Off-Week Release: Buckeye News and Notes – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
NCAA Preliminary Field Announced; 13 Buckeyes Invited
The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Committee announced the participants in the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Preliminary Championship Competition May 19.
Thirteen members of the Ohio State women’s track and field team will be represented at the East prelims May 26-28 at Indiana University. They are:
- Christina Manning (100m, 100m hurdles and 4x100m relay)
- Madison McNary (100m, 200m and 4x100m relay)
- Chesna Sykes (100m and 4x100m relay)
- Letecia Wright (100m hurdles and 4x100m relay)
- Alana Gray (100m hurdles)
- Shaniqua McGinnis (400m)
- Nyjah Cousar (400m hurdles)
- Ellen Birmingham (10000m)
- Ashley Galbraith (high jump)
- Kelcey McKinney (triple jump)
- Norianna Brown (shot put)
- Alexis Thomas (hammer throw)
- Maggie Mullen (hammer throw and javelin)
Qualifiers from regional competition will be eligible to compete at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships June 8-11 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Big Ten Champions!
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 May 15 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 an impressive outdoor triumph. Ohio State concluded the meet with 135 points, finishing 13 points 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 cruised to individual wins in the 100m dash and 100m hurdles in addition to 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.
Manning is Big Ten Athlete of the Year; Dennis Coach of the Year
Junior All-American Christina Manning and head coach Karen Dennis were honored by the Big Ten conference office last Wednesday for their outstanding achievements during the 2011 outdoor season.
Manning, a Waldorf, Md., native, was named Big Ten Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Championships after claiming Big Ten titles in the 100m dash, 100m hurdles and the 4x100m relay at last weekend’s Big Ten championships in Iowa City, Iowa. With a facility record being set in each of Manning’s title performances, the All-American truly enjoyed a weekend to remember in Iowa City.
Meanwhile, head coach Karen Dennis was selected as Coach of the Year by her peers after bringing her team to the head of the Big Ten in the outdoor season for the first time, a feat she also accomplished during the indoor season when she collected the same honor.
All-Big Ten First Team Features Six Buckeyes
Six members of the women’s track team – including Manning – were named to the All-Big Ten First Team by the conference office. Joining the Athlete of Year as All-Big Ten selections are: Madison McNary (200m champion, 4x100m relay); Letecia Wright (4x100m relay); Chesna Sykes (4x100m relay); Shaniqua McGinnis (400m champion); and Kelcey McKinney (triple jump champion).
Junior All-American Maggie Mullen was named a Second Team all-Big Ten performer after her runner-up finish in the javelin. In addition, Wright was recognized as the Ohio State recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, presented to individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior.
Birmingham and Wright Named Big Ten Medal of Honor Finalists
The 2011 edition of the Ohio State Scholar-Athlete Dinner will be held May 23 at the Ohio Union, marking the 44th edition of the banquet that recognizes the outstanding academic achievements of Ohio State student-athletes.
The event is capped each year with the presentation of the Big Ten Medal of Honor. Each member institution in the conference gives the award annually to the male and female athletes in the graduating class who have attained the greatest proficiency in both academics and athletics. The Big Ten Conference office established the award in 1914 for men and an additional award for the top female was instituted in 1982. This honor includes a $5,000 postgraduate scholarship.
The University announced the five finalists for the women’s award May 19, an impressive group that includes Buckeye track and field/cross country seniors Ellen Birmingham and Letecia Wright. Birmingham and Wright are joined as finalists by Samantha Cheverton (swimming), Cassie Dickerson (soccer) and Katie Dull (volleyball).
Hailing from nearby Worthington, Ohio, Ellen Birmingham is a four-year letter winner in cross country and track and field. She was a second team All-Big Ten selection in 2010 and a two-time all-regional performer in cross country. Birmingham is also a two-time all-academic selection by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, and a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. She is currently pursuing her degree in health sciences, and plans to teach English in the “Teach America” program and earn a doctorate in physical therapy.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Wright will go down as one of the most decorated sprinters and hurdlers in Ohio State history. She is a six-time all-Big Ten performer, a four-time Big Ten Athlete of the Week and a two-time winner of the 100m hurdles at the prestigious Drake Relays. An OSU scholar-athlete, Wright is finishing up her journalism degree and plans to pursue a master’s degree in sports broadcasting.
Buckeyes Check-in at No. 27 in USTFCCCA National Rankings, First Regionally
The Ohio State women’s track and field team jumped nine spots to No. 27 in the May 17 edition of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s national team rankings.
In all, just four Big Ten teams are ranked among the national top 50, led by the Buckeyes. Indiana checks-in at No. 29, followed by No. 43 Minnesota, and 47th-ranked Penn State. Texas A&M is the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, with LSU and Oregon rounding out the top 3. Future Big Ten member Nebraska is ranked 13th.
The Buckeyes also finish the season as the top-ranked team in the Great Lakes regional rankings. Indiana concludes the year ranked No. 2, followed by Wisconsin, Michigan and Michigan State.
OSU in the Individual Top 25 Rankings
Five members of the women’s track and field team find themselves ranked within the top 25 in several event areas nationally. A look at where the Buckeyes sit:
Christina Manning – No. 3 in the 100m hurdles, No. 16 in the 4x100m relay and No. 21 in the 100m dash
Letecia Wright – No. 5 in the 100m hurdles and No. 16 in the 4x100m relay
Madison McNary – No. 16 in the 4x100m relay and No. 24 in the 200m
Chesna Sykes – No. 16 in the 4x100m relay
Ashley Galbraith – No. 18 in the high jump
Follow the Buckeyes on Facebook!
The Ohio State women’s track and field team is now on Facebook. Visit www.facebook.com/OSUwtrackXC to catch up on the latest Buckeye news and notes.
Up Next
Ohio State heads to Bloomington, Ind., for the 2011 NCAA East Regional Preliminaries May 26.
