Ohio State Track and Field Heads to Big Ten Outdoor Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
May 9, 2006
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Columbus, Ohio — The Ohio State men’s and women’s track and field teams head to East Lansing, Mich., for the 2006 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. The meet will be held on the campus of Michigan State Friday through Sunday on MSU’s Ralph Young Track and Field Facility.
2006 Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Days: Friday 12 p.m.- 8 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 6:45 p.m., Sunday 11:40 a.m – 3:45 p.m.
Venue: Ralph Young Track and Field Facility
Meet Information: msuspartans.com
Television: College Sports TV – Sunday (tape delay)
Last Week: Recapping the Jesse Owens Track Classic
Ohio State completed the 2006 regular season by playing host to the 21st Jesse Owens Track Classic Friday and Saturday. Several Buckeyes on both the men’s and women’s teams turned in strong performances as the squad prepared for the Big Ten championships at Michigan State this weekend.
Senior Keturah Lofton bested her own school record in the hammer to place second at 209 feet, 1 inch. Her previous best was 204-7 set in her All-American season of 2004. Lofton added a second-place mark in the shot put at a season-best 47-5 and was fourth in the discus at 131-9.
The women’s 4x100m relay team also turned in a season-best at 46.02. Ayrizanna Favours and Jenna Harris contributed to that relay time and, individually, Favours finished second in the 400m (53.37) and Harris was third in the 100m (11.86) and second in the 200m (24.11). Bever-liegh Holloway also was first in the 100m hurdles in a season-best 14.23.
For the men, Brian Olinger timed the second-fastest mark in Ohio State history to take sixth in the men’s mile invitational Saturday. In the field, Patrick Whalen finished third with a regional qualifying throw of 55-9 1/2 in the shot put and Lenny Jatsek narrowly missed a season-best hammer throw with a heave of 187-10 3/4. Brandon Cathcart won the triple jump at 50-3 1/2.
Revisiting The 2005 Big Ten Outdoor Championships In Columbus
The men’s and women’s teams played host to the 2005 Big Ten Championships at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium and finished ninth and fifth, respectively.
A trio of then jumpers along with sprinter Jenna Harris and senior thrower Shelaine Larson highlighted the three-day event for the women. Harris accounted for 23 of the squad’s 85 points during the Big Ten championships as she claimed the title in the 100-meter dash (11.61) and placed third in the 200m.
In the jump events, then seniors Rosalind Goodwin (20-1 1/2) and Shayla Moore (42-7) took Big Ten crowns in the long and triple jumps to give the duo seven of the last eight Big Ten titles in the women’s horizontal jumps in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. In the high jump, Jesse Stringer captured her first Big Ten championship thanks to winning a jump off at 5-10 with Peaches Roach of Iowa. In the hammer throw, Larson placed second with a toss of 197-1.
On the men’s side, the Buckeyes received third-place finishes from Todd Dutch in the 100m and 200m dash. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Aaron Fisher took a 50-meter lead into final 200m of the event, but landed awkwardly as he cleared the last hurdle and dropped to second. In the throw events, Bryan Duby took third in the hammer.
Looking For Repeats
Both Jenna Harris and Jessica Stringer are looking to defend Big Ten titles this weekend.
Harris, the reigning 100m champion, has the sixth best mark in the Big Ten this season and the third best time in the 200m event.
Stringer is looking to defend her Big Ten title in the high jump. Stringer currently is the Big Ten indoor and outdoor champion in the high jump. Her best jump this season of 5-10 currently is tied for the second best in the Big Ten this season.
Youth Being Served on Both Men’s and Women’s Squads
The 2006 men’s and women’s teams have benefited this season from their underclassmen.
Men: In the men’s throwing events, sophomores Lenny Jatsek, the 2006 Big Ten indoor champion in the weight throw, and Patrick Whalen both have hit NCAA regional qualifying marks this season. Whalen has posted a qualifier in the shot and Jatsek in the shot and in the hammer.
Also in the field, Brandon Cathcart has led the men’s jumps team all season. Cathcart, a freshman, was the high school national champion last year in the triple jump and has the fourth best triple mark in the Big Ten this season. Cathcart’s leap of 50-11 1/4 also is the best jump of any freshman in the Big Ten.
On the track, freshman Jeff See has had an impressive rookie campaign. The 2005 National High School national champion in the mile has hit NCAA regional qualifying marks in the mile and in the 1,500m this season.
Also on the track, sophomore Tony Cole 2005 Big Ten champion in the 60m-dash, has led the Buckeyes in sprints. Cole currently has the third best time in the 100m in the Big Ten.
Women: Ayrizanna Favours has excelled in several individual events and is making a strong case for Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.
Favours currently has the seventh best time in the 100m, the eighth best time in the 200m and the third best time in the 400m. All her marks are the best by a freshman this season in the Big Ten.
Favours’ time in the 400m of 54.37 and her time in the 100m of 11.75 are both NCAA regional qualifying marks.
Favours also is a member of the women’s 4x100m team that has the fourth best time in the Big Ten.
Relays teammate Bever-liegh Holloway has led the Buckeyes in the hurdles all season and timed a season-best 14.23 at the Jesse Owens Classic May 6.
In the field, freshman Janine Zylinski has impressed from the start. She was an All-American in the indoor shot put and has qualified for the NCAA Mideast regional event in the same event outdoors.
Olinger Takes Big Ten’s Top Spot in Steeple, Third in Mile
Brian Olinger claimed the top spot in the Big Ten rankings in the 3,000m steeplechase April 29 at the Penn Relays. Olinger’s time of 8:45.05 is a regional qualifying mark and the sixth best time in the 3,000m steeplechase in Ohio State history.
Olinger is the leader of a group of four Ohio State runners ranked in the Top 16 in the Big Ten steeple rankings. No other team has more than three ranked in the Top 16 in the 3,000m steeplechase.
Olinger continued his assault on the Ohio State record book last week at the Jesse Owens Track Classic. The two-time All-American clocked a 4:03.58 to place sixth in a world-class field. That mark stands second-fastest in the outdoor mile at Ohio State.
In his first meet of the outdoor season at Stanford April 1, Olinger set the school record in the 10,000m. Olinger’s time of 28:54.68 broke the old mark set by Chris England of 29:01.29 in 1997.
Breaking records is nothing new for Olinger, who holds the indoor standard in the 5,000-meter run, which he set this season at the Husky Invitational (Feb.10-11) with his time of 13:45.94.
Olinger ran his first indoor 3,000m of the season at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational (Feb. 3-4). Even with a mild case of the flu, Olinger still rewrote the Ohio State record books with his time of 8:02.21, a mark that ranked fourth in Buckeye history. Olinger holds the second and fourth best times in Ohio State indoor history in the 3,000m. Olinger still is after the record for the best 3,000m which is held by Ohio State distance coach Robert Gary.
Harris Sprints to Big Ten Athlete of the Week Honors
Jenna Harris was named Big Ten Female Co-Athlete of the Week in an announcement made by the league office. Harris scored a sweep of both the 100- and 200-meter dashes Saturday at the 2006 Oregon Invitational in Eugene, Ore.
Harris shared the Big Ten AOW with Penn State thrower Jennifer Leatherman.
For the second consecutive week, Harris was the highlight-performer for the Buckeyes on the track. The 2006 Big Ten 100m champion won both the 100m and 200m events with NCAA regional qualifying times of 11.72 and 23.73, respectively.
The Somerset, N.J. native currently rates 11th in the Mideast region in the 200m with her season-best time of 23.61 set April 15 at the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, Tenn. That same mark also rates second in the Big Ten.
The weekly league honor is Harris’ first. She is the second Buckeye this outdoor season to claim league weekly honors. Lenny Jatsek, a sophomore thrower for OSU, won the award March 28.
Men’s Team Spends Time in Top 25
In the Trackwire.com poll released April 24, the OSU men’s team jumped a spot to the No. 24 position after debuting at No. 25 April 17. The Buckeyes were ranked by trackwire.com at the beginning of the 2005 season and spent the entire 2004 campaign rated in trackwire.com’s Top 10. In 2004, the OSU men’s claimed a tie for fourth place at the NCAA championships.
Track and Field Pockets Third OSU Athlete of the Week Award
For consecutive weeks April 15 and 22, a track and field student-athlete earned Ohio State athlete of the week honors after junior Jenna Harris swept the 100m and 200m dashes at Oregon with NCAA regional qualifying times of 11.72 and 23.73, respectively.
Last week, fellow junior and 2005 Big Ten winner Jessica Stringer was named OSU AOW after placing second in the women’s high jump at the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, Tenn. Stringer cleared a winning height of 5 feet, 10 inches, which tied a season best.
Last week, Keturah Lofton made it three OSU AOW’s this season after she snapped her own Buckeye record in the hammer at the Jesse Owens Track Classic. Lofton was second in the hammer at 209-1. She also placed second in the shot put at a season-best 47-5. Lastly, she turned in a fourth-place mark in the discus.
Jatsek Named March 28 Big Ten Track and Field Male Co-Athlete of the Week
Lenny Jatsek, a sophomore thrower on the Ohio State men’s track and field team, shared Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors, the conference office announced March 28. At the 2006 Walt Disney World Invitational, Jatsek won the men’s shot put and placed fifth in the hammer throw.
In his first competition of the outdoor season, the 2006 Big Ten indoor weight throw champion posted a NCAA regional qualifying mark to win the shot. He placed first in the event with a personal-best distance of 57 feet, 9 inches (17.60 meters).
In the opening day of the Disney Invite Jatsek placed fifth in the hammer throw, reaching a mark of 179-3 1/4 (54.64m). The Walton Hills, Ohio native also earned the league’s indoor weekly honor Jan. 24.
Jatsek shared this week’s AOW award with Purdue junior sprinter/hurdler Rickey Pinkney.
Buckeyes Go 5-for-5 at Indoor Nationals
Ohio State sent five student-athletes to the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships (March 10-11) and all five walked away with All-America honors. Seniors Brian Olinger and Keturah Lofton gained their second-career indoor honors in the 5,000-meter run and weight throw, respectively. Junior Jessica Stringer gathered her first All-American award in the women’s high jump, while sophomore thrower Lenny Jatsek also earned his first in the men’s weight. Freshman Janine Zylinski made her NCAA championships debut and reached All-America status in the shot put.
Lofton Makes Triumphant Return
After missing all of last season, senior thrower Keturah Lofton made a triumphant return to competition during the indoor season. The former Big Ten champion and two-time All-American won the weight throw at Kentucky and was runner-up at Indiana.
Lofton’s return was capped at the Big Ten Championships when she set the school record with a throw of 69-5 1/4. This mark also sent her to the NCAA Indoor championships where she earn All-American honers.
Outdoors, Lofton also has picked up where she left off. She has two hammer throws this season of nearly 200 feet and has qualified for the NCAA Mideast regional in the event. The current Big Ten record holder in the hammer will go after her second league title in the event next week at the Big Ten meet.
Buckeyes Receive Indoor Honors
The Big Ten announced its 2006 Men’s and Women’s Track and Field All-League Teams on March 1. Ohio State’s Leonard Jatsek and Jessica Stringer each were named to the first team after claiming league titles in the men’s weight throw and the women’s high jump, respectively. Both the Buckeye men’s and women’s teams finished sixth at their respective conference meets at Iowa and Wisconsin.
Stringer posted the second-best high jump mark in Ohio State history en route to winning her second consecutive conference championship in the event. The native of Franklin, Ind., cleared 5 feet, 11 3/4 inches to claim victory at Wisconsin. She won the 2005 Big Ten Outdoor High Jump Championship at home last season in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Jatsek became the third Ohio State student-athlete to win the weight in the last four seasons. Former Buckeye All-American Dan Taylor won the league title in 2003 and `04. Bryan Duby took first place in the event last season. This year, Jatsek’s heave of 68-2 1/4 topped the conference field.
The men’s distance medley team of Taylor Candella, Gerald Griffin, Joe Gourley and Jeff See also combined to claim first-team honors after winning the event. The group shattered the former Ohio State record of 9:51.05 set in 1995, cruising to the finish line in 9:47.78.
Also for the men, two-time All-American Brian Olinger was a second-team honoree in the 5,000 meters. OSU throwers also grabbed second team honors for the women. Senior and two-time All-American Keturah Lofton was runner-up in the weight at 69-5 1/4, while freshman Janine Zylinski also took second in the shot put at a career-best 52-1 1/4.
Buckeyes Land Top Recruit
The Ohio State men’s track and field and cross country teams will add one of the best distance runners in the state of Ohio in 2006-07 seasons. Chad Balyo of Springboro, Ohio signed his national letter of intent to Ohio State during the early signing period this fall. Balyo was the 2005 Division 1 Ohio cross country champion. Balyo currently holds the best indoor time in the nation in the 2-mile for high school runners with a time of 9:10.
“It has been a goal of our program to recruit the best distance runners in Ohio.” Ohio State head cross country coach and distance coach Robert Gary said. “The past two seasons we have qualified for the NCAA championships with a roster made up of Ohio only athletes. I feel we got the best this year and am very excited to add him to a very young team.”
Up Next
Ohio State’s Mideast Regional qualifiers will compete in Knoxville, Tenn. May 26-27.
