Ohio State Track and Cross Country (2020, 2021 B1G Women's outdoor Track Champs)

[thenumber7]

With that said, Ohio State should have a lot more than 4 All-Big10 performances. The lack of depth is absolutely killing Ohio State in any scoring meet right now, both men and women. This hasn't been an issue just this year but the past 10-15 years. Some of the MAC schools (Akron, Kent State, Eastern Michigan) would crush Ohio State at this point (and did earlier in the year at All-Ohio). In my opinion, Robert Gary and Karen Dennis need to take the Tressel approach to recruiting: repair relationships with Ohio coaches and schools, sell the in-state talent on coming to Ohio State instead of the MAC and Big10 schools like Penn State and Purdue, then go after some big time out of state talent. I think Robert and Karen can make the programs competitive again... but it will take time.

I can't say much in regards to their recruiting, but from what I've been told the kids on the team are much more impressed by Gary than the old coach. At the beginning of the year they had to meet with all the coaches to discuss goals, etc which they didn't previously. Also, the coaches are trying to make it more of a team, with meals, meetings and such, which also wasn't done before. The coaches got a better clothing and equipment deal this year, and are finally asking for more money from the athletic department which was never done under the old coach. Having a lot of people qualify for the Drake Relays was a big step as well. The kids on the team are pretty optimistic for the future with this staff, and I think they will get better in the coming years, but you're right bk, the depth was bad this year from what I saw at the Big 10's.

Here are some of the better pics I took at the meet Sunday:

http://sports.webshots.com/album/559055085mgjcms

 

[bkochmc]

I can't say much in regards to their recruiting, but from what I've been told the kids on the team are much more impressed by Gary than the old coach. At the beginning of the year they had to meet with all the coaches to discuss goals, etc which they didn't previously. Also, the coaches are trying to make it more of a team, with meals, meetings and such, which also wasn't done before. The coaches got a better clothing and equipment deal this year, and are finally asking for more money from the athletic department which was never done under the old coach. Having a lot of people qualify for the Drake Relays was a big step as well. The kids on the team are pretty optimistic for the future with this staff, and I think they will get better in the coming years, but you're right bk, the depth was bad this year from what I saw at the Big 10's.

Here are some of the better pics I took at the meet Sunday:

http://sports.webshots.com/album/559055085mgjcms

Thanks for sharing the pics you took at the Big10 meet. I have heard the same things you just shared regarding building a team atmosphere and am very glad to hear that. I believe this will be a pretty competitive team 2-3 years down the road.

 

[OSU_D/]

Men V Women

It will be easier I think to bring the mens team back to where it should be. The mens CC team has been decent - at least in comparison to the womens CC team - over the last 10 years. Thus the mens team has better talent and depth in the distance track events - again at least relative to the womens team.

On a related note... congrats to Rob Myers for finishing 3rd in the 1500 in this weekends Adidas Track and Field Classic.

 

[bkochmc]

Men - Gary Announces 2007 Men's Track and Field Signees

Robert Gary is pulling a page from the Tressel Book of Recruiting: Build a fence around Ohio!

Official Site

Gary Announces 2007 Men's Track and Field Signees

All but one of 13 future Buckeyes from Ohio, group has totaled 10 state titles

Robert Gary announced Ohio State's 2007 signing class Wednesday.

May 23, 2007

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Robert Gary, Ohio State men's track and field head coach, announced the 2007 class of signees Wednesday. The group includes six distance runners, three sprinters, three throwers and a jumper. The class has accounted for 10 high school state titles heading into the state meets in June.

All but one of the 13 student-athletes hails from Ohio. Gary has made recruiting the Buckeye state a staple during his decade as Ohio State's cross country head coach and envisions a strong similarity as the leader of the track and field program.

"I will say it as long as I am in coaching - if we could put up a wall around the state of Ohio, we'd be vying for Big Ten titles and Top 10 NCAA finishes every year," Gary said. "I believe there is that much great talent (in Ohio) year in and year out."

Continued...

 

[bkochmc]

Women - Buckeyes Seek Bids to 2007 NCAA Championships

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Buckeyes Seek Bids to 2007 NCAA Championships

Ohio State sends several student-athletes to 2007 NCAA Mideast Championships

Ayrizanna Favours clocked a season-best time of 23.71 in the 200m at the Big Ten Championships.

May 23, 2007

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State women's track and field team travels to Columbia, Mo., for the 2007 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, Friday and Saturday, hosted by the University of Missouri.

2007 MIDEAST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MEET INFO
Days: Friday - 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Saturday - 11 a.m. - 7:20 p.m.
Venue: Audrey J. Walton Stadium
Meet Information: www.mutigers.com

BUCKEYES GRAB POSTSEASON HONORS
Ayrizanna Favours and Veronica Jatsek, members of the Ohio State women's track and field team, received 2007 All-Big Ten honors from the league office May 16. Jatsek set an outdoor conference meet record in winning the hammer championship, while Favours raced to a runner-up time in the 200-meter dash.

Jatsek, from Walton Hills, Ohio, extended to 208 feet, 2 inches for her first career Big Ten title and Ohio State's second league hammer crown in the last four seasons. Jatsek's heave bested the meet record held by former Buckeye Keturah Lofton, who won the 2004 conference title with a distance of 200-7. Jatsek's mark rates second in the Mideast region. All-time at Ohio State, Jatsek's heave stands second to Lofton's 209-0 3/4 mark set last season.

Continued...

 

[bkochmc]

MIDEAST REGIONAL GUN IS UP, AN EVENT-BY-EVENT PREVIEW

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MIDEAST REGIONAL GUN IS UP, AN EVENT-BY-EVENT PREVIEW

By Shawn Davis and McClain Thompson, Missouri Media Relations Student Assistants

The Buckeyes compete at the Mideast Regional Championships May 25-26.

May 24, 2007

Columbia, Mo. - The fields are set and we are ready to go. With intrigue in every one of the 38 events, the NCAA Mideast Regional in Columbia will have national attention from the first throw of the hammer until the final gun.

The 2007 Mideast Track Regional figures to be one of the most competitive regions nationally. The meet features 15 women's teams and 14 men's teams that are ranked in the top 25 by Trackwire. Highlighted by powerhouses Louisiana State, Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee, each of the 38 events will be filled with conference champions and national title contenders. The meet gets under way Friday at 11 a.m. with the men's hammer throw and concludes at 7:20 p.m. Saturday night with the women's 4x400-meter relay.

Continued...

 

[bkochmc]

Women - Veronica Jatsek Earns All-Regional Honors and Spot at NCAA Championships

Congrats to Veronica and good luck at Nationals!

Official Link

Ohio State's Veronica Jatsek Earns All-Regional Honors and Spot at NCAA Championships

Jatsek takes second in hammer throw, advances to national championships June 6-9

Veronica Jatsek took second at the Mideast Regional Championships and earns a spot at the NCAA Championships.

May 26, 2007

Results

Columbus, Ohio - The Ohio State women's track and field team finished competition Saturday at the 2007 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships at University of Missouri's Audrey J. Walton Stadium. The meet was delayed because of weather conditions, but OSU junior Veronica Jatsek led the Buckeyes on the final day with a second-place finish in the hammer throw.

Jatsek, the 2007 Big Ten Champion in the hammer throw, took second with a toss of 208 feet. Jatsek (Walton Hills, Ohio) finished second to Brittany Riley, the world record holder in the indoor weight throw, of Southern Illinois. With her second-place finish, Jatsek will be named to the All-Regional team.

Continued...

 

[bkochmc]

Men - Ohio State 4x400-Meter Relay Team Finishes Fifth at NCAA Mideast Regionals

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Ohio State 4x400-Meter Relay Team Finishes Fifth at NCAA Mideast Regionals

Unit awaits possible bid to national meet Tuesday, Whalen takes ninth in shot

Elon Simms helped the 4x400-meter relay team to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Mideast Regional.

May 27, 2007

Results

Columbus, Ohio - The Ohio State men's track and field team competed on the final day of competition at the 2007 NCAA Regional Championships Saturday at the University of Missouri in Audrey J. Walton Stadium. The Buckeyes finished the competition in 29th-place. The Buckeyes were led on the final day by a group of throwers and 4x400-meter dash.

In the 4x400-meter dash, the team of Brandon Woodard, Elon Simms, Matt Comer and Gerald Griffin took fifth in a season-best time of 3:07.95. The time is the 32nd-best time in the country this year and leaves the door open for a possible bid to the NCAA championships June 6-9 in Sacramento, Calif. Final bids will be announced at 3 p.m. Tuesday at ncaasports.com.

Continued...

 

[bkochmc]

For informational purposes, here is how qualification for Nationals works (simplified, not taking into consideration ties):

The top 5 placers in individual events and top 3 relay places in each regional gain bids to the National meet.

The track and field committee places the next seven athletes/relays in each event (based on regional performance and in order) into the national at-large pool. These are then listed in order of their best performance of the year (including if regionals is their best mark).

The at-large pool athletes are then listed in order of their best performance of the year, including any best marks established at the regional meet. The committee will fill the field in each event by starting at the top of the at-large pool until the cap of 544 athletes per gender is reached. If the numbers of allowable student-athletes established by the Championships/Competition Cabinet have not been reached after automatic qualifiers and minimum field sizes have been accommodated, the committee will add athletes to the meet by adding equally to all events (including relays) for as long as the number of available athletes spaces will allow.

Individual events will have a minimum field size of 20 athletes. Relay events will have a minimum field size of 12 teams. If the cap of 544 athletes has been reached and specific events do not have the minimum field size those will then be filled in with athletes already determined in other events (not including relay alternates).


How this pertains to Ohio State's Men's 4x400: Here is where they currently stand:

Team.................Reg. Time.....Regional...Season Best
Georgia..............3:07.45.......Florida....3:06.39
Tennessee............3:07.15.......Missouri...3:07.15
Florida State........3:07.76.......Florida....3:07.76
Ohio State...........3:07.95.......Missouri...3:07.95
Albany...............3:08.86.......Florida....3:08.86
Iowa.................3:09.51.......Iowa.......3:08.97
Arizona State........3:09.51.......Oregon.....3:09.27
Charleston Southern..3:09.32.......Florida....3:09.32

Ohio State is currently sitting 4th in the available 4x400 teams. Minimums have been met for each event (4x5=20 for individuals, 4x3=12 for relays) so the only thing that stands in Ohio State's way of gaining a national birth is the 544 athlete per gender cap and 3 teams ahead of them. Last year the 4x400 had 18 teams so Ohio State should be sitting good (sitting 16th right now).

Info gathered from the 2007 Division I Championships Handbook, online at ncaa.org.

 

[bkochmc]

It appears I misunderstood the qualifying process as Ohio State did not qualify for regionals. Below is the Declared Athlete List for the 4x400 relay:

RANK SCHOOL............. SEED... RG DATE. QUALIF
01 Baylor............... 3:01.66 MW Regn3 AQ3-1
02 LSU.................. 3:03.62 ME 05-13 AQ2-2
03 South Carolina....... 3:03.86 E. 05-13 AQ1-2
04 Kentucky............. 3:03.96 ME 05-13 AQ2-1
05 Mississippi State.... 3:04.72 ME Regn2 AQ2-3
06 Texas A&M............ 3:04.99 MW Regn3 AQ3-2
07 Nebraska............. 3:05.15 MW Regn3 AQ3-3
08 Northern Iowa........ 3:06.01 MW Regn3 R3-4
09 Florida.............. 3:06.07 E. 05-13 AQ1-1
10 Georgia.............. 3:06.39 E. 03-31 R1-4
11 Oklahoma............. 3:06.54 MW Regn3 R3-5
12 Tennessee............ 3:07.15 ME Regn2 R2-4
13 Texas-El Paso........ 3:07.32 MW 04-28 R3-6
14 Southern California.. 3:07.36 W. 05-13 AQ4-1
15 Wake Forest.......... 3:07.42 E. Regn1 AQ1-3
16 TCU.................. 3:07.51 MW Regn3 R3-7
17 Washington........... 3:08.39 W. 03-24 AQ4-2
18 Oregon............... 3:08.79 W. Regn4 AQ4-3

The part where I was wrong was the bolded part:

The track and field committee places the next seven athletes/relays in each event (based on regional performance and in order) into the national at-large pool. These are then listed in order of their best performance of the year (including if regionals is their best mark).

Evidently it is not based on regional performance but best performances throughout the year. The last at-large was TCU's 3:07.51... Ohio State's best was 3:07.95, four places away from qualifying according to this list.

With the 4x400 not making Nationals the men's season is officially over. The women have one athlete at Nationals, Veronica Jatsek in the hammer.

 

[MolGenBuckeye]

Did Favours get hurt? I noticed she's listed as DNS in multiple events in the regional meet.

 

[bkochmc]

Did Favours get hurt? I noticed she's listed as DNS in multiple events in the regional meet.

I have not seen a reason for her scratches in the 200 and 400. I'd have to assume it was injury related to stay out of Regionals.

 

[bkochmc]

See Becomes First Buckeye to Break 4-Minute Mark in Outdoor Mile

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Congratulations Jeff! What an awesome performance... it'll be good to see him during outdoor next year. He'll give the team a much needed boost. Good luck at the USA Championships!

See Becomes First Buckeye to Break 4-Minute Mark in Outdoor Mile

Redshirt sophomore sets Ohio State record Saturday at Nashville Music City Distance Classic

Jeff See set the Ohio State mile record at the Music City Distance Classic.

June 4, 2007

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Jeff See, a sophomore distance runner on the Ohio State men's track and field team, became the first Buckeye to break the 4-minute mark in the mile Saturday at the Music City Distance Classic in Nashville, Tenn. The native of Middletown, Ohio, clocked a time of 3:58.70 to take runner-up in the event and top the 24-year old Ohio State standard previously held by Tom Byers, who timed 4:00.10 in 1974.

See, the 2007 Big Ten Indoor Mile champion and national qualifier, redshirted the 2007 outdoor season and ran unattached at the Music City meet. His time served as an automatic qualifier to the upcoming United States Track and Field Championships June 20-24 in Indianapolis.

Continued...

 

[bkochmc]

Women - Jatsek Advances to Hammer Finals at NCAA Track and Field Championships

Official Site

Ohio State's Jatsek Advances to Hammer Finals at NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

Big Ten champion placed eighth in prelims, looks for second All-American honor in 2007

Junior Veronica Jatsek posted a qualifying mark of 198 feet, 9 inches in the hammer throw.

June 6, 2007

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Veronica Jatsek, a junior thrower on the Ohio State women's track and field team, earned the right to compete for her second All-American honor in 2007 when she posted a qualifying mark in the women's hammer preliminaries Wednesday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif.

Jatsek advanced through the prelims with a qualifying toss of 198 feet, 9 inches. She placed third in her flight and eighth overall. The Walton Hills, Ohio, native will throw in the hammer finals at 2 p.m. EDT Friday.

Continued...

 

[MrsB]

Official Site

Thank you for the women's article. I know you follow the track team.
Here have a cookie.