Big Ten Champions! Buckeyes Use Six Individual Victories to Win First Outdoor Title – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Six individual titles and 100 total points on the final day of competition helped the Ohio State women’s track and field team win its first conference outdoor title Sunday at the 2011 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, hosted by the University of Iowa.
With the win, the Buckeyes pulled off a season sweep of the conference championships, following up their historic victory at the indoor championships in February with today’s impressive outdoor triumph. Ohio State concluded the meet with 135 points – 13 ahead of runner-up and defending outdoor champion Penn State. Indiana finished in third place with 96 points.
Leading the Buckeye surge on Championship Sunday was All-American Christina Manning, who stated her case for Athlete of the Championships with individual wins in the 100m dash and 100m hurdles and a third victory as the anchor of the 4x100m relay team. With three titles on the day, the junior’s career total now stands at five.
All-American Madison McNary joined Manning as a member of the Big Ten champion 4x100m relay team. In addition, McNary won an individual title in the 200m, bringing her career total to three in only one season with the Buckeyes.
Junior Shaniqua McGinnis, plagued by injuries for much of the 2011 season, returned to form with the second conference title of her career in the 400m dash. McGinnis (53.636) edged Ashley Kelly of Illinois (53.638) by .002 seconds at the finish line for the win and the third overall Big Ten title of her Buckeye career.
Rounding out the Buckeye individual title winners was junior Kelcey McKinney, who captured the first Big Ten title of her career with a PR of 12.80m (42 ft.) in the triple jump, the fifth-best mark in school history.
Here’s a closer look at how the Buckeyes’ won the championship:
100m Dash
Ohio State pulled off a dominating 1-2-3 finish in the 100m final, amassing 24 points in the process. Manning’s winning time of 11.29 was a facility record and the second-fastest time in school history, placing her among the top 20 in Division I this season. McNary was the runner-up with a PR of 11.46, the fourth-best time in school history, while freshman Chesna Sykes used a season-best time of 11.51 to pick up the bronze medal and the fifth-best time in OSU history.
100m Hurdles
Manning and fellow All-American and Maryland native Letecia Wright pulled off a 1-2 finish in the 100m hurdles, matching their performance from the indoor championships. Manning’s first-place time of 12.86 is the second-fastest in school history and the third-best in the nation this season, while Wright’s runner-up time of 12.94 is the fifth-best in OSU history and the sixth-fastest in Division I. Alana Gray took seventh for Ohio State in 13.83, bringing the Buckeyes’ points total in the event to 20.
200m Dash
McNary earned 10 points for the team with a first place and personal-best time of 23.22, the third-fastest 200m time in school history, a facility record and a top 20 Division I performance. Second place went to Kelly of Illinois (23.49).
400m Hurdles
Sophomore Nyjah Cousar won the bronze medal in the 400m hurdles in a PR time of 58.01, the third-fastest in school history. Penn State finished 1-2, with Megan Duncan winning the race in a facility record time of 57.35.
4x100m Relay
Wright, McNary, Sykes and Manning combined for a winning time of 43.94, the second-fastest in school history and a top 20 performance nationally. Illinois placed a distant second in 44.59. The victory also secured 10 team points for the Buckeyes.
Triple Jump
McKinney and Rachael Mack combined for 13 points in triple jump. McKinney’s first place jump led the way with 10 points, while Mack’s sixth place and PR jump of 12.27m (40-3) added an additional three points to OSU’s team score.
High Jump
Ashley Galbraith collected three points with a sixth-place finish in the high jump at 1.73m (5-8). Rebecca Buchholtz of Michigan State took first with a jump of 1.82m (5-11.50).
4x400m Relay
Cousar, Manning, McGinnis and Kachay Hullum teamed up for a season-best and fifth-place time of 3:40.14, good for four points toward the Buckeyes’ team score. Iowa won the relay in a facility record time of 3:36.51.
Final Team Standings
1) Ohio State – 135 points
2) Penn State – 122
3) Indiana – 96
3) Illinois – 90
5) Michigan State – 74.50
6) Wisconsin – 74
7) Minnesota – 63.50
8) Iowa – 59
9) Purdue – 56
10) Michigan – 49
