110th Annual Penn Relays on Docket for Ohio State – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Fresh off their first scoring event of the season in the 2004 All-Ohio Championships last week, the Ohio State men’s and women’s track and field teams step in as participants in the 2004 Penn Relays on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pa. Thursday-Saturday.
Highlighting the field is 2003 Male Athlete of the Penn Relays, Dan Taylor, who competed separately from the team last week at the Mt. SAC Relays and turned in a runner-up mark in the shot put.
The Buckeyes also will split their squads again this week as members of the distance team not making the trip to Philadelphia will run in the Hillsdale Distance Carnival Friday, in Hillsdale, Mich.
PENN RELAYS EVENT INFORMATION AND RESULTS
Time schedules, results and other event information on the 2004 Penn Relays is available at www.thepennrelays.com.
GOODWIN CLAIMS THIRD OHIO STATE ALL-TIME RECORD IN 2004
Junior jumper Rosalind Goodwin, a 2004 indoor All-American who set Ohio State standards in the long jump and triple jump earlier in March, is at it again in the outdoor season as the Prospect, Ky. native bested the Ohio State record in the long jump last week. Goodwin’s winning leap of 20-11.75 snapped the previous mark that stood for nearly 16 years, which was held by Theresa Diggs at 20-11.25 in May, 1988.
In the indoor season, Goodwin won conference titles in both the long and triple jumps.
TAYLOR SCORES RUNNER-UP IN SHOT PUT AT MT. SAC RELAYS
Dan Taylor traveled to compete separately Sunday at the 2004 Mt. Sac Relays at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif. The 45th annual event was held at SAC’s Hilmer Lodge Stadium, which served as the site for the most prominent meet in the country this weekend. Taylor entered two throw events and placed within the Top 11 in each, including a runner-up mark in the shot put at 65 feet, 5 ? inches (65-5.50/ 19.95m).
As a competitor in the men’s shot put and discus invitational, Taylor was matched against numerous Olympic-level athletes and held his own, falling just shy of Brad Snyder (Nike Canada) and his winning length of 65-7 in the shot. Later, Taylor turned in a solid 174-9 (53.26m) to take 11th in the discus invitational. Carl Brown of Team Nike won the discus with a throw of 210-4.
DISTANCE UNIT IMPRESSES AT MT. SAC RELAYS
The Ohio State men’s distance squad competed separately from the Buckeye track and field team as several runners participated in the 2004 Mt. SAC Relays at Walnut, Calif.
Junior Aaron Fisher led the way for the Buckeyes as he posted a season-best time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing in a time of 8:52.35 to place 16th. Fisher’s mark qualified for the 2004 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships and currently stands as the eighth fastest in the country. Senior Sjaan Gerth competed in the University/Open Steeplechase, placing 17th in a time of 9:15.35.
Fellow senior Rob Myers ran in the men’s 5,000-meter race and clocked a 14:10.88.
Brian Olinger and Matt Penza also saw action Friday night. Olinger competed in the University/Open 5,000-meter run, finishing ninth in a regional qualifying time of 13:56.02, which places as the third best time in Ohio State history. Penza took sixth in the University/Open 10,000-meter run as he posted a time of 29:47.81, a career best and fourth all-time in OSU annals. Senior Jon White also timed a career best in the event with a time of 29:58.62, which serves as sixth-best at OSU.
Rounding out the distance squad was junior Dan Glaz as he finished 16th in the 10,000-meter Invitational race, finishing in a time of 29:23.48, which placed second all-time in Ohio State annals.
LAST WEEK: SEASON BESTS SCORED IN 14 EVENTS AS WOMEN DEFEND 2003 ALL-OHIO TEAM TITLE
In its first team-scoring meet of the season, the women’s team defended its 2003 All-Ohio crown with 158.5 points. The OSU men completed the day with 89.0 points to place fifth behind winner Cincinnati and its 215.50 points.
Junior Rosalind Goodwin proved to be the headliner for the Buckeyes as she established the all-time OSU record in the women’s long jump with a bound of 20 feet, 11 l inches (20-11.75). The 2004 indoor Big Ten champion also claimed top honors in the triple jump with a season mark of 42-8, which stands fourth all-time at Ohio State. Fellow Buckeye junior Shayla Moore added team points with a runner-up 42-6.25 in the triple jump.
The men’s jump events also featured season-bests from senior Nosa Ehimwenman in the long and triple jump with leaps of 23-8 and 48-3.25, respectively.
Following a first-place finish in the hammer by Ohio State junior Keturah Lofton Friday night (194-0), fellow thrower Amarachi Ukabam, a sophomore, claimed the top spot in the women’s discus with a heave of 173-3 and the women’s shot put at 48-8.75.
Senior Molly Logan added 10 team points for Ohio State with her winning time of 13:06 in the women’s 100-meter hurdles. The wind-aided figure served as a qualifying mark for the Mideast regionals for the third-straight week. Freshman Jennifer Ogbuehi added another first-place finish in the women’s 400-meter hurdles in a season-best time of 1:01.00.
Also on the track, Ohio State’s 4×100-meter relay team placed first in a season-best time of 46:03, while freshman Jenna Harris supplied individual points with a runner-up in the 200 meters in a season-best 24.02 and a fifth-place tally in the women’s 100-meter dash at 12.03. Junior spinter Greg Norman posted a wind-aided season-best 10.62 in the 100m, while fellow junior sprinter John Morris also clocked a season-best 48.00 to claim top honors in the men’s 400-meter dash.
Ohio State wrapped up the sprints with a second-place and season-best time of 3:44.43 to place runner-up in the women’s 4×400-meter relay. The men also claimed second in the 4×400 as Morris anchored the unit to another season-best 3:13.02.
Ohio State was helped in the distance events by freshman Melanie Price, who scored a second-place time of 4:38.08 in the women’s 1,500-meter run.
The men’s decathlon also finished Saturday with junior Scott Hudepohl representing Ohio State with 6,222 cumulative points, good for fourth-place and a personal best.
THREE MEMBERS OF OSU 10,000-METER CREW BREAK 30 MINUTES AT MT. SAC RELAYS
A trio of OSU distance runners broke the 30-minute barrier in the men’s 10,000-meter run last Friday at the Mt. SAC Relays. Juniors Dan Glaz and Matt Penza clocked times worthy of Top 5 status in Ohio State annals, while senior Jon White ran a time to qualify as the sixth-best figure in Buckeye history.
Penza took sixth in the University/Open 10,000-meter run as he posted a time of 29:47.81, a career best, while White also timed a career best in the event with a time of 29:58.62.
The top time was recorded by Glaz as he finished 16th in the 10,000-meter Invitational race in a time of 29:23.48, which places second all-time at Ohio State.
BROWN AND GOODWIN SWEEP BIG TEN WEEKLY HONORS FOR APRIL 12
Senior sprinter Joel Brown and junior jumper Rosalind Goodwin each staked claim to Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors Monday after their performances at the 2004 Brutus Hamilton Invitational at the University of California at Berkeley Saturday.
Brown led the OSU sprints squad by topping the field in the 200-meter dash and also contributing a top mark of 13.62 to win the 110m hurdles. In his final event Saturday, Brown anchored the men’s 4×100-meter relay team to a fourth-place and season-best time of 41.52. Both of Brown’s times in the 200m and 110m hurdles rank among the top marks in the Big Ten, while his hurdles time stands fourth nationally.
Goodwin reached season bests in qualifying for the Mideast regionals with a runner-up leap of 42-1.50 in the triple and a third-place bound of 20-0.50 in the long jump. Both of Goodwin’s marks from the Hamilton rank No. 1 in the conference so far in 2004.
The award is the second in 2004 for Goodwin, who claimed the honor once in the indoor campaign, while Brown is a recipient for the third time in his career and first occasion in 2004. In all, Ohio State has won 11 Big Ten weekly awards in 2004, with senior thrower Dan Taylor accounting for seven of those merits. Other Buckeyes to win the award in 2004 are throwers Keturah Lofton and Amarachi Ukabam.
TAYLOR THROWS AT SEA RAY RELAYS, EARNS TOP BILLING IN SHOT
Dan Taylor, a senior thrower on the Ohio State Track and Field team, traveled to compete separately Saturday at the 2004 Sea Relays at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn. Taylor, who did not join the Ohio State team at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational, entered three throw events and placed within the Top 5 in each, including a top mark in the shot put at 65 feet, ? inches (65-0.50). The Sea Ray Relays, held at UT’s Tom Black Track, served as the prominent meet of the weekend as 100 teams were represented in the 38th annual running of the event.
Taylor’s winning measure in the shot put bested the field by more than two feet as he topped runner-up John Kalnas and his heave of 62-8.75. Later, Taylor claimed a runner-up mark of his own in the discus with a throw of 173-2 and finished the event with fifth-place score in the hammer at 218-4. All three lengths qualified Taylor for the 2004 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships in Baton Rouge, La. May 28-29.
This week, Taylor again will throw separate from the team, which plays host to the 2004 All-Ohio Track Championships Friday and Saturday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, as the seven-time All-American heads to the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Mt. San Antonio College.
DISTANCING THEMSELVES: MYERS MOTORS TO SEASON BEST IN MILE, BROWN QUALIFIES IN 800-METER RUN
Senior All-American Rob Myers timed a season-best and regional qualifying 4:03.81 to claim second in the men’s mile at the Brutus Hamilton, while fellow senior Tamecia Brown earned fourth place in the women’s 800-meter run in a time of 2:09.12. T. Brown’s time, the second best in Ohio State history in the event, also served as a season best and met regional standards.
LOFTON TOPS OSU AND BIG TEN RECORD IN THE HAMMER, NAMED OHIO STATE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Junior thrower Keturah Lofton turned in a spectacular day at the Ohio State Relays last Saturday as the former sprinter-turned thrower became the first in Ohio State and Big Ten history to reach 200 feet in the women’s hammer throw.
Lofton measured an exact 200-0 to claim runner-up in the event behind unattached Jackie Jeschelnig of the Ashland Elite, who set a Jesse Owens Stadium venue mark at 225-10.
Lofton’s record, which also served as a NCAA Mideast regional qualifier, snapped the previous Ohio State and conference standard held by former Buckeye Katy Craig, who reached 199-3 in the 2002 season.
Later in the day, Lofton posted another runner-up mark in the shot put (45-9.25) and a third-place finish in the discus (158-3).
For her efforts, Lofton was named Ohio State Female Athlete of the Week honor.
HARRIS CONTINUES TO ROLL IN FIRST SEASON
Freshman Jenna Harris has established herself as perhaps the squad’s top sprinter on the women’s side as she posted top times for OSU in the 60m dash and the 200m dash in each of the last five indoor meets, including Top 5 marks at the Big Ten championships, to close the season.
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.
So far in the outdoor portion of the schedule, Harris has proven to be the top performer for OSU in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, posting team-leading times of 12.10 and 24.45, respectively, at the ASU Invite March 26.
Recently, Harris has concentrated on the 200-meter event and claimed second at the Ohio State Relays in a time of 25.01 and third at the Brutus Hamilton Invite at 24.68.
TAYLOR SNAPS OWN OSU HAMMER STANDARD, WIN STREAK SNAPPED
With his win in the discus at the Baldy Castillo Classic in the first week of the outdoor season, Ohio State senior Dan Taylor extended his win streak 18 straight throw events in the 2004 season. During the indoor season, Taylor won all 17 throw competitions in the shot put and weight en route to Big Ten and NCAA crowns in both events.
Ironically, Taylor’s streak was snapped at the Arizona State Invite last week, when he finished third in the hammer throw with an Ohio State record-setting measure of 222 feet, 5 inches (222-5). The effort topped his old mark of 217-5 set last season.
Taylor rebounded to post top marks in the discus and shot put, hitting a 185-0 in the disc and extending past 65 feet in the shot all in the same day of action.
TAYLOR HONORED BY USTCA AND BIG TEN AFTER ASU INVITE PERFORMANCE
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 by both the Big Ten and the United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) as each organization’s male athlete of the week for March 29.
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.
HE MAKES ‘EM, HE BREAKS ‘EM
Throughout his career, Taylor has set numerous Ohio State program and venue standards en route to claiming all-time honors in the indoor weight and outdoor hammer and discus, while also establishing French Field House and Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium marks in the weight, hammer and discus as well.
Taylor eclipsed his own American collegiate record in the weight three times in the indoor season and most recently bested his 2003 mark in the hammer with an OSU record 222-5 at the ASU Invite March 26.
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, was forced to pull out of the 2004 United States Men’s 8-Kilometer Championships Saturday at Central Park in New York City because of illness. Gary, who took 11th at the event in 2003, was set to use the race as part of his training for a run at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
In March, 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.
Gary qualified for the world championships at the 2004 United States Cross Country Championships in Indianapolis, Ind., where he highlighted the field 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 his spot on the world cross country team.
Former Buckeye Ian Connor (1996-99), who completed his OSU career two years ago, 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.
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 heats 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.
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 SETS AMERICAN COLLEGIATE WEIGHT MARK THREE TIMES 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.
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.
WHAT’S AHEAD
Ohio State returns to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium for its marquee home event of the season as it honors former OSU and Olympic legend Jesse Owens in the 19th annual Jesse Owens Track Classic. The event is slated to begin Friday, April 30 and continue through Saturday, May 1.
