Ohio State Track and Field to Compete in NCAA Indoor Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
March 8, 2006
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Columbus, Ohio — The Ohio State men’s and women’s track and field teams will send five qualifying athletes to the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Friday and Saturday.
2006 NCAA Indoor championships
Day/Time: Friday 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.- 8:20 p.m.
Venue: Randall Tyson Track and Field Complex
Teams: Over 100 teams will be competing
Meet Information: www.ladybacks.com
Five Buckeyes to Compete at National Meet
The NCAA released accepted qualifiers for the 2006 Indoor Track and Field Championships Tuesday. Ohio State will send three student-athletes from the women’s team and two from the men’s team to compete in Fayetteville, Ark. March 10-11.
Brian Olinger, a senior All-American, will run in the men’s 5,000 meters. He currently is ranked fifth nationally in the event with a top time this season of 13:45.94. That time, which counts as an Ohio State record, was set at the Iowa State Invitational Feb. 11.
Sophomore thrower Lenny Jatsek also will represent the OSU men’s team in the weight throw. In his last two competitions, Jatsek has won the Big Ten weight title Feb. 25 and last week posted the third-longest weight mark in OSU history at 72 feet, 5 3/4 inches at Notre Dame. Jatsek’s mark rates No. 6 nationally. The women’s team will send three competitors. Junior jumper Jessica Stringer recently won her second consecutive Big Ten high jump title Feb. 26 and heads to nationals with the No. 8 height in the country. Stringer used a leap of 5-11 3/4 to claim the league title.
In the throws, senior All-American Keturah Lofton returns for her third career trip to the national meet after redshirting last season. She has the No. 8 weight mark in the country at 69-5. Freshman Janine Zylinski will make her first appearance at nationals after qualifying with the No. 14 shot put measure in the country. Zylinski posted a career-best 53-7 3/4 at the Iowa State Classic Feb. 11.
Buckeyes Receive Honors
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. 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.
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.
Recapping the 2006 Alex Wilson Invitational
The Ohio State men’s and women’s track and field teams had their final day of competition Saturday in the Alex Wilson Invitational in South Bend, Ind. Lenny Jatsek, the 2006 Big Ten champion in the weight throw, won the same event Friday with his throw of 72 feet, 5 3/4 inches, which served as a career-best and automatically qualify him for the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Not to be out done, Veronica Jatsek, Lenny’s younger sister, took home first place in the shot put Saturday with a throw of 48-11 ½. Fellow Buckeye Janine Zylinski followed Jatsek with a throw of 47-5 1/4.
Lenny Jatsek’s heave in the weight also was third best in Ohio State history.
Revisiting The 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships
Three seniors on the Ohio State women’s track and field team competed in the last day of the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships at the University of Arkansas’ Randall Tyson Track and Field Complex in Fayatteville, Ark. Senior Shayla Moore finished 12th in the women’s triple jump to earn her first indoor All-America honor.
Moore, from Jessup, Md., placed one slot ahead of teammate Rosalind Goodwin (Sr., Prospect, Ky.), who tied for 13th to narrowly miss repeating as an All-American in the triple. Moore, who took runner-up to Goodwin at the Big Ten championships two weeks ago, reached 42 feet, 3 1/4 inches for 12th, while Goodwin marked a leap of 41-8 1/2. Moore adds the 2005 indoor All-American award to her outdoor triple jump All-America from the 2003 NCAA Championships.
Shelaine Larson, a senior from Ventura, Calif., took the pit in the women’s weight throw Saturday in search of her first indoor All-America honor. Her best throw reached 63-5 to place 17th and short of All-America status. Larson was the runner-up in both the shot put at weight at the 2005 Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Friday, Brian Olinger, a distance runner, placed 11th in the 5,000-meter run in a time of 13:58.18 to record his first All-America honor. Bryan Duby placed 12th in the weight throw with a heave of 64-7.
Favours Lands First Career Big Ten Athlete of the Week Award on Feb. 21
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. Saturday 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.
Jatsek Scores Big Ten Male Athlete of the Week of Jan. 25
Sophomore thrower Lenny Jatsek was named Athlete of the Week in an announcement made by the Big Ten Jan. 25. At the Indiana Invitational, Jatsek won the men’s weight throw event and placed fourth in the shot put.
With his winning weight mark of 65 feet, 9 ½ inches Saturday, Jatsek provisionally qualified for the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships and posted the league’s second-best mark in the event this season. Jatsek’s weight figure also moved him into the Top 5 in Ohio State’s all-time indoor performance list in the weight. Later Saturday, Jatsek added a fourth-place score in the shot put with a toss of 51-11.
Jatsek’s weekly honor contributes to Ohio State’s impressive run of Big Ten weekly honorees in the throws events. During the last three indoor seasons and last two outdoor campaigns, Buckeye men’s and women’s throwers have combined to win 14 conference athlete of the week awards.
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 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.
Peaking at the Right Time
The women’s team will send three athletes to the NCAA championships on March 10 who all set season best marks at the Big Ten championships.
Keturah Lofton came in second at the Big Ten Championships with her weight throw of 69-5 3/4, which also set the school record at Ohio State.
Jessica Stringer took home the Big Ten Championship in the high jump with a leap of 5-11 3/4.
Janine Zylinski was runner up at the Big Ten Championships in the shot put with her throw of 53-7 3/4.
Harris Does it Again
Junior Jenna Harris looked to follow up a strong 2005 showing in New York when she captured second place in the collegiate 60-meter dash at the Millrose Games in Madison Square Garden. She started by winning Heat 4 of the 60m in a season-best time of 7.42, which qualified for her second straight appearance in the Millrose 60m. Later in MSG, Harris placed sixth in the collegiate section in 7.54.
Lofton Makes Triumphant Return
After missing all of last season, senior thrower Keturah Lofton has made a triumphant return to competition. The former Big Ten champion and two-time All-American won the weight throw at Kentucky and was runner-up at Indiana.
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.
Up Next
Ohio State will begin the outdoor season on March 25 in Palo Alto, Calif. at the Stanford Invitational.
