Track Open Indoor Season on Saturday – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Jan. 4, 2000
First Meet
%^$Ohio State battles Kentucky State, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Morehead State, Morehouse College, Morgan State, University of Rio Grande, Wheeling Jesuit University and Youngstown State on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 9 a.m. in the French Field House.%^$
%^$Ready for the Millinieum
%^$The Ohio State men’s and women’s track teams are preparing for the indoor and outdoor seasons, and both have goals of Top 3 finishes in the conference. Many athletes achieved more than expected during the 1999 season, leaving them optimistic about the future. Both teams have strong schedules this year designed to prepare for the Big Ten Championships. %^$
%^$The women’s team is looking for its first Big Ten Title. Russ Rogers, Ohio State’s head coach, believes the 2000 squad is in position to vie for its first league title. The strong leadership of 1999 Big Ten Champions, Dominque Calloway, in the outdoor 100-meter hurdles and indoor 200 dash, Donica Merriman, in the outdoor 200, Carrie Hoblet, in the indoor 800, and Desiree Jones in the pentathlon, is pushing the team to a new level.%^$
%^$Rogers has high expectations for the team’s new sprinters from Essex County Community College, Gabriella Edwards, Onica Frasier and Tina Johnson because they are bringing experience from the collegiate level with them. %^$
%^$Taking the men’s team to a higher level of competition is Andrew Pierce, the 1999 Big Ten Champion in the indoor 400, along with what Rogers believes is one of the nation’s best 4×400 relay teams. %^$
%^$The men’s cross country team finished fourth in the Big Ten, and are expected to continue this momentum into the indoor season’s distance events. The men’s team has three new sprinters from Essex County, Kambon Sampson, Edison Francis and Courtney Cornwall, who are also expected to contribute to the team’s success. %^$
%^$Strength in All Areas
%^$Rogers looks for Dominque Calloway and Donica Merriman to continue their success in the hurdles and sprints and provide a large portion of the Buckeyes points.%^$
%^$Calloway, a 1999 All-American, heads into her senior year of competition. She was the 1999 Big Ten indoor champion in the 200 and was a member of the first-place 4×400 relay team. In the outdoor Big Ten meet, Calloway dominated in the 100 hurdles, was a member of the victorious 4×400 relay team and was named the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Performer. She continued to excel in outdoor competition by placing fourth in the 100 hurdles and third in the 400 hurdles at the NCAA Championships. %^$
%^$All-American Donica Merriman finished strong last year by setting personal bests in the 200 and the 100 hurdles. At the outdoor Big Ten Championships, she placed first in the 200 and second in the 100 hurdles. She alone racked up 26 points toward the Buckeyes’ Big Ten score. At the NCAA Championships, she was right behind Calloway in the 100 hurdles with a fifth place finish. %^$
%^$Rogers expects the three new recruits from Essex County, Edwards, Frasier and Johnson, to add to the sprinting power of the team. %^$
%^$”I expect the women from Essex County to contribute about 40 points, and when combined with the 84 points that I expect our returning members to score, we should have enough to put us over the top,” Rogers said. %^$
%^$”Chambers is a very talented athlete, and even as a freshmen, I can see her taking second after Desiree,” Rogers said. %^$
%^$Carrie Hoblet brought success to the team with her first-place finish in the 800 at the indoor Big Ten Championships. She also was a member of the victorious 4×400 relay team, which placed first at both the indoor and outdoor Big Ten meets. Now in her senior year, Hoblet’s leadership to the team is just as important as her performance on the track, Rogers said. %^$
%^$”We look for her to continue her success in the 800,” he said.%^$
%^$Senior Alexis Schulist, who placed third and seventh in the 10,000 and 5,000 at the Big Ten Championships, leads distance runners Karyn Kelly, Mandy Osmond, Kati Stevens and Danielle Robb in the race for the Big Ten Championship. %^$
%^$Pierce, Gonzalez, and Johnson Leading the Men
%^$Rogers expects team captains Andrew Pierce, David Gonzalez and Corey Johnson to continue their success and lead the rest of the team to the top of the Big Ten. %^$
%^$Andrew Pierce recorded a stellar indoor season after posting six first-place finishes in the 400. One of these victories was captured at the Big Ten Championships with a record time of 46.66. Rogers said he looks for Pierce to stay strong in the 400 for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. %^$
%^$Rogers has high hopes for the 4×400 relay team, anchored by Pierce. %^$
%^$”I think our relay team will be one of the Top 3 teams in the NCAA,” Rogers said. %^$
%^$Ryan Grear had a strong finish at the outdoor Big Ten Championships last year. Grear contributed 7.5 points by placing third in the 110 meter hurdles, seventh in the 400 meter hurdles, and he was a member of the 4×100 relay team. Rogers expects Grear to continue his success. %^$
%^$Three new recruits, Sampson, Francis and Cornwall were successful in the sprinting events at Essex County and Rogers looks for them to strengthen the Buckeyes. With collegiate experience, Rogers is ready for them to contribute right away. %^$
%^$Rogers expects Ian Connor to continue his success in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Last year, Connor was a NCAA Championship Participant and USATF Qualifier in this event. %^$
%^$Team Motivated by New Throws and Multi-Events Coach
%^$The track team’s new throws and multi-events coach, John Smith, had no problem gaining his team’s respect and trust, Rogers said. %^$
%^$”The team can just see his love for the sport and they know he is giving his all,” Rogers said. “They took to him right away.”%^$
%^$Smith has an endless list of experiences that have molded him into a successful coach. Topping that list is the coaching of his wife, Connie Price-Smith, a three-time Olympian. His dedication to the sport and Connie’s willingness to share her experience with the team has given the athletes a new motivation to contribute to the Buckeyes, Rogers said. %^$
%^$Johnson Takes Team to New Heights
%^$Rogers expects senior captain, Corey Johnson, to continue his success in the pole vault. He finished in the Top 5 at five meets during the 1999 outdoor season. He also placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships. %^$
For the women’s team Rogers looks for freshman, Rachel Zukowski, to place in the pole vault. Zukowski’s best vault in high school was 12’0” and she received all-state honors.%^$
%^$Expectations for Success
%^$Rogers, in his 12th year as head coach, said this is the first women’s team that he has entirely recruited. He feels the team is well-rounded and has the strength to win. %^$
%^$”I expect we’re going to end up first or second in the Big Ten if everything goes right and no one gets hurt,” Rogers said.%^$
%^$For the men, Rogers knows sprints and distance are the team’s strongest areas. However he sees the team advancing in all areas as the season unfolds.%^$
%^$”We expect great things from everyone,” Rogers said. “And with our schedule, talent and great leadership, I know we can succeed.”%^$
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