2010-2011 Ohio State Women's Track (B1G Champs) and Cross Country

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2010-2011 Schedules

Cross Country

Date. Meet..................................... Location
09/17 Mountaineer Open......................... Boone, N.C.
10/01 All-Ohio Championships................... Cedarville, Ohio
10/01 Notre Dame Invitational.................. South Bend, Ind.
10/16 NCAA Pre-Nationals....................... Terre Haute, Ind.
10/22 Eastern Michigan Fall Classic............ Ypsilanti, Mich.
10/31 Big Ten Championships.................... Madison, Wisc.
11/13 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships.. Oakland, Mich.
11/22 NCAA Championships....................... Terre Haute, Ind.



Indoor Track

Will be added when released



Outdoor Track
Will be added when released

 

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Distance Coach Chris Neal Previews the 2010 Cross Country Season - The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com

Distance Coach Chris Neal Previews the 2010 Cross Country Season

Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 08/24/2010

Coach Neal provides details on the 2010 Buckeyes.

Coming off of the first national championship appearance in school history, what kind of momentum does that give the team in 2010 and beyond?
I think qualifying for the NCAA championships last season helped to raise the bar for the upcoming season and the future of our cross country program. The athletes returning from last year's team got a taste of success and will be aiming to repeat that same feeling this upcoming season.

You return most of your runners from last season. How valuable will an experienced roster be in helping the team reach its goals?
It is great to be returning most our runners from last season. This group of ladies knows what it takes to make the NCAA championships and knows how much fun it is to compete on that level. I also think it will help bring our freshmen along more quickly when we have good leadership up front.

Three of your top runners from last season - Jordan Jennewine, Sarah Foster and Ellen Birmingham - are back, and all three are legitimate contenders in both the Big Ten and Great Lakes region. What kind of impression have these three veterans made on the Ohio State program?
We will definitely be leaning a lot on Sarah, Jordan, and Ellen this upcoming season. All three at some point in their careers here at The Ohio State University have been named team MVP for cross country. Having that kind of experience coming back gives us a lot of confidence heading into the season.

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http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...8&SPID=10644&ATCLID=204996365&DB_OEM_ID=17300

Buckeyes Cruise to Victory at Mountaineer Open

Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 09/17/2010

BOONE, N.C. - Fresh off its grueling training regimen in the hills of North Carolina, the Ohio State women's cross country team opened the season in dominating fashion Friday at the Mountaineer Open. The 5K event took place in the State Farm Fields of Boone, N.C.

The Buckeyes swept the top 4 spots, led by senior Ellen Birmingham's first-place time of 17:53.93. She was followed by freshman Meredith Wagner (18:00.36) in second, senior Sarah Foster (18:04.21) in third and sophomore (and team blogger) Molly Jacobson who finished fourth overall in a time of 18:15.33.

"Today the girls did a great job of getting out and staying together," distance coach Chris Neal said. "Our top 4 really packed it in tight and our fifth runner was up there through the first 2 miles.

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http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...8&SPID=10644&ATCLID=205004655&DB_OEM_ID=17300

Buckeyes Fight Hard, Finish 16th at Notre Dame Related: OSUWXC on Facebook Complete Results (PDF)
Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 10/01/2010

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The Ohio State women's cross country team finished 16th at the 5k Notre Dame Invitational Friday afternoon.

Running without senior captain Sarah Foster, the Buckeyes fought valiantly against some of the top teams in the nation in the women's Blue Division. No. 1 Villanova dominated the field with a total of 64 points, easily outdistancing second-place Oregon (118).

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http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...8&SPID=10644&ATCLID=205013584&DB_OEM_ID=17300

Ohio State Takes 14th at Pre-Nationals

Complete Results (PDF)

Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 10/16/2010

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Ohio State women's cross country team fought its way to a 14th-place finish Saturday at the 2010 Indiana State Pre-National Invitational.

Freshman Meredith Wagner led the way for the Scarlet and Gray for the second consecutive meet, finishing 45th in 21:08.9. As a team, the Buckeyes finished with 434 points on the 6k course, well behind first-place and third-ranked Florida State (115).

Sophomore Tori Brink was Ohio State's No. 2 runner, finishing 68th in 21:25.3. Junior Ellen Birmingham crossed the finish line just behind Brink for a 71st-place time of 21:27.6. Molly Jacobson (106th, 21:43.6) and Rachel White (144, 22:01.0) rounded out the scoring for the Buckeyes.

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Buckeyes finish 6th at Big 10 Championships

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...8&SPID=10644&ATCLID=205022246&DB_OEM_ID=17300

MADISON, Wis. - Led by a career day from senior Ellen Birmingham, the Ohio State women's cross country team put together a solid team effort to finish in sixth-place Sunday at the 2010 Big Ten Cross Country Championships.

As a team, Ohio State scored 162 points on the 6k course to bring home the squad's highest finish at the conference meet since 1988. Michigan State captured the team title with a score of 74.

"The ladies ran really well as a team today," distance coach Chris Neal said. "Our top 4 were very aggressive and got out after the race. I thought Ellen had the best race of her collegiate career. While as a team we always aim to finish top 3 at the Big Ten meet, I thought we fought hard and really overcame a lot today. We have had some sickness over the past week that should be resolved by regionals and our goal for the next 13 days is simple: make nationals."

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Ohio State Results
1 10 Ellen Birmingham 20:39
2 16 Meredith Wagner 20:49
3 39 Molly Jacobson 21:21
4 41 Tori Brink 21:23
5 56 Sarah Foster 21:45
6 (73) Mallory Kreider 22:28
7 (75) Angela Williams 22:41
Also: 8 (90) Sarah Lowe 22:52.8

Team Standings
1) Michigan State - 74 points
2) Michigan - 88
3) Minnesota - 90
4) Penn State - 106
5) Indiana - 117
6) Ohio State - 162
7) Wisconsin - 172
8) Iowa - 190
9) Illinois - 203
10) Northwestern - 251
11) Purdue - 261

Link to full results: https://www.nmnathletics.com//downl...022246&SPSID=89268&SPID=10644&DB_OEM_ID=17300

Obviously a nice effort from the ladies, notching their best finish since 1988. Great run by Birmingham up front, probably the best she's run. Wagner also continues to run well. She finished as the #2 true freshman in the conference and only 1.3 seconds away from earning all-conference honors. Would have liked to have seen her get out with that large secondary pack, but a good race nonetheless. A very nice performance from Jacobson as well. She wasn't a stud recruit coming out of HS, but has really improved while at OSU.

An ok result from Brink, but I think she's got more in the tank than that. Looks like she got out well but faded.

Didn't look like anyone else ran that well, though I that really didn't impact the team finish, as better runs wouldn't have had much impact on the score. The unfortunate thing for this team is the injuries they have sustained. Jennewine, 12th in the conference last year, has been out all season, and Foster is working her way back from injury as well. These two would have been staples in the Buckeyes' top 5, and likely their two best runners. Rachel White, has was 5th for the team at Pre-Nats, was also out with an injury. If fully healthy, I believe this team would have challenged for 2nd place.

The ladies ran extremely well at Regionals last year - let's hope that trend continues. Foster has two more weeks to get closer to 100% and perhaps White will be back as well, giving them a strong top 6. Birmingham and Wagner should also be in the hunt for individual births if the team does not advance.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDXNRPsIV_4"]YouTube - 2010 Big Ten Cross Country Women (1 of 2).mp4[/ame]

 

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http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205030344&DB_OEM_ID=17300

Wagner, Birmingham Lead Buckeyes to Fourth at the Great Lakes Regional Championships

Related: Results OSUWXC on Facebook Results (PDF)

Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 11/13/2010

ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Ohio State women's cross country team finished in fourth-place Saturday afternoon at the 2010 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships. Meredith Wagner and Ellen Birmingham finished one-two for the Buckeyes and seventh and eighth overall on the University of Oakland's 6k Katke-Cousins Golf Course, earning All-Regional honors.

Wagner led the Scarlet and Gray for the third meet this season, crossing the finish line in 20:43, a personal record for the freshman phenom. Birmingham was close behind Wagner in 20:46, with sophomore Tori Brink next in line for the Buckeyes (27th, 21:27.6). Senior Sarah Foster (42nd, 21:44.2) and Molly Jacobson (56th, 21:54.3) rounded out the scoring five for OSU.

Big Ten champion Michigan State, led by individual champion Emily Macleod, captured the Great Lakes title with a team score of 80. Michigan finished in second-place with 96 points, followed by MAC champ Toledo (130) and the Buckeyes (139). Indiana rounded out the Top 5 with a point total of 167.

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A very very solid race from the ladies. Much like the men, injuries to key runners likely kept this team from Nationals. If Sarah Foster is healthy, this team likely beats Toledo and finishes 3rd, not to mention last year's #1 Jordan Jennewine, who hasn't run all year.

The good news is that Meredith Wagner and Ellen Birmingham ran incredibly well, placing 7th and 8th, and both received individual bids to the National meet. Tori Brink and Molly Jacobson also both turned in very solid performances.

Not sure what the situation is with Jennewine, as she hasn't competed since last XC season, but if she comes back healthy next season, this team will once again be very formidable.

I am extremely excited about Meredith Wagner's success. She is the best distance recruit OSU has gotten in many many many years, and is definitely performing as hoped. I am optimistic that this will lead other talented Ohio girls to choose Ohio State. Ohio produces an abundance of great female runners, and this program can easily be consistently in the top 10 in the country if it can keep even just 1/3-1/4 of that talent. Snagging Meredith last year was a great start. This year, Michelle Thomas and Carly Hamilton, among others, are both still unsigned, to my knowledge. Getting either one of them would be huge for the future. For the present, good luck to Meredith and Ellen at Nationals!

 

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According to her bio on the official site Jennewine redshirted this XC season. I found this in an old article:

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...8&SPID=10644&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=204994143

Three of your top runners from last season - Jordan Jennewine, Sarah Foster and Ellen Birmingham - are back, and all three are legitimate contenders in both the Big Ten and Great Lakes region. What kind of impression have these three veterans made on the Ohio State program?

Jordan's participation this season is still up in the air. She had surgery last spring and we may have to limit her running this fall to enable her to stay healthy and participate in the indoor and outdoor track seasons. I'm hopeful we will be able to have Jordan for cross country because she has a tremendous impact on the success of our team.

 

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Senior Ellen Birmingham finished 73rd with a time of 21:08.5 and freshman Meredith Wagner finished 75th with a time of 21:10.2 over the 6K course at the National Championships earlier today. Congrats ladies!

Of other interest Ohio native Emily Infeld (Jr, Georgetown) finished in 2nd, less than 3 seconds away from the national champion (20:02.2).

Villanova won the team title for the 2nd straight year, just ahead of Florida State. Michigan was the top Big Ten team finishing in 22nd followed closely by Michigan State in 23rd (5 points behind Michigan). Penn State (26th) and Minnesota (27th) rounded out the Big Ten placing.

Individual Results
Team Results

 

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The National Championships took place today, with Meredith Wagner and Ellen Birmingham competing for the Buckeyes. Both turned in very solid performances, as Ellen finished 73rd in 21:08, and Meredith came in right behind her in 75th (21:10). A great finish to the season for both girls. For comparison, both finished well ahead of OSU's top finisher at the 2009 championships (Katie Williams in 134th).

Results are here: http://www.ncaa.com/sports/c-xc/champpage/inc/div1/2010d1windividualresults.html

Some other Ohioans of note:

Emily Infeld (Georgetown) - 2nd
Ari Fisher (Toledo) - 26th
Katie Gillespie (West Virginia) - 34th
Madeline Chambers (Georgetown) - 36th
Emily MacLeod (Michigan State) - 37th

 

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More good news for the Buckeyes after a great performance at Nationals yesterday: Ohio Division 1 state champion Michelle Thomas has committed to OSU! Michelle is also the reigning D1 state champion in the 3200 meter run, and recently qualified to Nike Cross Nationals with her 3rd place finish in the Midwest region. Look for Michelle to make a similar impact as Meredith did this year.

 

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January 6, 2011 Ohio State Open

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The 23rd-ranked Ohio State women's track and field team opened its 2011 campaign Friday evening as hosts of the Buckeye Classic at French Field House.

Junior Madison McNary, a transfer from the University of Florida, stole the show in her Buckeye debut, capturing wins in both the 60m and 200m dashes. McNary's time of 7.42 seconds in the 60m was especially impressive, as it marked a personal best for the Tarpon Springs, Fla., native, as well as the fourth-best time in Ohio State indoor history.

Other highlights from the meet included a 1-2 finish in the 60m hurdles from Letecia Wright and Christina Manning, a PR in the weight throw from Maggie Mullen, and the return of Jordan Jennewine in the 3000m.

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This team has the potential to be quite good. McNary is a very good sprinter (7th in the 100 at the SEC Championships last year) and showed that in this meet. Was hoping that Sykes would have run a bit better, but it's early.

Wright and Manning continued to do their thing, picking up right where they left of last season.

The 400 girls ran a bit slow, but they went 1-2-3 and again, it's early. Hullum ran unattached, so I don't know if she is planning to redshirt, eligibility issue, etc.

The distance ladies ran a nice 3k, especially Tori Brink. Nice to Jennewine back on the track as well.

I think the article is incorrect regarding Mullen's PR throw. A solid effort, but her PR is 18.64m according to her bio.

Results are here: http://www.finishtiming.com/Results/OSU/2011/01-07/index.htm

 

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Ohio State 83 v. Michigan 78

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...2&SPID=10416&ATCLID=205077842&DB_OEM_ID=17300

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Ohio State women's track and field team defeated the Michigan Wolverines 83-78 Saturday afternoon in "The Dual," the first-ever head-to-head matchup between the rivals. The hard fought meet came down to the final race, with Ohio State clinching the win with a victory in the 4x400 relay.

All-American Christina Manning led the way with two first-place finishes for the team. The Waldorf, Md., native finished the 60m hurdles in 8.13 -- the third-best time in OSU history, a new personal record and an NCAA automatic qualifier. The junior also ran a 24.50 in the 200m.

"We're happy to come away with this win today because we've struggled all week with illness and minor injuries," head coach Karen Dennis said after the meet. "Fortunately we had some women step up and really make a difference. Michigan and OSU have a great rivalry in all sports and we're glad to leave Ann Arbor having won our first Dual team competition."

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Great job by the ladies, Manning especially. She was named B1G Track Athlete of the Week for her efforts.

 

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January 28-29

Kentucky Rod McCravy Memorial Meet

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...2&SPID=10416&ATCLID=205086252&DB_OEM_ID=17300

LEXINGTON, Ky. - No. 24 Ohio State faced stiff competition Saturday at the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet at the University of Kentucky as several new personal records were set and top times and marks in school history were recorded.

Redshirt junior Jordan Jennewine posted the third-best indoor mile time in school history as she battled fiercely for a second-place finish in 4:49.60, a new personal record. Junior Christina Manning (7.40) tied her personal record in the 60m dash as she took a second-place finish for the Buckeyes. Her time is now the third-fastest indoor time in school history.

Letecia Wright, Meredith Wagner, Ashley Galbraith and the 4x400m relay team also posted some of the best times and marks in Ohio State history. Wright won the 60m hurdles, tying her PR (8.19) and running the sixth-best indoor time in school history. In the 3000m run Wagner stayed within the top of the pack as she came in fourth in 9:46.79 for the sixth-best indoor time in Buckeye history.

The best performance off the track came from Galbraith in the high jump as she bested the competition, clearing 1.79m ? a new PR and the sixth-best indoor mark in school history. The junior overcame fellow Big Ten jumper Emily Breslin of Purdue at the 1.79m mark by clearing the bar one attempt before her to capture the win.

Ohio State?s 4x400m relay team gave another stunning performance at the end of the meet as Latoya Sanderson, Jackie Dim, Nyjah Cousar and Shaniqua McGinnis crossed the line in 3:40.33 for the fifth-fastest indoor time in school history.

Some thoughts from head coach Karen Dennis after the meet:

"I thought we had a solid meet in Kentucky this weekend," Dennis said. "I was really pleased with Ashley Galbraith's winning performance in the high jump. She's jumping with more confidence at higher heights. Adenike Pedro continues to jump consistently over 19' and she ran well in the 200m dash as well.

"Letecia and Christinna are continuing with their 1-2 punch in the hurdles. They switch up as winners, but they pride themselves in not letting anyone come between them. Alana Gray and Christienne Linton had PR performances in the hurdles as well. Christina also ran well in the 60m dash along with Sykes.

"Jordan Jennewine had a great day in the mile as well as our 3k runners Meredith Wagner and Kelsey McHugh. Both girls have shown significant improvement. I'm also proud of the way Shaniqua [McGinnis], Latoya [Sanderson] and Jackie [Dim] have battled back from injuries to begin to race up to potential [in the 4x400m].

"Our throwers faced one of the toughest fields in the country and left the meet encouraged about their future. Maggie Mullen threw for the first time in weeks without pain, so we know she'll be fine. We still need to improve in all areas, but we continue to move in the right direction together as a team."

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