Ohio State Faces Conference Rivals at B1G Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Feb. 26, 2015
Championship Central| Live Results
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State track and field team challenges the best of the Big Ten at the 2015 Big Ten Indoor Championships this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27-28, at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
Championship Basics
Days: Friday, Feb. 27 (10:00 a.m. – 6:50 p.m. ET) and Saturday, Feb. 28 (10:00 a.m. – 4:50 p.m. ET)
Venue: SPIRE Institute – Geneva, Ohio
Television: BTN will air tape-delayed coverage of the Big Ten championships at 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, March 8.
Twitter: @OhioState_MTRK, @OhioState_WTRK and @BigTenChamps. Official hashtag: #B1GTF.
Buckeye History at the Big Ten Championships
Men
The Ohio State men have won five Big Ten indoor championships and 126 individual/event titles since joining the Big Ten Conference in 1913, the last team title coming in 1993 under Russ Rogers.
Rogers led the track and field program to new heights in the early 1990s as the Buckeyes claimed seven Top-4 finishes at the indoor championships from 1990-1996.
Ohio State’s first title came in 1942 under Larry Snyder. Snyder guided the Scarlet and Gray to three-consecutive titles from 1948-1950.
Women
After totaling 19 Top-5 team finishes in 32 seasons at the Big Ten championships, Ohio State finally brought home a conference title in 2011 with a 36.50-point win over three-time defending champion Penn State. The Buckeyes followed up their win in 2011 with a runner-up finish in 2012.
Three Buckeyes have taken home the Athlete of the Championship award. Donica Merriman earned the recognition in both 2000 and 2001 after winning the 60-meter hurdles and 200-meter dash each season. Bridgette Tate received the award in 1988 after her first-place finishes in the 55-meter dash, 55-meter hurdles and 300-yard run. Christina Manning captured the honor at both the 2011 and 2012 meets after dominating the field in the 60-meter hurdles and short sprints.
Manning owns the current meet record in the 60-meter hurdles (7.95). Two Ohio State indoor championship records have been retired: Diane Dixon’s 300-yard run in 1983 (33.83) and Tate’s 60-yard hurdle performance in 1987 (7.78).
About SPIRE Institute
SPIRE Institute is one of the largest indoor, multi-sport, training and competition complexes in the world. With more than 750,000 square feet under roof and acres of outdoor facilities, it has the unique capacity to simultaneously host clubs, leagues, tournaments and championship events no matter the weather or season. Every consideration has been taken to create an unparalleled experience for the athlete, the coach and the spectator.
SPIRE Institute was founded on the belief that sports and education enrich lives. Through healthy competition, individuals build character and the drive to help them reach their full potential.
Recapping the 2014 Big Ten Championships
Ashlee Abraham won a Big Ten title in the 60-meter dash in a time of 7.31 seconds, helping the Ohio State women to a sixth-place team finish at last season’s championships at SPIRE Institute. Abie Ehimwenman also earned a medal for the Buckeyes, finishing second overall in the long jump.
On the men’s side, the 4×400-meter relay team -Champ Page, Jordan Rispress, Javon Walker and LaMar Bruton – cruised to a gold-medal time of 3:07.47, helping the team to a seventh-place finish. In individual competition, Ohio State collected three silver medals on the day. Timothy Faust was a runner-up in both the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes, while Donovan Robertson was second in one of the deepest 60-meter hurdle finals in Big Ten history. Also making the podium was Devin Smith, who stunned the field in the high jump with a bronze-medal and personal-best height of 2.12 meters (6-11.50).
Student-Athlete Spotlight: Abie Ehimwenman
Ehimwenman, a senior jumper for the Buckeye women, is this week’s featured Student-Athlete Spotlight on OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
Ehimwenman is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and three-time Ohio State Scholar Athlete majoring in construction management systems. The Olympia Fields, Ill., native was a 2014 All-Big Ten indoor selection and silver medalist in the long jump. She also claimed a bronze medal in the long jump at the 2013 Big Ten Indoor Championships and was a member of the 2013 Buckeye Power Club.
Visit OhioStateBuckeyes.com to learn more about Ehimwenman’s interests outside of track and field.
#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 63rd and the women 73rd in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I Indoor Track & Field Week Four Poll, released Feb. 23.
Three Big Ten teams are featured in the Top 25 on the men’s side: No. 9 Penn State, No. 15 Wisconsin and No. 22 Nebraska. Florida is the No. 1-ranked team, followed by No. 2 Oregon and third-ranked Arkansas.
The women’s rankings feature three Big Ten rivals in the Top 30: No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 28 Michigan State and No. 30 Michigan. Arkansas is the top-ranked women’s team, followed by No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Florida.
Beginning with Week Four rankings, only current season data is used to formulate standings. Previous polls used a combination of preseason and in-season data.
Week Six rankings are scheduled for release March 2.
Scarlet and Gray in the Great Lakes Regional Rankings
Men (Top 5)
1.Akron – 318.99 points
2.Indiana – 304.24
3.Michigan – 287.66
4.Ohio State – 257.15
5.Kent State – 213.95
Women (Top 5)
1.Purdue – 334.04
2.Michigan State – 288.04
3.Michigan – 275.21
4.Ohio State – 261.50
5.Notre Dame – 249.40
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
Four individual athletes and a relay team 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. 7, 60-meter hurdles
?4×400-meter relay – No. 13 (Page, Bruton, Antonio Blanks, Deshawn Marshall)
?J.C. Murasky – No. 24, shot put
Women
?Katie Borchers – No. 15, 800-meter run
?Chesna Sykes – No. 15, 60-meter dash
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 athletes claimed wins in 11 events at the Buckeye Tune-Up Feb. 20 at French Field House.
Skyes led the women’s effort Friday with a victory in the 60-meter dash in 7.41 seconds and a runner-up time of 24.50 in the 200-meter dash behind sophomore Aaliyah Barnes (24.35).
Buckeyes finished 2-3 in the women’s 60-meter hurdle finals. Junior Alexis Franklin was the runner-up with a season-best time of 8.36 seconds, with freshman Chantel Ray taking third in a personal-best time of 8.37 seconds.
In the field, two Buckeyes fell just shy of personal-best marks. Ehimwenman turned in a winning leap of 12.34 meters (40-6.00) in the triple jump, while junior Alyssa Gary cleared 14.96 meters (49-1.00) to take second in the shot put.
On the men’s side, seniors Malcolm Branson and Faust dueled in the short sprints, with each athlete claiming a win. Branson edged Faust in a photo finish in the 60-meter dash with a personal-best time of 6.856, while Faust took second in a season-best time of 6.859. Faust would come back later in the evening to conquer the 200-meter dash in 21.61 seconds as Branson earned a fourth-place finish in a time of 22.66.
In the field, a heave of 18.62 meters (61-1.00) helped Murasky to a win in the shot put, while freshman Zack Bazile used a personal-best distance of 7.42 meters (24-4.25) to place third in the long jump. Bazile’s mark ranks fourth in the Big Ten this season.
Ohio State swept the 4×400-meter relays for the second week in a row to conclude the meet. The men -Blanks, Page, Marshall and Bruton – combined for a time of 3:11.65. The women – Barnes, junior Aisha Cavin, freshman Beatrice Hannan and junior SoSo Walker – completed their race in 3:47.53.
Up Next
Qualifying athletes will compete at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Ark.
