Ohio State Track and Field Heads to NCAA Mideast Regional Meet – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
May 22, 2006
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Columbus, Ohio — Qualifiers from Ohio State men’s and women’s track and field teams converge at the 2006 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships Friday and Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn. The University of Tennessee’s Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium will serve as the host venue for the fourth running of the regional meet.
2006 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships
Days: Friday 11 a.m. – 9:40 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. – 8:50 p.m.
Venue: Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium
Meet Information/Live Results: University of Tennessee or ncaasports.com
Ohio state Mideast Regional Qualifiers
| Men | Event | Mark | Date |
| Brandon Cathcart | Triple Jump | 50-11 1/4 | 4/15/2006 |
| Matt Comer | 400m Hurdles | 51.23 | 5/14/2006 |
| Dave Ebersole | Hammer | 186-1 | 5/6/2006 |
| Lenny Jatsek | Shot Put | 57-9 | 3/23/2006 |
| Hammer | 186-9.5 | 4/7/2006 | |
| Brian Olinger | 1,500m | 3:45.38 | 5/6/2006 |
| 3,000m Steeple | 8:45.05 | 4/29/2006 | |
| 10,000m | 28:45.69 | 4/1/2006* | |
| Jeff See | 1,500m | 3:46.83 | 4/15/2006 |
| Mile Run | 4:04.97 | 4/22/2006 | |
| Elon Simms | 400m Hurdles | 51.43 | 5/14/2006 |
| Patrick Whalen | Shot Put | 57-1 1/2 | 3/23/2006 |
| 4x100m Relay | 40.50 | 5/6/2006 | |
| Women | Event | Mark | Date |
| Ayrizonna Favours | 400m | 53.21 | 4/22/2006 |
| 100m | 11.75 | 4/15/2006 | |
| Jenna Harris | 100m | 11.63 | 5/14/2006 |
| 200m | 23.61 | 4/15/2006 | |
| Veronica Jatsek | Shot Put | 48-0 | 3/23/2006 |
| Keturah Lofton | Hammer | 209-1 | 5/5/2006 |
| Shot Put | 47-5 | 5/6/2006 | |
| Ashley Riehm | Hammer | 183-11 1/2 | 5/5/2006 |
| Jessica Stringer | High Jump | 5-10 | 4/15/2006 |
| 5/13/2006 | |||
| Veronica Vance | Triple Jump | 40-11 1/4 | 4/22/2006 |
| Long Jump | 19-9 | 5/5/2006 | |
| Janine Zylinski | Shot Put | 48-3 1/2 | 3/23/2006 |
| Hammer | 177-9 3/4 | 5/5/2006 | |
| 4x400m relay | 3:40.21 | 5/14/2006 |
Last Week: OSU Women Make Final-Day Push For Fifth Place at Big Ten Championships
The Buckeye women’s squad, in eighth after Day 2, used several high-scoring performances in the final day to place fifth with 66 team points. Minnesota accumulated 153.5 for the women’s team crown.
Jessica Stringer successfully defended her 2005 Big Ten high jump championship by clearing 5 feet, 10 inches. The league title is Stringer’s third of her career. She also claimed the 2006 indoor high jump crown earlier this year.
The Buckeyes also benefited from several strong efforts in the sprint and relay events. Junior Jenna Harris, the 2005 Big Ten 100-meter champion, coupled a second-place finish in the 200m with a third-place time in the 100m. Harris clocked a 23.68 in the 200m after posting an 11.63 in the 100m. Both of her times served as NCAA Mideast Regional qualifiers. Freshman Ayrizanna Favours added a second-place and career-best mark of 53.21 in the 400m dash.
Both Favours and Harris combined to lead the women’s relays teams to third-place scores in the 4x100m and 4x400m events. Harris ran the lead leg of the season-best and regional qualifying 4x400m mark of 3:40.21. Favours was responsible for the lead leg of the 4x100m, which timed a season-best 45.88.
Buckeyes also scored individually in the field events. Senior Keturah Lofton tallied team points in her third event Sunday with an eighth-place distance in the discus (144-3), finishing ahead of freshman Janine Zylinski, who was seventh at 144-10. Junior Veronica Vance was seventh in the triple jump (39-11 3/4).
Lofton was the big scorer for the women’s team in both the hammer and the shot. The 2004 Big Ten hammer champ posted a runner-up mark of 192 feet, 10 inches in the event. In the shot, she heaved 46-4 1/4 for seventh.
Last Week: Men Take Eighth at Big Ten’s
The men’s team, which led the Big Ten standings after Day 1 events concluded, slipped to third place after Day 2 and fell further in the final day, winding up in eighth place with a team score of 59.
Brian Olinger accounted for 18 of the men’s 59 team points with a win in the 10,000-meter run Friday (28:45.59) and followed that less than 24 hours later with a runner-up time in the steeplechase (8:46.93).
Olinger’s time in the 10K bested his own school record in the event, set earlier this season at Stanford (28:57.68). He narrowly missed establishing the Big Ten meet record as well. That mark stands at 28:45.25.
Freshmen Matt Comer and Elon Simms made impressive debuts at the conference meet. Comer edged Simms at the finish line of the 400m hurdles for second place. Comer’s time of 51.23 and Simms’ mark of 51.43 both qualified the first-year Buckeyes for the Mideast Regional.
In the field, Lenny Jatsek scored in two of three heavy throw events, including a sixth-place score in the discus at 163-6.
Buckeyes Played Host to Initial NCAA Mideast Regional Meet in 2003
Ohio State welcomed more than 150 men’s and women’s teams to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium May 30 and 31, 2003 for the first running of the Mideast Regional meet.
Both the Ohio State men’s and women’s squads made strong showings at the first regional. The OSU men claimed fourth place, while the women finished sixth. Arkansas captured the men’s team title and has won each of the two subsequent Mideast events at LSU and Indiana. LSU won the women’s side in 2003.
Stringer Repeats As Top High Jumper in Big Ten, Continues OSU Dominance in Women’s Jumps
Jessica Stringer successfully defended her 2005 Big Ten high jump championship May 14 by clearing 5 feet, 10 inches. The league title is Stringer’s third of her career. She also claimed the 2006 indoor high jump crown earlier this year.
With Stringer’s title Sunday, Ohio State has claimed four of the last five Big Ten outdoor high jump championships on the women’s side. Former Buckeye Tami Smith (2000-03) won league titles in the event in 2002 and ’03. Including indoor seasons, Smith and Stringer have combined to win eighth of the last 11 Big Ten high jump crowns.
Last year, former Buckeyes Rosalind Goodwin and Shayla Moore claimed the long jump and triple jump championships at the Big Ten meet, respectively. With that pair of titles Ohio State had claimed seven of the last eight horizontal jump events on the women’s side in the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
Youth Being Served For OSU Regional Qualifiers
The 2006 men’s and women’s teams have benefited this season from their underclassmen.
MEN: Seven of Ohio State’s eight regional qualifiers are underclassmen. Brian Olinger, a senior, is the lone upperclassmen. He has qualified for the regional meet in both the 1,500m/mile and the 3,000m steeplechase.
In the men’s throws, sophomores Lenny Jatsek, the 2006 Big Ten indoor champion in the weight throw, and Patrick Whalen both have hit NCAA regional qualifying marks this season. Whalen has posted a qualifier in the shot and Jatsek in the shot and in the hammer.
Also in the field, Brandon Cathcart has led the men’s jumps team all season. Cathcart, a freshman, was the high school national champion last year in the triple jump and has the fourth best triple mark in the Big Ten this season. Cathcart’s leap of 50-11 1/4 ranks ninth in the Mideast region and also is the best jump of any freshman in the Big Ten.
On the track, freshman Jeff See had an impressive rookie campaign until injury ended the year prematurely this month. The 2005 High School national champion in the mile hit NCAA regional qualifying marks in the mile and in the 1,500m.
WOMEN: Ayrizanna Favours has excelled in several individual events and made a strong case for Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.
Favours set her season-best and regional submission with a time of 53.21 to take second in the 400m at Big Ten’s.
In the field, sophomore Ashley Riehm has qualified for regionals in the hammer at a season-best of 183-11 1/2. Freshman Janine Zylinski has impressed from the start as well. She was an All-American in the indoor shot and has qualified for the NCAA Mideast regional event in the same event outdoors. Classmate Veronica Jatsek also will make her debut at regionals in the shot put.
Olinger Betters School 10k Record, Continues Assualt on OSU Marks
Brian Olinger became a multiple winner at the Big Ten level this season. The 2004 champion in the 5,000-meter run topped the field in the 10,000m event Friday to help the Buckeyes grab first place after Day 1 of the meet. The two-time All-American bested his own Ohio State 10K record to win the event in a time of 28:45.69 and narrowly missed setting the conference meet standard (28:45.25). Less than 24 hours later, Olinger posted a runner-up finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase Saturday. He added eight more team points for Ohio State with a time of 8:46.93.
Last month, Olinger claimed the top spot in the Big Ten rankings in the steeplechase April 29 at the Penn Relays. Olinger’s time of 8:45.05 is his regional qualifying mark and the sixth best time in the 3,000m steeplechase in Ohio State history.
Olinger continued his assault on the Ohio State record book May 5-6 at the Jesse Owens Track Classic. The two-time All-American clocked a 4:03.58 to place sixth in a world-class field. That mark stands second-fastest in the outdoor mile at Ohio State.
In his first meet of the outdoor season at Stanford April 1, Olinger set the school record in the 10,000m. Olinger’s time of 28:57.68 broke the old mark set by Chris England of 29:01.29 in 1997.
Breaking records is nothing new for Olinger, who holds the indoor standard in the 5,000-meter run, which he set this season at the Husky Invitational (Feb.10-11) with his time of 13:45.94.
Buckeyes Collect Outdoor All-Big Ten Awards
The Big Ten announced its 2006 Outdoor Track and Field All-Conference Team May 17. Ohio State had six student-athletes honored with individual awards. Brian Olinger, the league champion in the 10,000-meter run, and Jessica Stringer, conference high jump winner, gained first-team status.
Olinger topped the field in the 10,000m event (28:45.69) Friday posted a runner-up finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:46.93) Saturday.
Stringer successfully defended her 2005 Big Ten high jump championship Sunday by clearing 5 feet, 10 inches.
The women’s team also had three student-athletes reach second-team status. Senior Keturah Lofton, the 2004 Big Ten champ in the hammer, finished second in the event this season to earn second-team honors. Jenna Harris, who also is a former Big Ten outdoor champion in the 100m dash in 2005, clocked a second-place time in the 200m dash Sunday. Freshman Ayrizanna Favours made a successful Big Ten debut by taking second in the 400m run Sunday as well.
For the men, fellow freshman Matt Comer also turned in a strong first appearance at the Big Tem meet by taking second in the 400m hurdles.
Harris and Olinger each were recipients of the Big Ten Sportsmanship award.
Harris Sprints to April 24 Big Ten Athlete of The Week Honors
Jenna Harris was named Big Ten Female Co-Athlete of the Week in an announcement made by the league office. Harris scored a sweep of both the 100- and 200-meter dashes Saturday at the 2006 Oregon Invitational in Eugene, Ore.
Harris shared the Big Ten AOW with Penn State thrower Jennifer Leatherman.
For the second consecutive week, Harris was the highlight-performer for the Buckeyes on the track. The 2006 Big Ten 100m champion won both the 100m and 200m events with NCAA regional qualifying times of 11.72 and 23.73, respectively.
The Somerset, N.J. native currently rates 11th in the Mideast region in the 200m with her season-best time of 23.61 set April 15 at the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, Tenn. That same mark also rates second in the Big Ten. The weekly league honor is Harris’ first. She is the second Buckeye this outdoor season to claim league weekly honors. Lenny Jatsek, a sophomore thrower for OSU, won the award March 28.
Men’s Team Spends Time In Top 25
In the Trackwire.com poll released April 24, the OSU men’s team jumped a spot to the No. 24 position after debuting at No. 25 April 17. The Buckeyes were ranked by trackwire.com at the beginning of the 2005 season and spent the entire 2004 campaign rated in trackwire.com’s Top 10. In 2004, the OSU men’s claimed a tie for fourth place at the NCAA championships.
Jatsek Named March 28 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 March 28. 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 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.
Buckeyes Go 5-for-5 at Indoor Nationals
Ohio State sent five student-athletes to the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships (March 10-11) and all five walked away with All-America honors. Seniors Brian Olinger and Keturah Lofton gained their second-career indoor honors in the 5,000-meter run and weight throw, respectively. Junior Jessica Stringer gathered her first All-American award in the women’s high jump, while sophomore thrower Lenny Jatsek also earned his first in the men’s weight. Freshman Janine Zylinski made her NCAA championships debut and reached All-America status in the shot put.
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 and two-time All-American won the weight throw at Kentucky and was runner-up at Indiana.
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 earn All-American honors.
Outdoors, Lofton also has picked up where she left off. She broke her own school record in the hammer at the Jesse Owens Track Classic May 5 with a heave of 209-1. She previously set the OSU and then-Big Ten record of 204-7 in the 2004 season. At Big Ten’s, Lofton finished second in the hammer May 13.
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 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. 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.
Buckeyes Land Top Recruit
The Ohio State men’s track and field and cross country teams 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.”
2006 Cross Country Schedule Announced
Robert Gary, Ohio State men’s and women’s cross country head coach, announced the men’s and women’s schedule for the 2006 season Monday. OSU will play host to a home meet for the first time since the 2003 season when it welcomes competing teams to the Buckeye Invitational Sept. 15.
Because of the renovation to the OSU Golf Course, the Buckeyes were unable to schedule a home meet in the last two seasons. The course was reopened May 20 with a ceremonial round played by golf legend and former Buckeye Jack Nicklaus.
| Date | Event | Site | Time |
| Sept. 9 | Great Lakes 5k Shootout | Cincinnati, Ohio | TBA |
| Sept. 15 | Buckeye Invitational | Columbus, Ohio | 4 p.m. |
| 4 p.m. – Men / 4:45 p.m. – Women | OSU Golf Course | ||
| Sept. 23 | Louisville Invitational | Louisville, Ky. | TBA |
| Oct. 6 | All-Ohio Championships | Delaware, Ohio | TBA |
| Oct. 14 | NCAA Pre-National Meet | Terre Haute, Ind. | TBA |
| Oct. 29 | Big Ten Championships | Bloomington, Ind. | TBA |
| Nov. 11 | NCAA Great Lakes Regional | Bowling Green, Ohio | TBA |
| Nov. 20 | NCAA Championships | Terre Haute, Ind. | TBA |
Up Next
The 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships will be held June 7-10 in Sacramento, Calif.
