Track and Field Heads to Big Ten Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
May 17, 2002
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -The Ohio State track and field teams travel to Madison, Wis. to compete in the 2002 Big Ten Track and Field Championships at the Dan McClimon Memorial Track. The competition begins Friday at 9 a.m. and will conclude Sunday with events begining. The Dan McClimon Memorial track has been the site of two Big Ten Championship, in 1986 and 1994. Wisconsin is the defending men’s Big Ten Champion while Indiana won the women’s title a year ago.
A Look At The Competition
The 2002 Big Ten Championships will feature some of the nation’s best performers from around the Big Ten. Ten teams from the conference will compete in the championships this weekend, as Northwestern does not sponsor a track and field squad.
Michigan State pole vaulter Paul Terek was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week twice this spring. In the middle distance events the meet will feature Wisconsin freshman Josh Spiker, with a time of 3:42.92 Spiker currently holds the fastest time in the 1500 meter run. Looking to rebound from last year’s runner’s up finish Iowa sprinter Tim Dodge returns to compete in the 100 meter dash. Dodge’s best time in the 100 meter dash this season was clocked at 10.49 which is the fasted time recorded in the Big Ten this season. Ohio State thrower Dan Taylor looks to continue his dominance in the shot put. He was also named Big Ten Athlete of the Week earlier this spring.
In women’s competition, Ohio State junior Tami Smith looks to be the favorite in the high jump this weekend, she is the only competitor in the field to clear 6 feet. The race for the 800 meter championship looks to be highly competitive. Middle distance runners Katie Jazwinksk from Michigan holds the top time this year with a mark of 2:09.53. Not far behind is Kim Jordan of Purdue who holds a time of 2:10.04. Last year’s champion Rachel Sturtz also will compete for this year’s title. Although Sturtz does not hold the top time this year she still has had a solid season for Michigan.
Returning Champions
Looking to build on its strong showing at the 2001 Big Ten track and field championship the Ohio State men’s and woman’s teams will return four Big Ten champions. Katy Craig will return to defend her title in the hammer throw while fellow senior Onica Fraser looks to defend her title in the 400 meter dash. The men’s squad also will return two defending champions including javelin thrower George Hoover as well as talented sophomore Nosa Ehimwerman, who will try and defend his 2001 triple jump championship.
Last Time Out
The Buckeyes fared well at the Len Paddock Invitational, held May 10-11 in Ann Arbor, Mich. The event was an open, non-scoring NCAA track and field competition. Ohio State sophomore Nosa Ehimwenman paced the men’s team with a first-place finish in the triple jump, leaping a distance of 15.13 meters. Teammate John Ferguson won the javelin with a distance of 59.63 meters while Drew Carter picked up his first win on the season in the long jump with a distance of 7.46 meters.
Katy Craig, Alexis McCall and Krista Keir continued their success in throwing events. Craig earned an NCAA provisional qualification in the hammer throw with a toss of 58.77 meters. McCall placed first in the shot put, reaching 15.87 meters while Keir won the discus with a distance of 52.40 meters. Tami Smith continued to dominate in the high jump event, finishing first with a leap of 1.73 meters. Rosalind Goodwin also had a strong outing with a first-place finish in the long jump, leaping 5.84 meters.
Spectacular Smith
Tami Smith has placed first in all but one meet she has competed in this season, finishing second at the Penn Relays. She qualified automatically for the NCAA event at the TCU Invitational earlier this season. Heading in to the 2002 Big Ten Championships Smith holds the highest jump in the conference this season with a leap of 6 feet.
Godwin Sets Personal Bests
Rosalind Godwin had an outstanding day at the Jesse Owens Track Clasic, as she set personal bests in both the long jump and the triple jump. Her jump of 12.45 (40-10.25) exceeded her previous high by a 1foot-2inches, while her jump of 5.85 (19-02.50) in the triple jump was a foot longer than her previous mark.
Buckeyes Will Compete In Baton Rouge
Krista Keir set a school record in the discus at the All-Ohio Championships April 13 in Columbus with her toss of 182-4 (55.57). The throw earned her a NCAA automatic bid to the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Championships hosted by LSU in Baton Rouge, La. Tami Smith automatically qualified with a leap of 6-0 (1.83) in the high jump at the Texas Christian Inviataional April 20. Alexis McCall set the Ohio State outdoor record in the shot put with a throw of 16.12 (52-10.75) to qualify automatically to the NCAA championships. McCall set the record at the Jesse Owens Track Classic May 5.
Taylor Earns Big Ten Athlete Of The Week Honors Ohio State sophomore Dan Taylor earned Big Ten Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week April 10 after his performance at the Wheeling Jesuit Invitational, Ohio State’s first outdoor track meet of the season. Taylor broke a 20-year old school record with his toss of 180-2 (54.92m) in the discus. The previous record of 178-2 was set back in 1982 by Kevin Akins.
Ordway Selected To Represent OSU
Ohio State sophomore Jennifer Ordway has been selected to represent The Ohio State University at the sixth annual NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference May 26-31 in Orlando, Fla. Ordway is a member of the Buckeye cross country and track teams and is majoring in exercise science. A total of 260 student-athletes at NCAA member institutions were chosen to participate in the event. The 2002 participants include representatives from 32 sports with 188 from Division I institutions, 29 from Division II and 43 from Division III. All NCAA member institutions that participate in the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills program are eligible to submit student-athlete nominations.
Owens Leads All-Century Team
Track legend Jesse Owens was named the Ohio State male athlete of the century by the Columbus Touchdown Club. Owens’ legend at Ohio State blossomed, thanks to such feats as setting three world records – in the long jump, 220-yard dash and 220-yard hurdles – within a 70-minute span at the 1935 Big Ten Track Championships. He became a household name at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, where he won four gold medals. Stephanie Hightower was named women’s track and field athlete of the century. She was a three-time (1978-80) All-American in the hurdles.
Meet Coach Russ Rogers
In his 14 years at Ohio State, Russ Rogers has produced more than 100 Big Ten indoor and outdoor track and field champions, 10 NCAA indoor and outdoor champions and 69 All-Americans. Rogers has more than 30 years of head coaching experience in national and international track and field. Rogers came to Ohio State from Fairleigh Dickinson University where he served as the head coach for men’s and women’s track and field as well as the cross country teams for 10 years.
Up Next
Athletes who qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will compete May 29-June 1 in Baton Rouge, LA.
