Olatoye Named B1G Field Athlete of the Year
3/16/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
March 16, 2017
Columbus, Ohio – Doing things no other woman in program history has ever done, that’s been the norm for sophomore Sade Olatoye in 2017, and Thursday was just another example of that. Olatoye was named the Big Ten Indoor Field Athlete of the Year on Thursday, an award that is voted on by league coaches, to become the first woman in program history to earn the honor.
“Sade is one of these young people that is still evolving in her event areas,” director of track & field and cross country Karen Dennis said. “Coach {Ashley} Muffet has helped this young lady a tremendous amount since she arrived on campus. Sade has developed into an elite weight thrower less than two years after really focusing in on it.
“Sade is such a great representation of a student-athlete and she represents our program to the fullest. She’s just now realizing how dominant she can be, and I think that she is slowly starting to enjoy track and field more and more. For her to accomplish all of these things as a sophomore is very impressive. She knows she’s smart, she knows she’s talented, and we’re glad to have her here at Ohio State.”
This award caps off her brilliant season in which she was named a First Team All-American and B1G Field Athlete of the Championships. The main reason for the latter award was due to Olatoye becoming the first woman in program history to win both the weight throw and shot put at a Big Ten conference meet. She racked up 20 of Ohio State’s 83 points to help the women place third at Big Ten’s.
Her best shot put throw of the year, a 16.71m (54-10) heave at the Big Ten Championships, is the third longest in program history and she owns the four best weight throws in program history as well. She won seven weight throw titles and three in the shot this season and capped it off with a fourth-place finish in the weight throw at the NCAA Championships to become Ohio State’s first All-American in that event since Alexis Thomas (2013).
Both previous B1G Female Athletes of the Year from Ohio State, Donica Merriman (2001 and 2002) and Christina Manning (2011 and 2012), were of the track variety. Merriman and Manning are two of the top short sprints and hurdlers in program history.
