Ohio State Hopes for Big Weekend at Pre-Nationals – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s cross country team will get its first look at some of the nation’s top teams this Saturday when it heads to Terre Haute, Ind., for the 2010 Indiana State University Pre-Nationals.
Saturday’s 8k race not only allows a chance to scout some of the country’s top teams, but also the host course for the 2010 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Indiana State’s LaVern Gibson Champions Course is widely regarded as one of the most grueling 8,000-meters in the United States.
Competing in the blue division, the Buckeyes will be tested by nine of the top 30 teams nationally, including top-ranked Stanford, No. 5 Northern Arizona and No. 12 Princeton. Stanford is a four-time national champion, while NAU finished fourth at last season’s NCAA championship race.
Fortunately for the Scarlet and Gray, No. 1 runner Taylor Williams returns this weekend after sitting out the first two meets of the season. Williams’ return should provide the Buckeyes with a much needed boost headed into championships.
Action from Terre Haute gets underway at approximately 12:10 p.m. ET. A complete recap will be available after the race at www.OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
Traveling to Pre-Nationals This Week…
Taylor Williams
Chad Balyo
Adam Green
Julian Meyer
Donny Roys
Cory Leslie
Jake Edwards
Chris Fallon
Dan White
Will Knickel
Jared Hall
Sam Deskin
Ranked Teams Competing in the Blue Division
No. 1 Stanford
No. 5 Northern Arizona
No. 12 Princeton
No. 15 Florida State
No. 18 Iona
No. 20 Michigan State
No. 26 UCLA
No. 27 William and Mary
No. 30 Florida
Buckeyes Ranked Fifth in Great Lakes Regional Rankings
The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its weekly regional cross country rankings Oct. 11, with Ohio State checking in at No. 5 in the Great Lakes region for the fifth-consecutive week. Indiana was the top vote getter in the district, followed by defending Big Ten champion Wisconsin, Michigan State, Notre Dame and the Buckeyes. In the national rankings, Ohio State finds itself at No. 34 overall with 12 votes. Four conference rivals – Indiana (seventh), Wisconsin (11th) Michigan State (20th) and Minnesota (25th) – were featured in the national top 25.
Former All-American Jeff See Joins Staff as Volunteer Assistant
Six-time track and cross country All-American Jeff See is entering his first year as a volunteer assistant with the men’s cross country team. See will lend a hand to the 2010 Buckeye squad while training professionally with Ohio State head coach Robert Gary.
A spring 2010 graduate of The Ohio State University, See led the 2009 Buckeyes to a 21st-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships. The Middletown, Ohio native was named the Great Lakes Athlete of the Year for his efforts during the season, a campaign that witnessed the Buckeye legend earn the first A-A award of his collegiate career, a Great Lakes regional title and All-Big Ten honors.
White Blogs on the Buckeyes
Senior Dan White will be keeping fans up-to-date on the Buckeyes and the 2010 cross country team throughout the season with a semi-weekly blog at www.OhioStateBuckeyes.com. The team “bloggist” will check in next week with his unique views on Saturday’s race in Terre Haute.
Follow the Buckeyes on Facebook!
The men’s track and field program is now on Facebook. Visit www.facebook.com/OSUtrackXC to get the latest news and notes on the Buckeyes.
Head coach Robert Gary
Robert Gary, now in his fifth season as the head men’s track and field coach and 15th coaching the cross country team, has elevated both programs to new heights and has established himself as one of the nation’s elite coaches.
Gary’s teams constantly strive for top 3 finishes at the Big Ten championships in cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field. And for the second time in three years, the Buckeyes did just that during the 2009-10 campaign. Gary led the cross country team to a second-place finish at the Big Ten championships as Jeff See took third overall among individuals. The Buckeyes went onto place third at the NCAA regional finals before taking 21st at the NCAA championships behind See’s All-America finish. On the track, Gary led the Buckeyes to a second-place finish at the Big Ten indoor championships and a third-place showing during the outdoor season. See (mile/1500m) and Matt DeChant (shot put) earned All-America honors during the indoor and outdoor seasons while Thomas Murdaugh earned All-America honors in the 400m during the indoor. In addition, the Buckeyes swept their rival Michigan in “The Dual” by winning both indoor and outdoor meets.
Coach Gary’s student-athletes carry their success into the classroom as well – 20 members of the 2010 track and field team were named Academic All-Big Ten, while 11 members of the cross country team claimed the honor. The cross country team was named 2010 Division I All-Academic for the eighth straight season.
Gary continues to train the best each year for the USA Track and Field championships and Olympic trials. In June 2010, he helped train Dan Huling, who took first place in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In addition, Huling, along with former Buckeye greats Rob Myers (1500m), Brian Olinger (steeplechase) and Jeff See (1500m) trained under Gary while preparing for the 2008 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. Myers, Huling and Olinger advanced to the finals of their events before coming up short while See – just a sophomore at the time – missed the finals by one spot. Gary was selected to be an assistant coach for Team USA’s U23 team in July 2008 at the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) meet in Toluca, Mexico. Joining him was See, who competed in the 1500m run. Myers and Huling finished the year having run the second-fastest times by an American in their respective events.
A 2009 inductee into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame, Gary received a degree in English education from The Ohio State University in the fall of 1996. He is a graduate of Evanston Township High School (Chicago, Ill.) where he was a state champion in the two-mile and an All-Midwest selection in soccer.
He resides in Columbus with his wife, Rita, and infant son, Percy.
Last Year at Pre-Nats…
Ohio State placed 22nd among 35 teams at the 2009 Pre-National meet.
The Buckeyes were led by sophomore Taylor Williams, who placed 53rd in a time of 24:36.0 in the White 8k race. Donny Roys was next at No. 85 (24:58.6), while Julian Meyer came in 115th in a time of 25:15.4.
Sophomore Adam Green and Chad Balyo rounded out the scoring for the Buckeyes at 140 and 155, respectively.
Last Time Out
The Ohio State men’s cross country team finished in ninth-place Oct. 2 at the 21 team adidas Invitational in Madison, Wisc.
Senior Chad Balyo led the Buckeye effort for the second consecutive meet with a 34th-place time of 24:14. Jake Edwards, running for the first time this season, finished 43rd (24:24), with sophomore Donny Roys following right behind in 44th (24:24). Rounding out the scoring for Ohio State were Adam Green (56th, 24:34) and Julian Meyer (79th, 24:45).
Up Next
The Buckeyes return to Madison for the Big Ten championships on Sunday, Oct. 31.
