Women’s T&F: Buckeyes Head to Akron for Final Regular-Season Meet – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s track and field team will head to Akron, Ohio this Saturday to compete in the second day of the Campbell/Wright Open on the campus of the University of Akron. It will be the team’s last tune up before the 2008 Big Ten Championships in Champaign, Ill., next weekend.
CAMPBELL/WRIGHT OPEN
Days: Saturday, May 10; 10 a.m. to 5:20 p.m.
Venue: Lee R. Jackson Track
Meet Information: www.gozips.com
LAST WEEK AT THE 23RD JESSE OWENS TRACK CLASSIC
Friday – Day one of the 23rd Annual Jesse Owens Classic got off to an exciting start with four meet records going down under the lights at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus. In the women’s 3000-meter Steeplechase, Barbara Parker of Great Britain set a new Jesse Owens stadium and meet record with a time of 9:55.94. Parker was ranked No. 3 in Great Britain entering the race. That mark is the 10th best in the world. Akron’s Kim Lorentz won the women’s 5000-meter with a time of 17:08.41. Ohio State’s Sarah Foster finished eighth with a time of 17:42.09, the third-best time by a Big Ten freshman this year. In the women’s 1,500-meter, Ann Shadle of Reebok took first with a meet-record time of 4:22.15. Emily Thompson of Ohio State finished 19th with a time of 4:44.86. Kesha Brooks was 28th with a time of 4:53.42 and Jordan Jenewine and Mardez Desmond rounded out competition for Ohio State with times of 4:57.16 and 4:59.98, respectively.
Saturday – Ohio State’s 4×400-meter relay team took home first place with a regional qualifying mark of 3:38.70. In the 400-meter dash, Shana Cox from Penn State took first with an Olympic B time of 52.45. Ohio State’s Jenna Griffin was third with a time of 53.75. Griffin’s time is third in the Big Ten and is ranked among the Top 25 in the nation. It’s also her season-best time and an NCAA Regional Qualifier. Also competing for the Buckeyes was Ashley Caldwell (56.97), Emily Thompson (1:02.12) and Kesha Brooks (1:02.34). In the women’s 100m hurdles outstanding freshman Letecia Wright finished third with a time of 13.40 a season best, the fourth-best time in Big Ten this year and the top time by a freshman in the conference. Michigan’s Tiffany Ofili won the event with a time of 12.83. Bever-Leigh Holloway was 17th for the Buckeyes with a time of 14.09 followed by Alana Gray (14.39) in 21st place. Ohio State’s Chandra Krempel was 15th in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:05.81 In the women’s 800m run, Indiana’s Molly Beckwith held off a Ty-Nica Davis (Indiana Elite) for the win. Beckwith ran 2:06.46 and Davis 2:06.76. Ashley Jones of Ohio State finished ninth with a season-best time of 2:11.99.
JATSEK CONTINUES BIG TEN DOMINANCE
Senior Veronica Jatsek has been one of the top throwers in the Big Ten over the past two seasons. In 2007 Jatsek finished second in the weight throw during the indoor season and went on to earn All-America honors at the NCAA Championships. Jatsek carried that momentum into the outdoor season winning the Big Ten title in the hammer throw and earning All-America honors at the NCAA Championships. This season Jatsek won a title in the weight throw during the indoor season and earned her second-consecutive All-America honor.
Last week Jatsek hit a season and Big Ten-best toss in the hammer throw en route to a fifth-place finish at the Jesse Owens Track Classic. Jatsek was the top competitor from the Big Ten with a toss of 205 feet, 8 inches. The mark is an NCAA Regional Qualifier and is the only toss over 200 feet in the Big Ten this season in the hammer throw. At the All-Ohio Championships Jatsek took second with a toss of 201 feet, 7 inches. Jatsek, along with coach Keturah Lofton and Shelaine Larson, are the only Buckeyes to ever go over 200 feet in the hammer toss.
GETTING IT DONE THE “WRIGHT” WAY
Freshman Letecia Wright is making a name of herself in her first season with the Buckeyes and continued to impress last weekend in the her only home showing of the 2008 season. Wright finished third in the 100-meter hurdles with a season-best and NCAA Regional Qualifying-time of 13.40 at the Jesse Owens Classic. The time is the fourth-best time in Big Ten this year and the top time by a freshman in the conference. Wright also was a member of the Buckeyes 4×100-meter relay team that posted regional qualifying time of 45.51 at the Mt. Sac Relays. The time is ranked second in the Big Ten and 11th in the Mideast Region.
THE RETURN OF GRIFFIN
Jenna Harris returns for her final season as a Buckeye in the 2008 outdoor season. She returns to the team as Jenna Griffin after her marriage over the summer to former Ohio State sprinter Gerald Griffin. Jenna Griffin holds the Ohio State school record in the indoor 400-meter dash. She also holds the fourth and fifth-best times in Ohio State history in the 100-meter dash and holds the fourth and sixth-best times in OSU history in the 200-meter dash. Griffin is a three-time Big Ten champion and earned All-America honors in the 2007 indoor season in the 400-meter dash.
THE JATSEK’S: ALL-AMERICAN SIBLINGS
Veronica Jatsek and her brother, Lenny, are the first pair of Ohio State siblings competing in track & field to earn All-American honors in the same event in the same season. Both Jatsek siblings have earned indoor All-American honors at least twice. Veronica has earned All-American honors a total of three times with her outdoor All-American honor in 2007 in the hammer throw.
Jatsek earned All-American honors in the weight throw with her fourth-place finish with a distance of 70 feet, 3 3/4 inches. Jatsek has earned All-American honors three-consecutive seasons (2007 indoor weight throw, 2007 outdoor hammer, 2008 indoor weight throw). Jatsek joins Keturah Lofton (2004, 2006) and Katy Craig (2001-02) as the only Ohio State throwers to earn All-American honors twice in the weight throw while Jatsek and Craig are the only OSU throwers to pull it off in back-to-back seasons. As Jatsek heads into the outdoor season she will look to become the first Ohio State thrower to earn All-American honors in four-consecutive seasons.
With the points from Jatsek the Ohio State women’s track and field team finished tied for 39th at the 2008 Indoor NCAA Championships. Ohio State has had a thrower earn All-American honors in the weight throw in three-consecutive seasons. Since 2000, the OSU women’s team has had 17 indoor All-Americans and 31 total.
“We are very proud of the season’s accomplishments of Veronica,” Ohio State women’s head Coach Karen Dennis. “Veronica earned this honor through nothing other than hard work and commitment. We had hoped she would finish in the Top 3, but she certainly improved on last seasons seventh place finish at nationals and we are happy with that. She had solid throwing performances throughout the year including a Big Ten championship performance. Completing the season with an All-American honor is wonderful for Veronica and our program.”
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. 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 Buckeye will head to 2008 Big Ten Championships in Champaign, Ill, on the campus of the University of Illinois May 16-18.
