Track & Field Hosts Ohio State Invitational Friday at French – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Jan. 29, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State track and field team returns to French Field House Friday, Jan. 30, for the Ohio State Invitational.
Field events begin Friday at 4 p.m. ET, followed by running events at 4:30 p.m. Admission is free. Live results are available at the above link and scoring updates will be available on Twitter, @OhioState_MTRK and @OhioState_WTRK.
A complete recap will be featured after the meet at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
Robertson Earns Second B1G Award of the Season
Redshirt sophomore Donovan Robertson was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week Monday by the conference office, his second Big Ten weekly award in the first three weeks of the indoor season.
Robertson crossed the finish line in a time of 7.79 seconds to win the 60-meter hurdles at the Rod McCravy Memorial in Lexington, Ky., Jan. 24. The Berea, Ohio, native finished just ahead of Yanik Hart of Florida, who posted the sixth-fastest time in Division I this season as the runner-up (7.83).
Robertson currently owns the second-best collegiate time in the country this season in the 60-meter hurdles, having posted a season-opening time of 7.76 seconds at the Buckeye Classic in early January. He is the Ohio State school-record holder in the event (7.65 seconds set last season).
#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 National Rankings
The Buckeye men are ranked 27th in the USTFCCCA Division I Indoor Track & Field Week One Poll, released Jan. 26.
OSU totaled 30.62 points in the second poll of the regular season, dropping three spots from its preseason ranking of 24. Six Big Ten teams are featured in the Top 30: No. 5 Penn State, No. 8 Nebraska, No. 17 Wisconsin, No. 20 Purdue, No. 25 Michigan State, the Buckeyes and No. 28 Indiana. Oregon is the No. 1-ranked team, followed by No. 2 Florida and third-ranked Arkansas.
Robertson (No. 3, 60-meter hurdles) and senior Timothy Faust (No. 7, 200-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 are ranked 73rd overall, down seven spots from their preseason ranking of 66. Four Big Ten rivals are represented in the Top 25: No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 15 Michigan, No. 16 Maryland and No. 23 Michigan State. Florida is the top-ranked women’s team, followed by No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Texas A&M.
Week Two rankings are scheduled for release Feb. 3.
Scarlet and Gray in the Great Lakes Region Rankings
Men (Top 5)
1. Indiana – 381.53 points
2. Kent State – 272.02
3. Eastern Michigan – 266.23
4. Ohio State – 251.68
5. Akron – 244.71
Women (Top 5)
1. Purdue – 297.93
2. Wisconsin – 232.90
3. Ohio State – 218.77
4. Michigan State – 207.20
5. Notre Dame – 205.02
The regional team index uses data provided by www.TFRRS.org for only the 2015 indoor season and is a reflection of a team’s all-around strength. The regional team index is scored using the current national-team ranking formula as if there were separate regional championships across the country.
Buckeyes in the Individual Top 25
Two individual athletes and three relay teams have posted among the Top 25 times in Division I this season according to Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). A look at where the Buckeyes sit:
Men
• Robertson – No. 2, 60-meter hurdles
• Distance Medley (Steven Weaver, Deshawn Marshall, Anthony Johnson, Jared Fleming) – No. 9
• Champ Page – No. 21, 400-meter dash
• J.C. Murasky – No. 23, shot put
Women
• Distance Medley – No. 8 (Katie Borchers, Janel Olberding, Rebecca Rings, Tammy Berger)
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
The Scarlet and Gray competed at the Rod McCravy Memorial in Lexington, Ky., Jan. 23-24. Along with Robertson’s win in the 60-meter hurdles, highlights included:
• Borchers turning in a time of 4:47.33 in the mile run, the second-best indoor time in school history and a Top-35 time nationally;
• Freshman Allyson Simmons, the Ohio high school all-division record holder in the pole vault, posting the second-best mark in school indoor history in the event by clearing 3.73 meters (12-2.75);
• The women’s DMR (11:32.13) and men’s DMR (9:54.89) racing to Top-10 times nationally in the event;
• Murasky hitting 18.46 meters (60-6.75) in the shot put, an indoor personal best and Top-25 performance in Division I this season.
Up Next
Ohio State heads to Notre Dame, Ind., Feb. 6-7 for the Meyo Invitational.
