Ohio State
Big Ten Indoor Championships
Buckeyes Competing at Big Ten Indoor Championships
2/25/2021 7:05:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A runner-up finish by sophomore Clarence Foote-Talley, a school-record by sophomore Allie Gaugenti and a fourth consecutive 200 meter final upcoming for senior Anavia Battle highlighted Ohio State's first day of competition at the 2021 Big Ten Conference men's and women's track and field championships. The meet is being contested at the SPIRE Institute, in Northeast Ohio, for the eighth time.
The Ohio State men sit in sixth place with nine points. Ohio State's women, the two-time defending Big Ten indoor champions, are in a tie for eighth with Penn State with six points.
Foote-Talley jumped a personal best 7.53m/24-8 ½ in the first long jump competition of the season for him. The constructions system management major had gone more than a year – his last long jump was Jan. 30, 2020 at the Texas Tech Invite – but that didn't seem to bother him as he led the field after his fifth jump and ultimately finished second when Iowa's James Carter jumped 7.65m/25-1 ¾ in his final jump to win it.
Guagenti scored six points for the Buckeyes with her school record and third-place finish in the 3,000 meters with a personal best-smashing time of 9:17.43. Her previous best was 9:30.22 set back on Jan. 16.
Ohio State qualified four runners in two events to Saturday's men's finals, including three in the eight-man final in the 200, with senior Tyler Johnson's 20.97 leading all qualifiers. Joining Johnson in the final will be senior Eric Harrison (21.20) and freshman Praise Olatoke (21.29).
Frank Hayes, the 2019 Big Ten champion in the 600, returns to the final in that event after running a season's best time of 1:17.68 that just missed his personal best of 1:17.24.
For the women, Battle ran a 23.16 preliminary time in the 200 meters to qualify first in the field. She is the two-time defending Big Ten indoor champion at the distance. Junior Yanique Dayle just missed the finals, finishing ninth in 24.39.
Senior Aziza Ayoub smashed her personal best at 600 meters by more than two seconds and qualified fourth for the finals on Saturday with a time of 1:30.45.
A third Saturday finalist for Ohio State coming out of today's prelims will be freshman Marcia Sey, in the 60 hurdles. Sey qualified third with a time of 8.42.
Only two other events had finals Thursday: the 3,000 meters and the distance medley relay. The Ohio State team of Alex Dediu, Tyrese Fajardo, David Palmer and Ivan Slyepkan scored team points by finishing eighth in 10:23.71. The women finished just out of the points.
Action continues Friday with finals slated in the triple jump, the heptathlon and the pentathlon.
2021 Big Ten Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships
Feb. 25-27; SPIRE Institute; Geneva, Ohio
Men's Team Standings – Day 1
- Iowa – 30
- Minnesota – 25
- Wisconsin – 24
- Indiana – 20
- Illinois – 18
- Ohio State – 9
- Nebraska – 9
- Michigan – 7
- Purdue – 6
- Michigan State – 4
- Rutgers – 3
- Penn State – 1
Women's Team Standings – Day 1
- Minnesota – 37
- Nebraska – 26
- Michigan – 25
- Indiana – 17
- Michigan State – 12
- Wisconsin – 11
- Illinois – 7
- Ohio State – 6
- Penn State – 6
- Maryland – 5
- Purdue – 3
- Iowa 1
Players Mentioned
