19th Annual Jesse Owens Track and Field Classic – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
April 27, 2004
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 2004 Jesse Owens Track and Field Classic highlights the Ohio State athletics schedule this weekend as the Buckeyes welcome an outstanding collegiate and invitational field, including Team USA sprint and relay competitors, to the 19th annual running of the event. Also this season, nearly 90 high school teams are set to compete Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
The meet, to be held at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, is slated to begin at 4 p.m. Friday and carry through Saturday evening. Saturday features the high school field and begins at 10:30 a.m. The collegiate and open portion of the classic gets underway at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, with running events set for approximately 5:30 p.m.
2004 JESSE OWENS TRACK CLASSIC
Friday, April 30 – 4 p.m. and Saturday, May 1 – 10:30 a.m. high school/ 3:30 p.m. college and open at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Competing teams: Ashland, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central State, E. Michigan, Kentucky, Kentucky State, Louisville, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), N.C. State, Ohio Wesleyan, Penn State, Southern Illinois, Tiffin, Toronto, Windsor.
RESULTS
Live results may be viewed at www.deltatiming.com .
TAYLOR EARNS BACK-TO-BACK ATHLETE OF THE PENN RELAYS HONORS
Dan Taylor defended his 2003 titles in both the hammer throw and shot put championships of America events last weekend at the 2004 Penn Relay Carnival in Philadelphia, Pa. The victories helped Taylor claim outstanding male athlete of the event honors for the second consecutive season. The reigning NCAA champion in the indoor weight throw and shot put became the first to win both the hammer and shot put events in back-to-back seasons in the 110-year history of the carnival. Taylor, a product of Berkshire High School and native of Middlefield, Ohio, heaved a throw of 66 feet, 7 l inches (66-7.75) to repeat as shot put champion Friday. After placing third in the discus at 176-10 to complete action Friday, Taylor succeeded in defending his hammer crown with a hoist of 221-2 in his final attempt of the competition Saturday afternoon.
Taylor is the first to repeat as male athlete of the meet since TCU sprinter Kim Collins accomplished the feat at the 2000 and 2001 carnivals. In 2003, Taylor claimed the hammer and shot titles with marks of 209-8 and 65-0.50, respectively, to gain his first athlete of the meet honor.
BROWN HURDLES WAY TO PENN RELAYS TITLE, SETS SEASON BEST
Joel Brown, an All-American in 2003, clocked a 13.60 to win the championships of America 110-meter hurdles at the 2004 Penn Relays Saturday. The 13.60 in the hurdles served as a season best for Brown, who fell just .02 shy of his Ohio State record of 13.58 in the event. Brown finished fourth at the Penn Relays last season, clocking a 13.76.
GOODWIN LEAPS INTO TOP 5 IN LONG AND TRIPLE JUMPS AT PENN RELAYS
After setting the Ohio State outdoor record in the long jump at 20-11.75 April 17 at the Ohio State Relays, junior jumper Rosalind Goodwin carried that momentum into the 2004 Penn Relays with Top 5 finishes in both the long and triple jump championships of America events.
Goodwin used a leap of 19-8.25 to take fourth in the long jump, while a bound of 41-10 also qualified for a fourth-place finish in the triple jump.
TAYLOR CLAIMS BIG TEN ATHLETE OF THE WEEK AWARD No. 7 IN 2004
Taylor was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week Tuesday for the seventh time in 2004 after becoming the first athlete to defend both is hammer and shot put titles at the Penn Relays this weekend.
The award is Taylor’s second so far in the outdoor season and seventh overall in 2004. He claimed conference athlete of the week five times during the indoor season, with awards coming Jan. 13, 20 and 27 and Feb. 18 and 24. Outdoors, Taylor previously won the honor March 29. The seven weekly accolades match his total from the 2003 indoor and outdoor seasons. Overall, Taylor has won the honor 16 times in his career.
PUTTING THE RELAYS IN PENN RELAYS, OSU UNITS SCORE TOP TIMES
Ohio State was well-represented in numerous relay events at the Penn Carnival. In the 4x400m college event, Joel Brown combined with junior John Morris and freshmen James Baisden and Gerald Griffin to land fifth place in a season-best time of 3:12.02.
In the championships of America events, the men accounted for a pair of seventh-place times. In the 4×800-meter championships of America event, senior Rob Myers and juniors Brian Olinger, Aaron Fisher and Jacob McCauley combined to clock a time of 16:38.95 in the 4x800m. On Thursday, Fisher, McCauley, Myers and Morris, who timed a season-best 47.50 in the 400-meter leg, combined to time a 9:48.95 in the medley.
Day two also featured the Ohio State men’s sprint relays squads as the 4×100-meter relay team narrowly missed their season-best mark of 41.52 set last week at the All-Ohio Championships, failing to advance to the finals with a 41.65 in the preliminary heats.
LAST WEEK: SELECT RUNNERS COMPETE AT HILLSDALE CARNIVAL
Nicole Spicer led the women’s effort at the 2004 Hillsdale Distance Carnival in Hillsdale, Mich. Friday night with a Top 10 performance in the 5,000-meter run. In her first time running the 5,000 meters in an official event, Spicer claimed sixth place in a time of 17:06, which bested the previous Ohio State season mark by more than two minutes.
Spicer’s time fell just 10 seconds shy of the NCAA Mideast regional championships standard of 16:56. Fellow distance runners Chelsea Poling and Sarah Cass also competed in the 5,000-meter event and finished in the Top 30. Poling timed an 18:07, while Cass crossed the finish line at 18:20.
The men also were represented at the Hillsdale Carnival as senior Sjaan Gerth claimed runner-up in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a time of 9:06.16, while junior Kevin Bruffy followed in fifth at 9:17.90. In the 10,000-meter run, senior Jon White and juniors Matt Penza and Dan Glaz all placed within the Top 25.
2003 JESSE OWENS TRACK AND FIELD CLASSIC REVISITED
The 18th running of the Jesse Owens Track Classic featured 35 schools, including Southeastern Conference powers Tennessee, Alabama and Vanderbilt, and several top club teams, such as Team USA and Nike. A number of Buckeyes posted outstanding efforts as thrower Dan Taylor established his second Ohio State program record of the event.
Taylor again headlined the event as he scored his second Ohio State record in as many days with a 67-0.75 effort to win the men’s shot put. Taylor’s mark eclipsed his own Jesse Owens Stadium standard of 65-6.25 set three weeks ago at the All-Ohio Championships. Later in the day, Taylor completed the Saturday sweep with a 177-7 winning performance in the discus. Friday, Taylor scored an Ohio State record-setting effort in the hammer throw with a 211-4 to take second.
The Ohio State 4×100-meter relay squad kicked off the evening’s races claiming first place in a spectacular men’s event as anchor Joel Brown edged Central Michigan’s Dana Thomas by just .02 in a photo finish. Brown carried the Ohio State momentum into the 110-meter hurdles as he scored another photo finish with a 13.98 leaning past Ricardo Melbourne of Central State. Fellow senior Molly Logan also took first in the 100-meter hurdles as she scored a first place 13.42.
In the jump events, Tami Smith scored second place in the women’s high jump (5-7), while Billy Mills took second on the men’s side(6-7.50).
Ohio State took the top two spots in the women’s discus as Krista Keir edged Amarachi Ukabam with a 168-0, while Ukabam heaved a 167-2.
Setting records on the final day of competition were Penn State sprinter Consuella Moore, who won the women’s 200-meter dash with a wind-aided (4.6) 23.29. Also in the men’s 200 meters, LeShaunte Edwards established a Jesse Owens Stadium record with a 20.71.
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.
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).
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. 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. Junior Dan Glaz finished 16th in the 10,000-meter Invitational in a time of 29:23.48, which placed second all-time in Ohio State annals.
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.
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. .
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.
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.
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, 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.
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), tossed a mark of 77-7.50 to top runner-up Keith McBride of Purdue (71-2.75) 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.
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 heads north to the University of Akron to close out the 2004 regular season at the Campbell/Wright Invitational Saturday, May 8.
