Ohio State Track and Field Heads West for Second Outdoor Meet of the Season – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
March 29, 2006
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s track and field distance team will send selected student-athletes to the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., on Cobb Track and Angell Field. The remainder of the men’s and women’s teams is off this week.
2006 STANFORD INVITATIONAL
Day/Time: Friday 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.- 8:20 p.m.
Venue: Cobb Track and Angell Field
Athletes Competing:
Jeff See – 5,000 meters
Alex Bailey – 5,000 meters
John Ealy – 10,000 meters
Kevin Bruffy – 3,000-meter Steeplechase
Braden Martinez – 10,000 meters
Brian Olinger – 10,000 meters
Meet Information: gostanford.com
Live Results: www.sml1.com
RECAPPING THE 2006 DISNEY INVITATIONAL
The Ohio State men’s and women’s track and field teams opened the 2006 outdoor season this weekend in the Walt Disney Wide World of Sports Invitational at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Thursday, Junior Melanie Price highlighted the day with a winning time in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Saturday, OSU throwers Lenny Jatsek and Janine Zylinski swept the men’s and women’s shot put and Jessica Stringer won the high jump.
Jatsek, an indoor All-American, extended past 57 feet, 9 inches to record his first win of the outdoor season. Zylinski finished off the OSU shot put sweep with a winning mark of 48-3 1/2. Ohio State throwers also captured the runner-up spots in the shot as Patrick Whalen and Veronica Jatsek heaved 57-1 1/2 and 48-0, respectively. All four OSU throwers posted NCAA Mideast Regional qualifying marks Saturday.
On the track Friday and Saturday, women’s sprinter Jenna Harris posted a regional-qualifying mark of 23.70 to take second in the 200 meters Saturday after she was fifth in the 100-meter dash in 11.75 Friday. Ayrizanna Favours finished behind Harris in the 200m, clocking a 24.38. She also was second in the 400m Friday in 54.82. For the men, Tony Cole clocked a sixth-place time of 10.63 in the men’s 100m and had a 10th-place mark of 21.79 in the 200m.
In the jumps, indoor All-American and two-time Big Ten champ Jessica Stringer won the women’s high jump Saturday, clearing a regional-qualifier of 5-9. Veronica Vance was third in the women’s triple jump Saturday, leaping 39-9 1/2. In the long jump Friday, Vance and Colleen Farrell were sixth and seventh. Vance turned in a leap of 18-10 and Farrell reached 18-8 1/2. Farrell also was fifth in the high jump at 5-7.
Thursday, Price, Ohio State’s record holder in the steeple, crossed the finish line in 11:08.35. Fellow distance runner Laura Piper, a sophomore, also turned in a third-placing showing in the women’s 1,500-meter run.
Also Thursday, Jatsek finished fifth in the hammer throw at a distance of 179-3 1/4. He placed behind teammate David Ebersole, who posted a third-place finish at 182-4 1/2. Ashley Riehm also was third in the women’s hammer Thursday at 164-1 1/4.
JATSEK NAMED BIG TEN TRACK AND FIELD MALE CO-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Lenny Jatsek, a sophomore thrower on the Ohio State men’s track and field team, shared Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors, the conference office announced Tuesday. Last weekend at the 2006 Walt Disney World Invitational, Jatsek won the men’s shot put and placed fifth in the hammer throw.
In his first competition of the outdoor season, the 2006 Big Ten indoor weight throw champion posted a NCAA regional qualifying mark to win the shot. He placed first in the event with a personal-best distance of 57 feet, 9 inches (17.60 meters).
In the opening day of the Disney Invite Thursday, Jatsek placed fifth in the hammer throw, reaching a mark of 179-3 1/4 (54.64m). The Walton Hills, Ohio native also earned the league’s indoor weekly honor Jan. 24.
Jatsek shared this week’s AOW award with Purdue junior sprinter/hurdler Rickey Pinkney.
RECAPPING THE 2005 OUTDOOR SEASON
The Ohio State men’s team reaped success in 2005 with heavy contributions from its senior class, combined with several key newcomers. Aaron Fisher became the first Buckeye to repeat as an All-American in the men’s steeplechase since OSU distance coach Robert Gary gained that distinction in 1994-95. Freshman Marios Iacovou gained his initial All-America honor in his first season with the Buckeyes with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA meet.
A pair of newcomers to the sprint squad contributed points at the conference meet as Todd Dutch placed third in both the 100-and 200-meter dashes, while Tony Cole followed his indoor freshman of the year award with a qualifying time to the 2005 Mideast Regional Championships.
Senior Bryan Duby also supplied a third-place finish in the Big Ten hammer and advanced to his second Mideast regional meet and first NCAA championship. Duby finished his career as the No. 2-ranked hammer thrower in OSU history at 207 feet, 8 inches. Junior Dan Glaz also posted a No. 2 all-time mark, timing a 29:14.29 in the 10,000 meters. Iacovou tied for the second-best all-time high jump mark at OSU with leap of 7-2 1/2 at nationals.
BUCKEYES RECEIVE INDOOR HONORS
The Big Ten announced its 2006 Men’s and Women’s Track and Field All-League Teams on March 1. 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. 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. 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.
LOFTON MAKES TRIUMPHANT RETURN
After missing all of last season, senior thrower Keturah Lofton made a triumphant return to competition during the indoor season. The former Big Ten champion won the weight throw at Kentucky for the opening meet before claiming All-American honors at the NCAA.
At the Kentucky Invite, Lofton tossed a provisional qualifier for the NCAA indoor championships, reaching a distance of 67-2 1/4. Her toss at Kentucky is also the second best toss in the Big Ten so far this season.
Lofton’s return was capped at the Big Ten Championships when she set the school record with a throw of 69-5 1/4. This mark also sent her to the NCAA Indoor championships where she earned All-American honors.
WOMEN’S RELAY SETS SCHOOL RECORD IN CONSECUTIVE MEETS
At the 2006 Iowa State Classic (Feb.10-11), the women’s 4×400-meter relay team topped the Ohio State record for the second consecutive week. After posting a time of 3:41 last week at the New Balance Invite in New York City, the Buckeyes raced to a third-place time of 3:39.95, which provisionally qualified the team for the national meet. In both record-setting performances, Ohio State freshman Chandra Krempel handled the lead leg and passed the baton off to Jenna Harris and Jessica Jones for the middle legs. Freshman Ayrizanna Favours anchored the team to the record-setting times that bested the 3:42.09 mark set Feb. 21, 1999 on a relay squad led by All-American Dominique Calloway (1998-99).
OLINGER AT IT AGAIN
At the Husky Invitational (Feb.10-11), senior Brian Olinger made Ohio State history in the 5,000-meter run with his time of 13:45.94. Olinger’s time shattered his Ohio State record in the 5,000m of 13:52.18 set March 4, 2005. Olinger’s time also served as an automatic bid to the 2006 NCAA indoor Championships next month. Olinger was an All-American in the 5K in 2005.
Olinger ran his first 3,000-meter run of the season in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational (Feb. 3-4). Even with a mild case of the flu, Olinger still rewrote the Ohio State record books with his time of 8:02.21, a mark that ranked fourth in Buckeye history. Olinger now holds the second and fourth best times in Ohio State indoor history in the 3,000m. Olinger still is after the record for the best 3,000m which is currently held by Ohio State distance coach Robert Gary.
“SEE”ING IS BELIEVING
Freshman Jeff See ran his first mile of the season at the 2006 New Balance Collegiate Invitational. See did not disappoint, he came in fourth with a time of 4:03.75, a mark good enough to provisionally qualify him for the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships. See, the 2005 high school national champion in the mile, then topped this mark the following week at the Husky Invitational. See ran the third-best mile time in Ohio State history. See’s time of 4:03.62 ranks third in Ohio State indoor history and the fastest time ever by a freshman. See’s time also provisionally qualified for the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships.
FAVOURS LANDS FIRST CAREER BIG TEN ATHLETE OF THE WEEK AWARD
Ayrizanna Favours, a freshman sprinter on the Ohio State women’s track and field team, was named Athlete of the Week in an announcement made by the Big Ten Feb. 21. Feb. 18 at the Scarlet and Gray Invitational, Favours timed winning marks in both the 55-meter and 200-meter dashes.
The native of Columbus and product of Eastmoor Academy capped her first indoor regular season with a career-best time of 6.92 to claim the 55m event. Later, she notched a provisional qualifying standard in the 200-meter dash, winning in another career-best time of 24.2.
The weekly league award is Favour’s first of her career. Sophomore thrower Lenny Jatsek claimed the weekly honor for the men’s team Jan. 24. Favours is Ohio State’s first female athlete of the week since Shelaine Larson earned the indoor award on Feb. 22, 2005.
The Ohio State men’s and women’s teams split up for the Big Ten championship meets Saturday and Sunday. The men head to Iowa and the women compete at Wisconsin. Favours heads to the league meet with the third-best 60m and sixth-fastest 200m times in the conference.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Veronica and Lenny Jatsek made the Alex Wilson invitational a family affair as they took home wins in the shot put and the weight throw respectfully. Lenny won the men’s weight in a season best throw of 72-5 3/4. This mark automatically qualified him for the NCAA Indoor championships. This mark also was the third best in Ohio State history.
Veronica won the women’s shot put with a toss of 48-11 1/2. Veronica just narrowly defeated teammate Janine Zylinski who had a throw of 47-5 1/4.
BUCKEYES LAND TOP RECRUIT
The Ohio State men’s track and field and cross country team will add one of the best distance runners in the state of Ohio in 2006-07 seasons. Chad Balyo of Springboro, Ohio signed his national letter of intent to Ohio State during the early signing period this fall. Balyo was the 2005 Division 1 Ohio cross country champion. Balyo currently holds the best indoor time in the nation in the 2-mile for High School runners with a time of 9:10.
“It has been a goal of our program to recruit the best distance runners in Ohio.” Ohio State head cross country coach and distance coach Robert Gary said. “The past two seasons we have qualified for the NCAA championships with a roster made up of Ohio only athletes. I feel we got the best this year and am very excited to add him to a very young team.”
UP NEXT
Ohio State will host the All-Ohio Invitational at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The All-Ohio will feature the best teams in Ohio and opens on Friday April 7 at 3 p.m. and runs through Saturday April 8.
