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Buckeyes Collect All-Big Ten Awards

Olinger, Stringer earn first-team honors
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Brian Olinger earned All-Big Ten honors with his 10,000-meter win at the league meet.

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<!-- remove this block --><!--#perl sub="NAS_ads::jserver" arg="promo66" --> <!-- end block --> May 18, 2006

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COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Big Ten announced its 2006 Outdoor Track and Field All-Conference Team Wednesday. Ohio State had six student-athletes honored with individual awards. Brian Olinger, the league champion in the 10,000-meter run, and Jessica Stringer, conference high jump winner, gained first-team status.
Olinger, a senior from Fresno, Ohio, also became a multiple winner at the Big Ten level last weekend. The 2004 champion in the 5,000-meter run topped the field in the 10,000m event Friday to help the Buckeyes grab first place after Day 1 of the meet. The two-time All-American bested his own Ohio State record to win the event in a time of 28:45.59 and narrowly missed setting the conference meet standard (28:45.25). Less than 24 hours later, Olinger posted a runner-up finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase Saturday. He added eight more team points for Ohio State with a time of 8:46.93.
Stringer, a junior from Williamsburg, Ind., successfully defended her 2005 Big Ten high jump championship Sunday by clearing 5 feet, 10 inches. The league title is Stringer's third of her career. She also claimed the 2006 indoor high jump crown earlier this year. With Stringer's title Sunday, Ohio State has claimed four of the last five outdoor high jump championships on the women's side. Former Buckeye Tami Smith (2000-03) won league titles in the event in 2002 and '03. Including indoor seasons, Smith and Stringer have combined to win eighth of the last 11 Big Ten high jump crowns. <!-- STORY AD BEGINS HERE -->
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<!-- STORY AD ENDS HERE --> The women's team also had three student-athletes reach second-team status. Senior Keturah Lofton, the 2004 Big Ten champ in the hammer, finished second in the event this season to earn second-team honors. Jenna Harris, who also is a former Big Ten outdoor champion in the 100m dash in 2005, clocked a second-place time in the 200m dash Sunday. Freshman Ayrizanna Favours made a successful Big Ten debut by taking second in the 400m run Sunday as well.
For the men, fellow freshman Matt Comer also turned in a strong first appearance at the Big Ten meet by taking second in the 400m hurdles.
Harris and Olinger each were recipients of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Both the men's and women's teams are off this weekend to prep for the 2006 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships May 26-27 at Knoxville, Tenn.


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