA after he broke the American collegiate record in the weight throw Jan. 10.
Taylor and the Buckeyes return to Columbus, Ohio to open the outdoor home season with the Ohio State Relays at 11 a.m. Saturday in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
