Thirteen Buckeyes to Compete at NCAA East Regional Meet – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 27 Ohio State women’s track and field team is set to send 13 student-athletes to the 2011 NCAA East Regional preliminaries on the campus of Indiana University May 26-28.
After sweeping both Big Ten indoor and outdoor championships this season, the Buckeyes will now look to carry that momentum onto the NCAA stage.
“We do want to (improve),” head coach Karen Dennis said. “Regionals is what sets us up for the national stage. We think we have some competitors with Maggie Mullen in the javelin, Norianna Brown in the shot, Alexis Thomas in the hammer. Then we have Christina Manning and Letecia Wright in the hurdles, who I still think should be on the top podium at the national championships. They have that ability. I think our 4×100 team is a team that can run with anybody in the country and that’s running in cold weather for the most part this year. So I still think there is more left in this team as a whole. All of our competitors are poised to advance and we just have to go out and get it done this weekend.”
Meet Basics
Days: Thursday, May 26 (11 a.m. – 9:15 p.m. ET); Friday, May 27 (11 a.m. – 9:10 p.m. ET); Saturday, May 28 (11 a.m. – 9:45 p.m. ET)
Venue: Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex
Click Here for Live Results and Live Video
Indiana University will play host to the top teams east of the Mississippi River including those from the Big Ten, ACC, SEC and Big East.
A look at the Buckeyes set to compete this weekend:
Christina Manning – 100m dash, 100m hurdles, 4x100m relay
Madison McNary – 100m dash, 200m dash, 4x100m relay
Chesna Sykes – 100m dash, 4x100m relay
Letecia Wright – 100m hurdles, 4x100m relay
Alana Gray – 100m hurdles
Nyjah Cousar – 400m hurdles
Shaniqua McGinnis – 400m dash
Ellen Birmingham – 10000m run
Ashley Galbraith – high jump
Kelcey McKinney – triple jump
Norianna Brown – shot put
Alexis Thomas – hammer throw
Maggie Mullen – hammer throw
Manning and Wright currently hold the first and third-best times in the east region in the 100m hurdles, respectively. Last season both All-Americans advanced to the NCAA championships and will be looking for a repeat performance this time around.
Manning, McNary and Sykes are also both ranked within the top 30 in the east region in the 100m dash. They are coming off of an unprecedented 1-2-3 finish at the Big Ten championships in that event. In the 200m dash McNary also sits well along the leader board with the ninth-fastest time in the region.
On the field events side, Galbraith is ninth in the region in the high jump while McKinney is looking to better her title performance from the Big Ten championships to make her way to the NCAA championships. All-American Mullen is no stranger to the NCAA East Regional prelims and the will be looked to for support by Brown and Thomas who are both making their first appearance.
Buckeyes in the National Rankings
A grand total of 10 Buckeyes are ranked within the Top 45 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, No. 16 in the 4x100m relay
Madison McNary – No. 16 in the 4x100m relay, No. 24 in the 200m dash and No. 44 in the 100m dash
Chesna Sykes – No. 16 in the 4x100m relay
Ashley Galbraith – No. 17 in the high jump
Nyjah Cousar – No. 29 in the 400m hurdles
Maggie Mullen – No. 31 in the javelin and No. 39 in the hammer throw
Kelcey McKinney – No. 40 in the triple jump
Alexis Thomas – No. 40 in the hammer throw
Shaniqua McGinnis – No. 45 in the 400m dash
A Clean Sweep!
Six individual titles and 100 total points on the final day of competition helped the Ohio State 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.
Leading the Buckeye surge on Championship Sunday was All-American 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 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 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 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
Christina Manning and head coach Karen Dennis were honored by the Big Ten for their outstanding achievements during the 2011 outdoor season and at the championships.
Manning 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. 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.
Six Buckeyes – including Manning – were named first team all-Big Ten. Joining the Athlete of Year as All-Big Ten selections were: Madison McNary (200m champion, 4x100m relay); Letecia Wright (4x100m relay); Chesna Sykes (4x100m relay); Shaniqua McGinnis (400m champion); and Kelcey McKinney (triple jump champion).
Buckeyes in the USTFCCCA National Rankings
Ohio State jumped nine spots to No. 27 in the May 17 rankings according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA)
In all, just four Big Ten teams are ranked among the national top 50, led by the Buckeyes. Indiana is ranked No. 29, followed by No. 43 Minnesota and No. 47 Penn State. Texas A&M is the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. Future Big Ten member Nebraska is ranked 13th.
The Buckeyes also conclude the season as the top-ranked team in the Great Lakes regional rankings. Indiana finishes the year ranked No. 2, followed by Wisconsin, Michigan and Michigan State to round out the top five.
Follow the Buckeyes on Facebook!
The 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
The top qualifying times from both the East and West preliminaries (running this weekend in Eugene, Oregon) will compete in the 2011 NCAA Championships June 8-11 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
