Donica Merriman helped raise the standards for Ohio State track & field when she was a member of the team from 1998-2001 and also into the future. Merriman was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility in 2006.
The sprinter and hurdler claimed numerous championships, none bigger than the women’s 2001 outdoor NCAA 100m championship, in which she became the first Buckeye in women’s program history to win an outdoor national championship. She was also the 2001 NCAA indoor champion in the 60m hurdles. Merriman was an NCAA outdoor All-American each of her four seasons and an NCAA indoor All-American in both 2000 and 2001.
Merriman excelled at the conference level in addition to performing well in the national spotlight. The three-time All-Big Ten selection (1998-2000) was also a three-time Big Ten Athlete of the Year, earning that recognition in 2000 in both indoor and outdoor and again in 2001 in indoor. Merriman was also the Big Ten Athlete of the Championships at the 2000 indoor and outdoor meets and again in 2001 indoors. She won nine individual Big Ten Championships and was the member of a championship-winning 4x400m relay team in 2000. She still holds five spots on the Buckeyes’ top-five performance list, including the outdoor program record for the 100m (11.16).
