Buckeyes Head South for Auburn Invitational – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Jan. 16, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A small group of track and field Buckeyes is set to compete this Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Auburn Indoor Invitational in Birmingham, Ala.
Events from Birmingham CrossPlex begin at 10:30 a.m. CT/11:30 a.m. ET. Live results are available at the above link and a complete recap will be featured after the meet at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
Notable Competing Teams (Ranking)
Alabama (M No. 13)
Auburn (W No. 18)
Florida State (W No. 9, M No. 20)
Georgia (W No. 4, M No. 11)
Georgia Tech
LSU (M No. 10)
Ohio State (M No. 24)
Ole Miss
Southern Miss
Tennessee
Robertson Named B1G Track Athlete of the Week
Redshirt sophomore Donovan Robertson was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week Monday by the conference office.
Robertson posted the second-fastest 60-meter hurdle time in Division I this season with his runner-up time of 7.76 seconds last Friday at the Buckeye Classic, finishing behind professional runner Keith Hayes (7.73). Robertson, a native of Berea, Ohio, is the Ohio State school-record holder in the event with a personal-best time of 7.65 seconds from last season.
The weekly award is the first of Robertson’s career.
#StrongerTogether
Stronger Together is the official team motto of the 2015 Buckeyes as the squad embarks on its first season as a combined program in nine years. #StrongerTogether will be featured throughout the season in social media posts.
Buckeyes in the USTFCCCA Preseason Rankings
The Buckeye men are ranked 24th in the USTFCCCA Division I Indoor Track & Field Preseason Poll, released Jan. 6.
OSU totaled 31.66 points in the season-opening poll, finishing .05 points behind 23rd-ranked UCLA. Six Big Ten teams are featured in the Top 25: No. 5 Penn State, No. 6 Nebraska, No. 14 Purdue, No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 22 Michigan State and the Buckeyes. Florida is the preseason No. 1-ranked team, followed by No. 2 Oregon and third-ranked Arkansas.
Robertson (No. 3, 60-meter hurdles) and Faust (No. 7, 200-meter dash; No. 21, 60-meter dash) are ranked among the Top 25 in their respective events, along with the Buckeyes’ 4×400-meter relay team (No. 11).
The OSU women open the season ranked 66th overall. Four Big Ten rivals are represented in the Top 25: No. 14 Maryland, No. 15 Michigan, No. 19 Michigan State and No. 22 Wisconsin. Florida is also the top-ranked women’s team in the preseason poll, followed by No. 2 Texas A&M and No. 3 Oregon.
Buckeyes in the Individual Top 25
Nine individual athletes and two relay teams have posted among the Top 25 times in Division I this season according to Track & Field Results Reporting System (www.TFRRS.org). A look at where the Buckeyes sit:
Men
Robertson – No. 2, 60-meter hurdles
Champ Page – No. 2, 400-meter dash
LaMar Bruton – No. 8, 400-meter dash
Anthony Johnson – No. 15, 800-meter dash
J.C. Murasky – No. 21, shot put
Aaron Zedella – No. 21, weight throw
Women
Distance Medley – No. 4
4×400-meter relay – No. 6
Rebecca Rings – No. 8, 800-meter run
Chesna Sykes – No. 13, 60-meter dash
Abie Ehimwenman – No. 18, high jump
Meet the Staff
Karen Dennis, in her first season as director of track & field and cross country, is assisted by:
• Associate head coach Brice Allen (distance/XC), entering his third season in Columbus having spent the previous two seasons as associate head coach of the Buckeye men’s team;
• Associate head coach Rosalind Joseph (jumps/multi-events), entering her seventh season at Ohio State. Joseph was associate head coach of the women’s team for two seasons and an assistant coach from 2008-2012;
• Second-year assistant Sara Vergote (distance/XC);
• First-year assistant Joel Brown (sprints/hurdles);
• First-year assistant Ashley Muffet Duncan (throws)
• Volunteer assistants Rob Banhagel (pole vault/decathlon), Brian Brillon (horizontal jumps), Richard Ebin (pole vault), Richard Jones (sprints) and Richard Warren (high jump);
• and Director of Operations Fred Barends
“It was important in making this transition that we have a cohesive staff with the same goals and same energies,” Dennis said. “We’ve got that. Now it’s about transferring that vision and energy to our team.”
Last Time Out
Ohio State opened its 2015 season as hosts of the Buckeye Classic at French Field House Jan. 9.
The Buckeye sprinters and hurdlers opened the year in strong fashion, led by Robertson and Sykes. Robertson posted the second-best 60-meter hurdle time in Division I this season with his runner-up time of 7.76 seconds, while Sykes, in her fifth season with the Buckeyes, won the 60-meter dash in a time of 7.47 seconds, the 13th-fastest time in Division I in 2015.
The men’s side also enjoyed outstanding individual efforts by Page and freshman Zack Bazile. Page took the crown in the 400-meter dash with a winning time of 48.10 seconds (converted 47.35), the second-best time this season in Division I. Bazile was a double winner in his Buckeye debut, capturing titles in both the long jump and triple jump. Bazile began the evening with a mark of 7.14 meters (23-5.25) in the long jump and followed it up with a 14.14-meter (46-4.75) leap in the triple.
The women’s Distance Medley combined to run the fourth-fastest time in Division I so far this season. Anchored by senior Nicole Hilton, the team crossed the finish line in a time of 11:58.11. Individually, junior Alyssa Gary won the shot put with a personal-best mark of 14.73m (48-4.00).
Up Next
The Buckeyes travel to Lexington, Ky., for the Rod McCravy Memorial Jan. 23.
