2010 Ohio State Men's Track and Field

[stkoran]

01/09/2010 Buckeye Classic

COLUMBUS, Ohio - French Field House re-opened its doors Saturday afternoon as the Ohio State men's track and field team opened the 2010 season at the Buckeye Classic.

The kickoff to the indoor season was a great warm-up for the Buckeyes heading into next weekend's showdown in Ann Arbor at the annual OSU-Michigan "Dual." It also provided a chance for the program to unveil its new and improved indoor facility to alumni and fans.

"I thought we had some good performances that bode well for the dual meet at Michigan next week," head coach Robert Gary said after the meet. "I thought for the first meet of the year, we were pretty solid.

"It was great to re-open our home track for the fans," Gary continued. "All of the alumni seemed really impressed by all of the upgrades. We look forward to hosting some big meets here within the next year or two."

An invitational that allowed many of Ohio State's young talent the opportunity to shine also witnessed a bit of star power from an All-American - sophomore Thomas Murdaugh opened his second year in Columbus with a dominating performance in the 400m dash. The sophomore's time of 48.25 was almost a full second faster than second-place Aaron Roberts (49.22). Newcomer Marvel Brooks made it a clean sweep of the Top 3 for the Buckeyes with a third-place time of 49.55.

Freshman Derek Blevins opened his Buckeye career with a first-place finish in the long jump. The Raytown, Mo. native's jump of 7.13m (23-4.75) edged fellow OSU freshman Korbin Smith (6.79m/22-3.50). Blevins followed up his win in the long jump with a victory in the triple jump (14.64m/48-0.5).

Buckeye senior Brandon Woodard won the 600m run with a time of 1:20.96. Elon Simms, returning from injured-plagued 2009, opened up 2010 with a solid second-place effort of 1:21.02. Redshirt freshman Jared Hall took third just behind Simms at 1:21.02, followed by teammate Marcus Brooks (1:21.42).

Curtis Leuenberger was the champion in the 200m dash with a time of 21.97. Findlay's Lyndon Johnson took second in a time of 22.32, followed by sophomore Blake Callahan at 22.58.

A run of 8:22.86 earned redshirt freshman Cory Leslie a victory in the 3000m run. Chad Balyo gave Leslie a run for his money, but was unable to pull out the win, instead settling for second in 8:23.64.

Daniel White opened the season with a win in the mile run. White's time of 4:13.39 was well ahead of second-place finisher Daryl Murphy (4:20.34).

Clearing the bar at 2.00m (6-6.75), senior Ryan Blake managed a first-place finish in the high jump. Joel Smith took second, while former Buckeye and current volunteer assistant Patrick Woods finished third at 1.95m (6-4.75).

Redshirt freshman Heath Nickles finished first in the pole vault, vaulting to 4.70m (15-5). Alan Dague, a junior from Galloway, Ohio, was second.

Joel Brown, a 2005 Ohio State graduate and volunteer coach with the women's track team, won the 60m dash with a 6.85 second sprint. Buckeye senior Stephen Robinson finished second with a time of 6.85, with freshman Matt Terrell debuting in third (6.97).

Brown also captured first-place in the finals of the 60m hurdles, crossing the finish line in 7.78 seconds. Ohio State senior Jonathan Francois finished second with a time of 8.04.

A.G. Kruger took home the title in the weight throw with a toss of 23.45m (76-11.25). Robert Klenk was a distant second at 21.17m (69-5.50), while Ohio State sophomore Matt DeChant, competitng unattached, finished third (18.82m/61-9). DeChant also took second in the shot put at 17.11m (56-1.75).

Ohio State's 4x400m relay teams went one-two to close out the day's events. The team of Robinson, Woodard, Simms and Murdaugh claimed the title with a time of 3:15.06, while Marvel Brooks, Marcus Brooks, Jared Hall and Rob Baisden finished second in 3:16.81.

 

[stkoran]

01/16/2010 "The Dual" - Ohio State v. Michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The greatest rivalry in sports was renewed on the track Saturday as the Ohio State men's track and field team defeated Michigan, 92-70, in "The Dual."

Ohio State was in midseason form inside the U-M Indoor Track Building, claiming wins in nine out of 15 events to capture a convincing win over the rival Wolverines.

"The team performed great today," Ohio State head coach Robert Gary said after the meet. "I am very proud of the staff and our kids. We had many great performances, but more importantly, the entire team got into it and was aggressive."

The performance of the day for the Buckeyes came in the weight throw, where redshirt sophomore Max Mays shattered his previous personal record in the weight throw, claiming first-place and five points for the Buckeyes with an NCAA provisional toss of 19.52m (64-0.5), the second-best mark in the Big Ten so far this season. Michigan senior Sean Pruitt, the 2009 Big Ten indoor champion and Michigan school record holder in the weight throw, finished in second with a provisional qualifying mark of 19.41m (63-8.25). Matt DeChant finished third for the Buckeyes at 19.15m (62-10).

DeChant followed up his third-place finish in the weight with a win in the shot put (17.30m/56-9.25). U-M's Pruitt settled for another runner-up finish at 17.21m (56-5.75), followed by OSU sophomore Tyler Branch.

All-American Thomas Murdaugh, the reigning Big Ten runner of the week, put together another dominating performance in the 400m dash, taking the title with an NCAA provisional and Big Ten best time of 47.18 - more than two seconds separated Murdaugh from teammate Marvel Brooks, who finished second in 49.26.

Murdaugh anchored Ohio State's Big Ten champion 4x400m relay team to another easy victory - the Buckeyes' time of 3:15.00, a Dual meet record, was more than five seconds better than Michigan's.

The Scarlet and Gray swept the Top 3 spots in the 600m dash - senior Brandon Woodard led the way with a time of 1:20.70, followed by fellow senior Elon Simms (1:21.30) and freshman Marcus Brooks (1:21.91).

Freshman Korbin Smith won the long jump competition with a PR of 7.35m (24-1.5), the top mark in the Big Ten on the year. Michigan sophomore Robert Peddlar was second at 7.28m (23-10.75), followed by OSU freshman Derek Blevins (7.04m/23-1.25).

Redshirt freshman Heath Nickles finished first in the pole vault for the second-consecutive meet, clearing the bar at a PR height of 4.90m (16-0.75). Michigan senior Frank Shotwell took second for the Wolverines at 4.75m (15-7), followed by Buckeye Alan Dague (4.60m/15-1).

With the win, the Buckeyes regain the lead in the Dual series, 4-3. The teams meet again April 10 in Columbus.

"This is the greatest rivalry in sports and I am very proud that we have a group of guys that know how to compete," Gary said of his squad's victory. "I am looking forward to handing out our very special dual pins [given to event winners] at practice next week - our guys earned them."

Other highlights for the Buckeyes:

Curtis Leuenberger won the 200m dash for the second straight week with a time of 21.96. Teammate Stephen Robinson finished just behind Leuenberger in 22.31.
Dan White and Jared Hall went one-two in the 800m run. White crossed the finish line in 1:53.67, followed by Hall (1:54.88).
Redshirt freshman Cory Leslie won the mile run in 4:36.75.
Ryan Blake matched his 2009 season-best mark in the high jump with a second-place jump of 2.06m (6-9).
Ohio State won nine of the meets' 15 events, including six of nine on the track.

 

[stkoran]

01/29/2010 Penn State National Invitational

DeChant, Mays Lead Buckeyes on First Day of Penn State Nationals - The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Ohio State men's track and field team opened competition at the Penn State National Invitational Friday.

Sophomores Matt DeChant and Max Mays led the Scarlet and Gray on the first day in Happy Valley, recording Top 5 finishes in the weight throw. DeChant tied his personal record with a third-place toss of 19.41m (63-8.25), the fourth-best mark in the Big Ten this year, while Mays finished close behind in fourth with his throw of 19.02 (62-5). Billy Gehring (18.29m/60-0.25, a PR) and Jared Collier (17.60m/57-9) also enjoyed a solid day, finishing sixth and ninth, respectively. Temple senior Bryce Buffaloe won the event with his mark of 19.47m (63-10.5).

The Buckeyes distance medley relay team of Jeff See, Aaron Roberts, Jared Hall and Daryl Murphy ran a Big Ten-best time of 9:52.14 to finish second overall behind Georgetown.

Redshirt freshman Heath Nickles won the pole vault competition for the third time season, clearing the bar at 4.80m (15-9). Binghamton freshman Adam Helman finished second, followed by Ohio State's Alan Dague.

Two Buckeyes finished in the Top 10 of the 5000m run invitational - redshirt sophomore Adam Green finished in third-place with a run of 14:21.64, while Taylor Williams placed seventh in a time of 14:31.61. Ryan Blood won the race with a time of 14:13.90.

Korbin Smith continued a fast start to this college career with a sixth-place finish in the long jump at 6.96m (22-10). Cadeau Kelley, competing unattached, finished in first-place at 7.87m (25-10).

Senior Jonathan Francois ran a season-best time of 8.04 in the 60m hurdle preliminaries, the fifth-best in the Big Ten this season. However, Francois stumbled in the semifinals, falling short of final round qualification. Miami sophomore Devon Hill would eventually take home the title with an NCAA provisional time of 7.79.

 

[stkoran]

01/30/2010 Penn State National Invitational Day 2

White Smashes 800m Indoor Record at Penn State - The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Daniel White had quite a day for the Ohio State men's track and field team Saturday at the Penn State National Invitational, breaking the school indoor record in the 800m with a time of 1:48.26.

White's NCAA provisional time, .26 seconds off of an NCAA automatic qualifier broke the Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track record in the process. Unfortunately for White, it was only good for a fifth-place finish, as four other athletes in the invitational also broke the previous track record, led by Penn State junior Ryan Foster. Foster's time of 1:47.48 earned him the title amongst a Top 4 that saw all four competitors run NCAA automatic times.

Redshirt freshman Cory Leslie ran the fourth-best indoor time in school history in the mile with his NCAA provisional and fourth-place run of 4:03.14. Chad Balyo finished just behind Leslie with his fourth-place time of 4:04.49. Binghamton junior Erik van Ingen led the pack, finishing in 3:59.58. Leslie and Balyo's times were the fourth and fifth-best in the Big Ten this year.

The Buckeye 4x400m relay team of Rob Baisden, Stephen Robinson, Elon Simms and anchor Thomas Murdaugh finished first in the 4x400 invitational, narrowly missing out on an NCAA provisional time with a run of 3:10.57, second-best in the Big Ten this season. Ohio State's 'B' team of Aaron Roberts, Marcus Brooks, Marvel Brooks and Korbin Smith took home the title in the 4x400m open with a time of 3:14.13.

Ohio State was well represented in the 3000m - Adam Green won the invitational in 8:14.30 and Taylor Williams was sixth (8:20.24). Green's time is the seventh-best in the conference in 2010.

Seniors Brandon Woodard and Elon Simms performed well in the 500m competitions. Woodard's time of 1:03.06 in the invitational section earned him a second-place finish behind Georgetown's Toby Ulm (1:02.54), while Simms used a time of 1:03.57 to finish second in 500m open. Freshman Marcus Brooks was ninth with a run of 1:05.14 as Georgetown's Austin Perron held off Simms for another Hoya win in a time of 1:03.53.

An Ohio State personal record fell in the shot put - Tyler Branch shattered his previous career-best with his fifth-place toss of 17.76m (58-3.25). Matt DeChant (17.51m/57-5.5) was seventh, as Sheldon Battle used a throw of 20.31m (66-7.75) to finish in first-place. Branch (fourth-best) and DeChant (fifth-best) both established themselves on the Big Ten Top 10 list.

The Buckeyes placed three in the Top 5 of the 400m dash, led by Baisden, who finished third with a PR of 48.27, seventh-best in the Big Ten this season. Marvel Brooks (48.70) and Roberts (48.75), finished fourth and fifth, respectively. North Carolina A&T sophomore Jarrell Elliott used a time of 47.90 to finish first.

A senior and freshman represented the Buckeyes well in the 200m dash open - Robinson ran a third-place time of 21.76, ninth-best in the Big Ten, while Matt Terrell was seventh in 22.11. Josh Scott, a senior from St. Augustine's was first in a time of 21.30.

"I thought we started off pretty flat on the first night, but things got going pretty good," head coach Robert Gary said. "Throws saw DeChant and Mays establish themselves with two PR's to go with strong performances in the sprints, notably Thomas in the open 200 and in the 4x400. I'm really looking forward to our trip to Meyo next weekend and continuing to work our way onto the Big Ten list and NCAA qualifiers."

 

[bkochmc]

Great times by White, Leslie and the 4x400.

 

[stkoran]

02/05/2010 Notre Dame Meyo Day 1 and Nebraska Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational Day 1

Leslie Breaks 1000m Indoor Record in South Bend - The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Cory Leslie is becoming quite a familiar name in the Ohio State record books.

One week removed from running the fourth-best indoor mile in school history, Leslie rewrote the Ohio State records once again with his second-place run of 2:22.48 in the 1000m Friday evening at the Meyo Invitational, the top time in OSU history.

"Cory's performance was definitely the highlight of day one," Ohio State head coach Robert Gary said of Leslie's effort. "He has put himself into great shape. With the way he is running now, he could very easily run under four minutes in the mile, something only the best of athletes are able to accomplish."

The redshirt freshman wasn't the only star of the evening wearing Scarlet and Gray -- freshman Marvel Brooks won the 500m dash with a personal record time of 1:02.87. Missouri's Ryan Blackwell finished second in 1:03.28, followed by Buckeye senior Elon Simms (1:03.46). Marcus Brooks was sixth for Ohio State with his time of 1:03.79.

"I thought Marvel, Elon and Marcus ran really tough for us in the 500m," Gary said. "I was pleased with the effort each of them put forward."

Not to be outdone, Patrick Sovacool ran a fourth-place time of 14:13.40 in the 5000m, the second-best run in the Big Ten this season and three seconds off of an NCAA provisional time. Matt Bruce of Louisville won the race with a provisional qualifying time of 14:03.36.

After an impressive first day of competition in South Bend, the Buckeyes return to the track for day two Saturday beginning at 9:00 a.m.

"All in all, it was a pretty good first day for us," Gary said. "We're looking forward to a big day two!"

DeChant Finishes 10th in Weight Throw at Nebraska
Matt DeChant and the Buckeye throwers were in Lincoln, Neb. Friday, competing in the weight throw at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational.

The sophomore from Avon Lake, Ohio led the Ohio State contingent in Lincoln, finishing 10th in the weight with his toss of 18.55m (60-10.50). Dimitrios Fylladitakis of UTEP won the event with a NCAA provisional mark of 20.90m (68-7).

DeChant, along with Tyler Branch, will vie for the shot put title Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

 

[stkoran]

02/06/2009 Day 2 of Meyo and Husker

See Runs Sub-Four Minute Mile on Final Day of Meyo Invite - The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - All-American Jeff See's sub-four mile Saturday at the Meyo Invitational highlighted an exciting final day of competition for the Ohio State men's track and field team.

See's first-place time of 3:58.82 in the Meyo mile was the second-best in Ohio State indoor history and the second-fastest time in the nation this year. Tulsa's Justin Duncan finished in second-place with the nation's eighth-best time (4:00.89).

"I continue to be impressed with many different people in many different areas," head coach Robert Gary said. "Jeff See earned an NCAA qualifier and first indoor sub-four minute mile and first Meyo Invite win. Thomas Murdaugh ran an indoor PR in the 400, which should qualify him for NCAA's and we had a number of others establish themselves on the Big Ten list."

As mentioned, Murdaugh - Ohio State's other All-American - enjoyed an impressive day as well. Murdaugh recorded a season-best time of 46.43 in the 400m dash, the seventh-best time in the NCAA this season. However, it was only good enough for a second-place finish - Alabama's Kirani James set the top NCAA time this season with his first-place run of 45.79.

Murdaugh would get the better of James in the 4x400m relay as he anchored Ohio State's 4x400m relay team to yet another first-place finish in 3:08.22, an NCAA automatic qualifier and the seventh-best in the NCAA this season. Alabama finished in second-place with a time of 3:09.27. The Buckeye 'B' team finished in eighth-place in 3:12.59, just a second off of an NCAA provisional time.

"The mile relay team continues to get better and better with a great victory to end the meet," Gary said. "We will now start to get focused towards Big Ten's and NCAA's."

One day after breaking the OSU 1000m indoor record, Cory Leslie finished in eighth-place in the 800m run with a time of 1:50.27, the fourth-best indoor time in school history. Leslie's time was also an NCAA provisional qualifier and the 10th-best in the Big Ten this season. Notre Dame's Jack Howard won the event in 1:48.60, an NCAA automatic qualifier.

Curtis Leuenberger took home the title in the 200m dash with an NCAA provisional run of 21.50, the best in the Big Ten on the year. Jonathan Juin of Ole Miss was second 21.55.

Other Buckeye highlights at the Meyo Invite:

Ryan Blake tied his season-best in the high jump, finishing ninth at 2.06m (6-9).
Steve MacDonald set a season-best with his 10th-place finish in the long jump (7.11m/23-4). Korbin Smith was 11th at 7.10m (23-3.50).
Freshman James Jackson set a PR in the 60m dash, finishing 11th in 6.94.
Chad Balyo ran a team-best time of 8:09.36 to finish sixth in the 3000m run.
Heath Nickles finished eighth in the pole vault, clearing the bar at 4.90m (16-0.75).
DeChant and Branch Conclude Competition at Husker Invitational
Matt DeChant and Tyler Branch represented the Buckeyes on day two of the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. DeChant was the high finisher for the Buckeyes in the shot put final, finishing eighth at 16.98m (55-8.50). Branch finished in 11th with a mark of 16.35m (53-7.75) as Carl Meyerscough won the event at 20.00m (65-7.50), an NCAA automatic qualifier.

 

[bkochmc]

Ohio State men's team is ranked 27th by the USTFCCCA. Individual rankings:
Dan White - 6th in the 800m (1:48.26)
Jeff See - 8th in the 1 mile (3:58.82)
Thomas Murdaugh - 10th in the 400m (46.43)
4x400m Relay 13th (3:08.22)

National Rankings by Team, Week 3
National Rankings by Event, Week 3

 

[stkoran]

I know there's no perfect method to do track rankings, but I liked the old way they did it better. I understand that this way makes it concrete by going strictly by performances, and they last year needs to be included so that people who haven't run yet are factored in, but sometimes it can make things pretty goofy (i.e. Shane Knoll being the predicted mile champion because he had one good race last year). I thought the old "power ranking by event" method was a better predictor because they still accounted in people who hadn't raced yet, but still factored in things like people who just weren't running as well as last year, previous penchant for running well at championships, etc.

 

[bkochmc]

While I agree with you rankings during the season don't really matter to me, just thought it was interesting information. It does give an idea how good they are or how they might match up in a bigger meet. It would be interesting to see what rankings would look like if they measured the total depth of a team as it would place in a dual or tri meet... I'm sure they would be totally different. The only rankings that matter to me are at the end of the day on 2/28 and 3/13.

 

[stkoran]

02/12/2009 Akron Invitational and The Big Meet at Grand Valley

Buckeye Squads Begin Competition at Akron Invite - The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com

AKRON, Ohio - The Ohio State track and field teams opened competition at the Akron Invitational Friday evening inside Stile Field House.

Both squads put together solid efforts in the 5000m run. Jake Edwards and Adam Green swept the Top 2 spots for the men, with Edwards taking the title in a personal record time of 14:13.10, the second-best run in the Big Ten this season. Green was second for the Buckeyes with a PR 14:19.10, while Taylor Williams (14:29.67) and Chris Fallon (14:33.93) finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

Sarah Lowe led the Ohio State women in the 5000m, finishing second in a PR of 17:21.87, the seventh-best run in the Big Ten this year. Ellen Birmingham was seventh for the Buckeyes in 18:20.56.

Men's volunteer assistant coach Patrick Woods leads the heptathlon after four events with a cumulative score of 3,074. Woods' best finish came in the high jump, where he tied for first at 2.02m (6-7.50). Redshirt freshman Heath Nickles sits in 11th-place after the first day with 2,630 points. Nickles' top performance was in the shot put, where he used a mark of 12.85m (42-2) to finish fourth. The heptathlon will conclude tomorrow morning with competition in the pole vault, 1000m run and 60m hurdles.

The Buckeye men and women will be back in action in Akron beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Three Buckeyes Compete in Mile at GVSU Big Meet
Three Buckeyes (and a current assistant coach) competed in the men's mile run Friday at the Grand Valley State Big Meet in Allendale, Mich.

Ohio State was led by former All-American Brian Olinger, a current assistant coach for the Buckeyes. Olinger finished in second-place with a run 4:02.61. Cory Leslie finished fourth for the Scarlet and Gray with an NCAA provisional run of 4:03.47, followed by Chad Balyo (fifth, 4:03.78). Daniel White - the Ohio State indoor mile record holder - was 11th in 4:09.30. Leslie and Balyo's times are among the Top 10 in the Big Ten this year.

This article is not very accurate. Chris Fallon is really Chris Olinger, and it got Balyo and Leslie backwards. Also, Dan White hold the 800 record, not the mile.

Nickles HJ really hurt him in the Hep, and he is going to need some big performances tomorrow if he wants to provo. Great run for Edwards. He hadn't raced since early December and I was wondering if he was hurt again. Wished Green would have been closer to him, but oh well. A little bit disappointed in the Mile, though it was far from a disaster. Was hoping for more like 4:00-4:02 for both. I think Chad's time is a PR, so not awful, but I know he has more in his tank. Everyone was a bit slower than I thought they would be, though, so maybe the race got out a little slow (video is not up yet).

 

[stkoran]

02/13/2010 Akron Invitational and The Grand Valley Big Meet

Smith Leads Ohio State on Final Day of Akron Invitational - The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com

AKRON, Ohio - The Ohio State men's track and field team wrapped up final round competition at the Akron Invitational Saturday afternoon inside Stile Field House.

Korbin Smith was the star of the day for the Buckeyes, claiming titles in both the 400m dash and long jump. Smith kicked off the meet by setting a personal record in the 400m, crossing the finish line in a time of 48.18, seventh-best in the Big Ten this season. Marvel Brooks finished in fifth with a season-best time of 48.48.

The freshman from Delta, Ohio followed that notable performance up by claiming first-place in the long jump at 7.22m (23-8.25), the sixth-best jump in the Big Ten. Fellow freshman Derek Blevins took fifth at 6.85m (22-5.75) leap.

Blevins also enjoyed a solid afternoon for the Scarlet and Gray. Along with his fifth-place finish in the long jump, he managed to place fourth in the triple jump at 13.84m (45-5). Winthrop junior Keary Simms grabbed the top spot with a jump of 14.19m (46-6.75).

Ohio State volunteer assistant coach Patrick Woods won the heptathlon with a score of 5489, compiling Top 5 finishes in all but one of the seven events. Redshirt freshman Heath Nickles - who sat in 12th-place at the end of day one - fought his way to a fourth-place finish with 5107 points, the seventh-best total in the Big Ten this season. Nickles used second-place finishes in both the pole vault and 1000m to ascend through the standings.

Two Buckeyes finished in the Top 5 of the 200m dash - senior Stephen Robinson finished fourth with a season-best time of 21.62, the sixth-best in the Big Ten in 2010. Robinson was followed by Thomas Murdaugh, who finished in a season-best time of 21.67, eighth-best in the conference. Phil Ferguson of Akron won the event with an NCAA provisional time of 21.23.

Other highlights for the Buckeyes:

Chris Fallon finished third in the mile run with a PR of 4:10.26. Taylor Candella was fourth in 4:11.40.
Skyler Schmitt took fourth in the Blue Division of the mile with a time of 4:18.85.
The Buckeye 'B' team of Smith, Brooks, Alaun Morrow and Curtis Leuenberger finished third in the 4x400m dash (3:14.19).
Freshman Daryl Murphy finished fourth in the 800m dash (1:52.13). Jared Hall was seventh in a season-best time of 1:52.68.
Alan Dague placed fourth in the pole vault with a mark of 4.60m (15-1).
Ryan Blake finished fifth in the high jump, clearing the bar at 2.04m (6-8.25).
See and Sovacool Post NCAA Provisional Times at GVSU Big Meet
Seniors Jeff See and Patrick Sovacool represented the Buckeyes well in the 3000m invitational Saturday at the Grand Valley State Big Meet in Allendale, Mich.

See used an NCAA provisional time of 7:57.14 - the third-best in school indoor history and the fifth-best in the NCAA this season - to finish second behind Lex Williams (7:56.12). Sovacool ran right with See, finishing third in 8:01.78, the sixth-best in school history and a Top 15 time nationally.

"It was a great 3k by both Jeff and Pat," Ohio State head coach Robert Gary said of the seniors' efforts. "They are really rounding into shape heading into championship season."

 

[bkochmc]

Redshirt freshman Heath Nickles - who sat in 12th-place at the end of day one - fought his way to a fourth-place finish with 5107 points, the seventh-best total in the Big Ten this season. Nickles used second-place finishes in both the pole vault and 1000m to ascend through the standings.

Nice second day by Nickles. I think he'll be a quality multi guy once it is all said and done, just needs to put a lot of work into events he's not familiar with.

This team is starting to look solid all-around. If they perform well I could see a top 3 finish in the Big Ten Championships.

 

[bkochmc]

Buckeyes Crack USTFCCCA Top 25 for First Time in 2010 - The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com

Buckeyes Crack USTFCCCA Top 25 for First Time in 2010
Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 02/16/2010

No. 24 Ohio State one of four Big Ten teams represented in national poll

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State men's track and field team is ranked No. 24 in the Feb. 16 edition of the NCAA Division I National Team Rankings by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, the first Top 25 appearance for the Buckeyes this season.

The Scarlet and Gray moved up three places in the rankings after a solid weekend at both the Akron Invitational and Grand Valley State Big Meet. Jeff See and Patrick Sovacool's efforts in the 3000m invitational at GVSU and Jake Edward's performance in the 5000m in Akron provided the crucial points that catapulted OSU into the Top 25.

"The program's focus remains recruiting the best student-athletes from Ohio, which I have long since regarded as a Top 3 state in the entire country for overall track talent and placing expectations on the teams development academically, athletically as well as character," head coach Robert Gary said.

"This recipe has produced a consistent Top 3 and nationally ranked cross country program. And now, with our last couple finishes at the conference championships, a new regional ranking and this latest national ranking, I hope we continue to move up on the track and field side of things."

With a total of 41.86 points, Ohio State is one of four Big Ten teams featured in the national poll. The conference banner is carried by No.7 Indiana, with No. 11 Penn State, 17th-ranked Minnesota and the Buckeyes also representing the league.

Continued...

Top 25 Poll (pdf)
Regional Index Poll (pdf) - The Ohio State men is #1 in the Great Lakes region ahead of (in order) Wisconsin, Indiana, Akron, Michigan, Purdue, and Michigan State. The Ohio State women are #3 in the Great Lakes region behind Indiana and Michigan.

 

[stkoran]

02/19/2010 Buckeye Tune-Up

Ohio State Entertains Hometown Crowd at Final Meet Before Big Ten's - The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The 24th-ranked Ohio State men's track and field team took to the home track Friday at Buckeye Tune-up, the final meet before next weekend's trip to Minnesota for the Big Ten championships.

Matt DeChant was the leader for the Buckeyes, setting two personal records and NCAA provisional marks inside French Field House. The sophomore crushed his previous career best in the shot put with a first-place toss of 18.56m (60-10.75), the sixth-best throw in Ohio State indoor history and third-best in the Big Ten this season. He followed that up with a first-place finish in the weight throw at 19.88m (65-2.75).

Adam Green set a personal record of 4:08.71 in the mile to finish in first-place. Freshman Donny Roys - competing unattached - was second in 4:10.89, followed by Will Knickel (4:18.32).

Freshman Korbin Smith won the long jump at 7.13m (23-4.75), finishing well ahead of volunteer assistant coach Patrick Woods (6.68m/21-11). Heath Nickles finished fourth with a jump of 6.44m (21-1.50). Smith's leap is the seventh-best in the Big Ten this year.

Clearing the bar at 4.88m (16 ft.), Nickles would follow up his performance in the long jump with a win in the pole vault. Alan Dague was second (4.73m/15-6.25) and Woods third (4.57m/15 ft.).

Ohio State swept the Top 3 spots in the 60m dash. Stephen Robinson led the Buckeyes with a first-place time of 6.95, followed by Jonathan Francois (7.01) and Smith (7.05). Francois and Smith's times were PRs.

Five Buckeyes battled for the title in the 600m run. Junior Daniel White got the best of his teammates with a first-place run of 1:19.52, the top team time on the season. Jared Hall ran a season-best time of 1:20.32 to finish second. Elon Simms was third in 1:20.78, with Marcus Brooks (1:21.86) and Brandon Woodard (1:22.38) taking fourth and fifth, respectively.

In the 200m, Blake Callahan used a season-best time of 22.22 to claim the win for Ohio State. Stephan Haynes of Ohio Wesleyan finish second in 22.39, followed closely behind by third-place finisher Alaun Morrow (22.53).

Chris Fallon won the 1000m run with a time of 2:27.17, edging senior Taylor Candella, who finished second with a season-best time of 2:27.34. Daryl Murphy rounded out the OSU effort (2:30.22).

Other highlights:

Former Ohio State All-American Joel Brown broke the French Field House record in the 60m hurdles with his first-place time of 7.76. Brown held the previous Field House record time of 7.79, set earlier this year at the Buckeye Classic. Francois finished second for the Buckeyes in 8.11.

The lone competitor in the long jump was Ryan Blake, who managed to set a PR of 14.46m (47-5.25).

Max Mays finished third in the weight throw with a toss of 18.96m (62-2.50), his second-best throw this year and a Top 10 Big Ten mark.

Ohio State claimed three of the Top 4 spots in the 400m dash. Aaron Roberts led the Buckeyes with a second-place time of 49.74, followed by Rob Baisden (49.79) and Alaun Morrow (50.73). Silas Jolliff won the dash with a time of 49.71.

Sorry for the delayed posting of results, my home computer is broken. Some good performances and some bad for the Bucks. Many of the better guys sat out to rest up for Big Tens next week. DeChant was clearly the performer of the meet. These were the kind of efforts I've been expecting from him all season, and it looks like his mark in the shot may get him to nationals. Glad to to see Francois back, he hadn't run for a few meets and I didn't know if he was hurt. Some nice performances in the 1000 by Fallon and Candella, especially on the flat 200 track. Not too good for Murphy, though. 400 and 600 were pretty bad for most everyone involved. The 60 was also a struggle again. Glad to see that Korbin has been consistently over 23 feet in the LJ lately. The Big Ten is a weak in the horizontal jumps, so getting consistent solid performances from Korbin is big, especially with Blevins struggling. If he can start getting over 24' consistently, he will be one of the bets in the conference. Blake had a very nice effort for him in the TJ, as well.

Note about the 60: I thought Francois and Smith had very good performances in the 60, but they are not actual 60 meter runners. The guys who should be running the 60 are not running it well.

Edit: Forgot to discuss the milers. Green with a super performance, converts to a 4:06. Roys also with a nice PR running unattached.