Ohio State Track and Field Student-Athletes Collect Big Ten Awards – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
March 1, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Big Ten announced its 2006 Men’s and Women’s Track and Field All-League Teams Wednesday. Ohio State’s Leonard Jatsek and Jessica Stringer each were named to the first team after claiming league titles in the men’s weight throw and the women’s high jump, respectively, last weekend. Both the Buckeye men’s and women’s teams finished sixth at their respective conference meets at Iowa and Wisconsin.
Stringer posted the second-best high jump mark in Ohio State history en route to winning her second consecutive conference championship in the event. The native of Franklin, Ind., cleared 5 feet, 11 3/4 inches to claim victory Sunday at Wisconsin. She won the 2005 Big Ten Outdoor High Jump Championship at home last season in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Jatsek became the third Ohio State student-athlete to win the weight in the last four seasons. A Buckeye has nabbed the Big Ten weight throw in each of the last four years. Former Buckeye All-American Dan Taylor won the league title in 2003 and ’04. Bryan Duby took first place in the event last season. This year, Jatsek’s heave of 68-2 1/4 topped the conference field.
The men’s distance medley team of Taylor Candella, Gerald Griffin, Joe Gourley and Jeff See also combined to claim first-team honors after winning the event Saturday. The group shattered the former Ohio State record of 9:51.05 set in 1995, cruising to the finish line in 9:47.78.
Also for the men, two-time All-American Brian Olinger was a second-team honoree in the 5,000 meters. OSU throwers also grabbed second team honors for the women. Senior and two-time All-American Keturah Lofton was runner-up in the weight at 69-5 1/4, while freshman Janine Zylinski also took second in the shot put at a career-best 52-1 1/4.
