Buckeyes Through Second Day of NCAA Track and Field Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
June 10, 2004
Results
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Six members of the Ohio State track and field team began competition at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships Thursday in Austin, Texas. A full slate of preliminary flights and heats were on the schedule Thursday after weather suspended action Wednesday at the University of Texas and its Mike A. Myers Stadium. Several Buckeyes turned solid performances to advance to the finals of their respective events. Team scores and complete results will be available at www.texassports.com.
The Ohio State distance team had three representatives run in two events Thursday as senior Rob Myers (Rushville, Ohio/ Fairfield Union) clocked the second-best preliminary time in the men’s 1,500-meter run at 3:46.58, falling just behind the top time of 3:46.39 turned in by Arkansas’ Chris Mulvaney. The second distance event feature the junior tandem of Aaron Fisher (Indianapolis, Ind./ Franklin) and Brian Olinger (Fresno, Ohio/ Ridgewood) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Fisher, the No. 1 ranked steepler in the country (8:37.33) heading into the NCAA meet, moved on to the finals Saturday in a time of 8:46.99, the best in the steeple field. Olinger will join Fisher in the finals as he posted a qualifying time as well at 8:52.87 to claim the No. 7 seed.
Senior Joel Brown (Baltimore, Md./ Woodlawn) entered the 110-meter field as the No. 1-ranked hurdler in the country with a time of 13.45 he clocked at the NCAA Mideast regional two weeks ago. In the preliminary heats of the event, Brown timed a 13.45 to claim the fourth-fastest time and earn a spot in the finals Friday evening. In the throws, two-time indoor national champion Dan Taylor (Middlefield, Ohio/ Berkshire) threw in the first of two events Thursday in the prelim rounds of the hammer, placing third with a heave of 218 feet, 5 inches. The effort moved Taylor into the event finals Saturday as the No. 3 seed. Taylor won the Mideast regional hammer championship two weeks ago with a Big Ten and regional record of 223-8. Later in the evening, Taylor competed in the shot put as the No. 2-ranked thrower in the NCAA. He easily advanced to the finals, reaching a distance of 61-9.75 for fifth place in the qualifying round.
Keturah Lofton (Zanesville, Ohio/Zanesville), the Big Ten champion and record holder in the women’s hammer throw, heaved a toss of 199-3 in the event to place 11th after the qualifying flight. Lofton will compete for her first outdoor All-America honor Saturday in the hammer finals. Also in the women’s throws was sophomore Amarachi Ukabam (Creve Couer, Mo./ Marquette), who failed to make the finals in the shot put after a 16th-place effort of 52-2.50. Ukabam also will compete Friday in the qualifying rounds of the discus.
Rosalind Goodwin (Prospect, Ky./ Ballard), Ohio State’s lone competitor in the jump events, also bowed out of the long jump with a leap of 19-7, accounting for 24th place. Like Ukabam and Taylor, Goodwin qualified in two events and is set to compete in the triple jump prelims Friday evening.
On the women’s side of the hurdles, fellow senior Molly Logan (Philadelphia, Pa./ Darby) scored a 13.11, the third-best time of her career, but failed to earn a slot in the finals as she ranked 11th in the field.
Complete results are available at www.texassports.com. Action at the NCAA Championships resumes at 11 a.m. Friday with the women’s discus.
