Women’s T&F: Ohio State Jumps onto National Stage – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
COLUMBUS, Ohio The Ohio State women’s track and field team heads to the New Balance meet this weekend, held inside Armory Track & Field in New York City.
NEW BALANCE COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL
Days: Friday: 11:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Venue: Armory Track & Field New York, N.Y.
Meet Information: http://ny.milesplit.us/pages/NB-Collegiate
LAST WEEK: AKRON OPEN
Junior Ayrizanna Favours and senior Veronica Jatsek took over the Stile Field House on Saturday. After posting the third-best time in the preliminaries of the gold division 60-meter dash, Favours won the GD 60m title, dominating the field by more than .01 of a second (7.48). Favours was not done as she went on to win the gold division 200-meter dash with a mark of 24.25.
Jatsek won the weight throw with a personal-best toss of 68 feet, 8 inches. The throw by Jatsek is the fourth-best toss in the country this season and the best in the Big Ten. Jatsek won event, defeating Akron’s Stevi Large, who holds the third-best toss in country this season. Jatsek’s toss is also the eighth-best toss by an American this year. Jatsek also posted a second-place finish in the gold division shot put with a toss of 48 feet, 6 inches.
Freshman Letecia Wright took the top spot in the blue division 60-mer hurdles with a time of 8.62 after she posted the top time in the preliminaries as well. In the blue division mile run, freshman Jordan Jennewine took second with a time of 5:15.45. In the gold division 5,000-meter run freshman Sarah Foster took sixth with a mark of 17:55.87.
Jenna Griffin (formerly Jenna Harris) won the 400-meter gold division run with a time of 54.02 competing unattached. Griffin is out of indoor eligibility but will compete with Ohio State during the 2008 outdoor season. Griffin bested the field by .23 seconds.
Alana Gray posted solid numbers in her first full pentathlon as a Buckeye as she took fourth in the gold division with a score of 3,512 points on Friday. Gray returned on Saturday to take fourth in the blue division long jump with a leap of 17 feet, 2 inches.
OSU claimed the 4×400-meter relay in a time of 3:48.61 topping the field by almost four seconds.
JATSEK IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
Senior Veronica Jatsek continues to be one of nations top competitors in the weight throw. Last season Jatsek was an All-American in the weight throw and has continued to turn heads this season. Jatsek has the best throw in the Big Ten this season with her mark last week at the Akron Open of 68 feet, 8 inches. That toss is the fourth-best in the country this season and last week in Akron Jatsek defeated Stevi Large of Akron who currently holds the third-best toss in the nation.
Jatsek was named this week’s Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week for her efforts. This is the second conference award for Jatsek this season after she took home the honor Jan. 15 following her performance in the Kentucky Invitational. Last season, Jatsek was an All-American in the weight throw, joining her brother and fellow Buckeye Lenny as an All-American.
NOT DOING HER COMPETITION ANY FAVOURS
Ayrizanna Favours is one of the most versatile sprinters in the Big Ten this season and is ranked in the Top 2 in three different events this season.
Favours currently holds the top time in the Big Ten in the 60-meter dash with her time last week at the Akron Open of 7.48
She is also second in the 200-meter dash with a time at the 24.16 at the Kentucky Invitational. Favours also is second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 54.52 at the Big Ten/SEC Challenge. Favours is the only sprinter in the Big Ten ranked in the Top 2 in all three events.
JATSEK NAMED CO-FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK JAN. 15
Senior Veronica Jatsek earned her first Big Ten field athlete of the week award on Jan. 15 after opening the season with a win in the weight throw at the Kentucky Invitational.
Jatsek, a native of Walton Hills, Ohio, won the weight toss with a mark of 67 feet, 11 inches topping the field by almost eight feet. The mark for Jatsek provisionally qualifies her for the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. The toss also is the fifth-best in Ohio State history and is the second-best toss of the Jatsek’s career. Last season, Jatsek was an All-American in the weight throw, joining her brother and fellow Buckeye Lenny as an All-American. Jatsek shared the honor with Alicia Rue of Minnesota.
HARRIS, JATSEK SCORE ALL-AMERICA HONORS AT INDOOR NATIONALS
Ohio State had two student-athletes earn All-American honors at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championships March 10. Jenna Harris finished eighth in the 400m dash final in a time of 53.31.
In field events, junior Veronica Jatsek placed seventh in the weight throw to earn her first All-America honor at a distance of 66-9 3/4.
THE JATSEK’S: ALL-AMERICAN SIBLINGS
A year after her brother, Lenny Jatsek, captured All-America honors by finishing 13th in the weight throw at the 2006 NCAA indoor meet, Veronica Jatsek added another national award to the family. Veronica, competing in her first NCAA championships, placed seventh in the weight throw to earn her first All-America honor at a distance of 66-9 3/4.
JATSEK RETURNS TO DEFEND 2007 HONOR
The Big Ten announced its all-conference teams following the 2007 Women’s Indoor Championships in Champagne, Ill. Ohio State had two of the team’s top competitors honored.
Junior Veronica Jatsek was named second team All-Big Ten with her second-place finish in the weight throw. Jatsek’s toss of 68-5 3/4 is the fourth-best in Ohio State history and a season-best. It is an NCAA provisional qualifying toss and sixth-best in the country this season. Jatsek had the best throw by a non-senior by 12-11 1/4. It is Jatsek’s first Big Ten postseason award. Jatsek’s brother, Lenny, also took Big Ten honors in the weight throw after winning the league title in the men’s event. It is the first time that a brother-sister combination has taken All-Big Ten honors in the same year since Tonya and Tyrone Williams of Illinois were both on the All-Big Ten team in 1995.
UP NEXT
The Buckeyes will head to Findlay, Ohio, for the All-Ohio Championships Feb. 15-16. It will be their final tune up before the Big Ten Indoor Championships.
