2010-2011 Ohio State Men's Track 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
10/02 Wisconsin Invitational................... Madison, Wis.
10/09 Shawnee State Invitational............... Portsmouth, Ohio
10/16 NCAA Pre-Nationals....................... Terre Haute, Ind.
10/16 Bowling Green Invitational............... Bowling Green, Ohio
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

Date....... Meet........................... Location
12/09-12/10 Kent State Early Bird.......... Kent, Ohio
01/08...... OSU Invitational............... Columbus, Ohio
01/15...... The Dual vs. Michigan ......... Columbus, Ohio
01/21-01/22 All-Ohio Championships......... Kent, Ohio
01/28-01/29 Penn State Invitational........ University Park, Pa.
02/04-02/05 Meyo Invitational.............. South Bend, Ind.
02/11-02/12 Akron Invitational............. Akron, Ohio
02/11-02/12 Grand Valley State Invite...... Allendale, Mich.
02/26-02/27 Big Ten Indoor Championships... Champaign, Ill.
03/04-03/05 Alex Wilson Invite............. South Bend, Ind.
03/11-03/12 NCAA Championships............. College Station, Texas



Outdoor Track

Date....... Meet........................... Location
03/25-03/26 SEC/Big Ten Challenge.......... Starkville, Miss.
04/01-04/02 Jim Click Shootout............. Tucson, Ariz.
04/13-04/16 Mt. Sac Relays................. Walnut, Calif.
04/16...... The Dual vs. Michigan.......... Ann Arbor, Mich.
04/23-04/24 Jesse Owens Classic............ Columbus, Ohio
04/28-04/30 Drake Relays................... Des Moines, Iowa
04/30...... Payton Jordan.................. Stanford, Calif.
05/13-05/15 Big Ten Outdoor Championships.. Iowa City, Iowa
05/26-05/28 NCAA Regionals................. TBA
06/07-06/10 NCAA Championships............. Des Moines, Iowa
06/22-06/26 USATF Championships............ Eugene, Ore.

 

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Coach Gary Previews 2010 Cross Country Season - The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com

Coach Gary Previews 2010 Cross Country Season

Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 08/19/2010

Ohio State head coach Robert Gary discusses the state of the men's cross country program entering 2010

You are entering year 14 as the cross country coach at Ohio State. How much has changed within the program in that time?
"Just the overall expectations we set for ourselves. I think the biggest indicator is our program qualifying for nationals more routinely now as opposed to the first time OSU ever did, in my fourth season. Last year, we left NCAAs very disappointed finishing 21st, and to see how upset the team was leaving the course actually made me feel proud of where we have come in the distance program."

How does the 2010 team compare to others you've had at Ohio State?
"Losing Jeff See, an NCAA All-American and Great Lakes champion and a guy we could always count on for a very-low stick was in a way a great luxury. However, it will also be a luxury to have him back as our volunteer assistant this fall! I think there were a few times last season when we would have a guy or two hit cruise control and Jeff would bail us out in the scoring. This year, there will be nowhere to hide and a lot more accountability. I think we should have a 20 second pack at the absolute most, and I believe the pack has the ability to be a Top 10 team at NCAAs this year. The best part of it all is that we don't lose anybody after this season!"

With the graduation of Jeff See, who do you foresee stepping up and becoming the leader of the team?
"I don't foresee there being a real front runner on team, but Taylor Williams was our number two consistently last year. Taylor has taken on a leadership role that we need to have on this team. The "pack" I keep talking about can either be together in their training, goal setting and effort, or they can be together in not doing these things! Taylor will be very helpful in making sure we keep our guys focused throughout both on and off the course."

​

Cont...

 

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http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...9&SPID=10643&ATCLID=204996253&DB_OEM_ID=17300

Buckeyes Dominate at Mountaineer Open

Related: Complete Results
Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 09/17/2010

BOONE, N.C. - The Ohio State men's cross country team placed five runners in the Top 10 en route to a first-place finish at the 6.4k Appalachian State Mountaineer Open Friday evening.

Led by senior Chad Balyo's third-place finish, the Buckeyes totaled 29 points as a team to easily outdistance Southern Indiana and Queens (second-place tie, 57 points). Queens senior Michael Crouch captured the individual title.

"I was very pleased with the effort and times from the team today," Ohio State head coach Robert Gary said after the race. "We sat our No. 1 runner in Taylor Williams, but still had a good performance as a team because we ran in a pack."

Cont...

 

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http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...9&SPID=10643&ATCLID=205004985&DB_OEM_ID=17300

Buckeyes Finish Ninth at Wisconsin adidas Invitational

Related: OSUXC on Facebook Results (PDF) Complete Results (HTML)
Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 10/02/2010

MADISON, Wisc. - The Ohio State men's cross country team finished in ninth-place Saturday afternoon at the 21 team adidas Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin.

"We were hoping to place in the top 5, but really didn't know what to expect," head coach Robert Gary said. "The course was pretty fast and we have done only one workout at that place so far. That being said, I couldn't be happier where we are at right now as far as times and grouping, especially having rested our No. 1 runner."

Competing without the aforementioned No. 1 runner Taylor Williams, the Buckeyes fought their way to an upper division finish on the challenging 8k course with a total team score of 256. No. 25 Indiana (43 points) upset sixth-ranked and host Wisconsin (75 points) for the coveted title, while No. 23 Princeton (112) and 11th-ranked and defending champion Syracuse (131) finished third and fourth, respectively.

Cont...

 

[stkoran]

OSU men ran at Pre-Nationals last weekend, placing 13th in the Blue race.

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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Sophomore Donny Roys ran a personal record and top 40 time of 24.21.4 Saturday at the 2010 Indiana State Pre-National Invitational, helping the Buckeyes to a 13th-place finish overall on the 8k course.
Competing in the highly competitive Blue division race, Roys and the Buckeyes totaled 400 points on the day, posting the top finish among schools from both the Big Ten and Great Lakes region. No. 1 Stanford dominated the meet, taking the team title with an impressive team score of 43.
"Today was a good race for the team," Ohio State head coach Robert Gary said of the Buckeye effort. "Compared to years past, it was pretty encouraging, as this group has proven themselves with a big jump in performance from last season."
Saturday's race marked the first time this season that Roys posted the top time for the Buckeyes. Senior Chad Balyo, the No. 1 runner at the squad's previous two meets, was the second runner wearing Scarlet and Gray to cross the finish line, taking 52nd overall in 24:28.4. Julian Meyer claimed the third spot (80th, 24:45.0), while Adam Green (97th, 24:53.8) and Jake Edwards (131, 25:15.8) rounded out the Ohio State scoring.
Taylor Williams, the Buckeyes No. 2 runner from 2009, struggled in his first action of the season - recovering from injury, the junior finished 148th in 25:24.9. Fellow junior Cory Leslie was the other non-scorer for Ohio State, completing his race in 25:18.0 for a 137th-place finish.
"Donny ran a terrfic race for us, and Chad is running as well as he ever has in his time at Ohio State," Gary said. "Taylor will need to come around, but he is just getting back to full training and will need a bit of time to catch up. Overall, I like where we're at headed into Big Ten's."

Some good and some bad from this race. For those that don't know how Pre-Nationals work, the field is divided in half in order to create two races of equal competitiveness. While 13th isn't a great result, it's not bad either, and better than the team typically performs at this race (22nd last year for reference).

Ohio State's program focuses on long intervals and strength work early in the season, so the team never seems to come out very sharp in early-mid season competitions. Once they get into their anaerobic phase, things usually start to improve (21st at Nationals last year, after 22nd at Pre-Nats).

Roys: Probably his best race as a Buckeye. OSU will need him to be top 25 at Big Ten if they hope to be finish in the top 3.

Balyo: Is putting together his best XC season yet. How Chad finishes the season will crucial to the team's season. He is the most talented guy on the roster, but outside of this same race his freshman year, he really hasn't had a good race. So far this year he has been solid, but not spectacular. If the trend continues he will be top 25 at conference, but if he puts it all together he can be top 14.

Meyer: After not running well at Wisconsin, this was an improvement, but he still has a ways to go. No reason he can't be running with Donny. Ran very well at regionals last year, and OSU will need similar performances from him this year at Big Ten and regionals.

Green: Not a good race. But, he has proven to one of OSU's best over the years, and I have confidence he will show up at Big Ten with another top 20 finish.

Edwards: Glad to see Jake competing in XC this year. Ran ok at Wisconsin, but this was a big step backwards. Has been very inconsistent in track, so perhaps this was to be expected. Talent is definitely there to be a top 20 guy at Big Ten, but to this point in his career he has given no indication that he will show up on at big meets.

Leslie: Big talent, good on the track, but has shown nothing thus far in XC. I don't look for him to make an impact.

Williams: I was hoping that Gary was just being cautious with Taylor and that his injury wasn't anything serious, but that appears to not have been the case. If Taylor can't get close to 100% by Big Ten/regionals, OSU will struggle to place well, as he has been as consistent and solid as you can be over the last two years, and would have been the #1 man this year.

Big Ten Outlook:

Wisconsin again looks to be the favorite, though Indiana is very good an could challenge, though they fell apart at Big Ten last year. OSU will be in a fight for third with Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan State (OSU beat both Illinois and MSU this weekend, and Minny finished 12th in the White race). Penn State has two solid guys up front but then nothing. Michigan and Iowa aren't very good, and Purdue stinks as usual. My guess is that OSU beats MSU and Illinois, but is very close to Minny either way. OSU scored 400 points this weekend to Minny's 391. OSU can improve a lot as Williams health improves. For Minny, Mike Torchia ran terrible, so they could potentially shave off a lot of points if he gets back on track as well.

 

[stkoran]

Buckeyes 7th at Big 10

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...9&SPID=10643&ATCLID=205022233&DB_OEM_ID=17300

MADISON, Wis. - The Ohio State men's cross country team finished in seventh-place Sunday at the 2010 Big Ten Cross Country Championships, hosted by the University of Wisconsin's 8k Zimmer Championship Course.

With a team point total of 164, the Buckeyes finished behind champion Wisconsin - the sixth-ranked Badgers placed five runners in the Top 12 to capture their 12th-consecutive Big Ten title behind a score of 28. No. 7 Indiana was the runner-up with 75 points.

"The team and I are very disappointed in our performance today," Ohio State head coach Robert Gary said after the race. "We were not at our best and it showed in the final team standings."

Senior Chad Balyo led the Buckeyes for the third time this season, finishing 19th overall with an 8k PR of 24:11, followed by junior Jake Edwards, who took 22nd in a PR of 24:18. Sophomore Donny Roys turned in a 40th-place effort for the second-consecutive meet, crossing the finish line in 24:45, while Taylor Williams (41st) and Chris Fallon (42nd) turned in identical times of 24:46, a PR for Fallon.

Junior Adam Green (24:56) and sophomore Cory Leslie (25:09) were the non-scorers for the Buckeyes, finishing 49th and 57th, respectively.

Up Next
Ohio State will take a week off before heading to Oakland, Mich., for the 2010 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships Nov. 13.
"We will see the character of this program over the next 13 days leading up to the regional meet," Gary said. "If we want to run at NCAAs, we'll need to put together a much better team performance."

Ohio State Results
1 19 Chad Balyo - 24:11
2 22 Jake Edwards - 24:18
3 40 Donny Roys - 24:45
4 41 Taylor Williams - 24:46
5 42 Chris Fallon - 24:46
6 (49) Adam Green - 24:56
7 (57) Cory Leslie - 25:09

Team Standings
1) Wisconsin - 28 pts.
2) Indiana - 75
3) Minnesota - 101
4) Penn State - 128
5) Michigan State - 141
6) Illinois - 150
7) Ohio State - 164
8) Michigan - 185
9) Iowa - 205
10) Purdue - 212

An absolutely awful race for the Buckeyes. Balyo and Edwards deserve credit for running well (I still think both have the talent to have placed higher), as both posted the best finishes of their career at an important meet. Chad got out with the leaders (there was a very large pack up front at 5k, about 25 or so) and then fell off a bit, finishing just 2 seconds out of 15th. Jake got out slower, but moved well over the last 3k to move up into 22nd. Chris Fallon also deserves some credit, as I never thought he would make much of an impact for the Buckeyes in XC (being more of a 1500 meter guy), finshing only 0.6 seconds away from being OSU's #3 in 42nd place.

As for the rest of the team, just a complete disaster. Taylor Williams is clearly still a work in progress coming off of his injury, finishing in 41st. For everyone else, it just seems as if they just plain didn't run well. After such a good result two weeks ago, Donny Roys didn't run well at all, finishing in 40th and not even getting out with that large lead pack. Perhaps the strategy was to get out more conservative (though the pack went out rather conservative as it was) and then move up over the last 3k with Jake, but that didn't happen. After struggling at Pre-Nats, Adam Green had an even worse race, getting out with the top group through 5k, only to finish in 50th place, falling 45 seconds behind Balyo over the last 3k. Corey Leslie finished in 59th and continues to not be an effective collegiate XC runner. While a better 800/Mile guy, he was a very good high school XC runner (D2 state champ), so I hold out hope that perhaps things will click for him in a future season. Julian Meyer, after running ok at Pre-Nats, was completely out the back at 5k and was never a factor.

I would like to hope that perhaps some people were sick or some other excuse, but from Gary's comments, it appears that they just didn't run very well. It's too bad, because 3rd was ripe for the taking, even with Minny's top 3 running very well. With a healthy Taylor Williams, I honestly believe that this team has enough talent that they could have even been in contention for 2nd, as IU also ran horrible.

In any event, on to Regionals in two weeks. OSU will have to run very well to have any chance of advancing, though they have a shot if they run how they can. After Wisconsin, there is no real powerhouse standing in the way of 2nd place. For the Buckeyes to advance, they will need top 25-35 performances from Balyo, Edwards, Williams, Green, and Roys. On a good day, I think any one of them could finish top 15. If they run like they did at Big 10, they will be no where close. They've had guys bounce back very strong at Regionals after poor conference meets in the past, hopefully that will happen again.

Here is a link the the full results: https://www.nmnathletics.com//downl...022233&SPSID=89199&SPID=10643&DB_OEM_ID=17300

Here is a link to some footage of the race (some NSFW language): [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8JrrGNNK6Y"]YouTube - 2010 Big Ten Cross Country Men (1 of 2).mp4[/ame]

 

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http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205030350&DB_OEM_ID=17300

Ohio State Takes Fourth at NCAA Great Lakes Regional

Related: Results OSUXC on Facebook
Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 11/13/2010

ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Ohio State men's cross country team finished in fourth-place Saturday afternoon at the 2010 NCAA Great Lakes regional championships, hosted by the University of Oakland's 10k Katke-Cousins Golf Course.

Junior Adam Green was the Buckeyes leader for the first time this season, posting a 14th-place finish in 30:41, a 14-spot improvement from his 2009 finish. Jake Edwards (31:04.5) and Chad Balyo (31.04.6) finished neck-and neck for Ohio State, turning in 25th and 26th-place times, respectively.

Rounding out the scoring five for the Buckeyes were Taylor Williams (32nd, 31:11.5) and Donny Roys (31:16.5). Roys made a 115-spot improvement from his placement at the 2009, while Williams recorded his top finish of the year for OSU.

"I was very proud of the guys today," head coach Robert Gary said after the meet. "I saw the team who had trained and focused for a great season. I have a great deal of respect for individuals and teams that have to gather after a disappointing performance and refocus. This team did a great job not losing its vision they had from last year."

Cont...

 

[stkoran]

The Buckeyes didn't make it to Nationals, but have nothing to be ashamed of after rebounding from a horrific Big Ten performance to run quite well at regionals. Had Taylor Williams been fully healthy, there is a chance that the Buckeyes would be at the big dance, as beating Notre Dame would have gotten them in.

Regional/Season recap for each runner:

Adam Green: After having a very disappointing season overall, Green ran his best XC race as a Buckeye, finishing in 14th. He missed qualifying to Nationals as an individual by one spot. I have no idea what happened two weeks ago, but Adam certainly made up for it on Saturday. Will be counted on heavily next year to run similarly as well, both at conference and regionals.

Jake Edwards: Despite having been around for a while, this was Jake's first full XC season for OSU. He made it count, performing well at both Big Ten and regionals, earning All-Region honors at the later. Jake will be another integral piece to the Buckeyes success next year.

Chad Balyo: Put together his finest XC season by far. Was very consistent all year long. While he never had a "big race," he was solid and dependable all season long. 19th at Big Ten and 26th at regionals is nothing to sneeze at.

Taylor Williams: His injury really killed OSU this year. Last year he was 15th at Big Ten and 13th at regionals. If he places similarly this year, the Buckeyes are at Nationals. He deserves tons of credit for how well he ran at regionals, based on the circumstances.

Donny Roys: After putting together an otherwise very good season, Donny bombed at Big Ten. Glad to see him come back with a strong race at regionals. Hopefully he will continue to improve and finish in the top 25 next year.

Julian Meyer: Didn't really see Julian take a step forward this year. He ran his best of last season at regionals, taking 44th. This year he was 51st. He only started running a junior in high school, so he may still be adjusting to the demands of training. Lots of talent, hope to see him make a jump to he a solid 5th man next year.

Cory Leslie: Continues to struggle with collegiate XC, plain and simple.

In some recruiting news, the Buckeyes recently got commitments from Brian and Jeff Hannaford, both of Westerville North, and Josh Sabo from Revere. All three are very strong recruits, and much needed after OSU didn't land a distance recruit last year, and losing Zach Wills to Oklahoma State this year. Josh is a 1:52, 4:12, 15:09 guy who was the state runner up in the 1600 last year. He was running very well in XC all year up until regionals/state, where he struggled a bit. Not sure if he was sick/peaked incorrectly or if something else happened, but a great pickup nonetheless. The Hannafords both have 9:20 3200 meter PRs, and placed 7/8 at state in the 3200 last year. Jeff palced 8th in state XC in 2009, while Brian took 3rd this year. Jeff must have gotten sick/injured because he did not compete in the state meet.

Not sure if OSU is in the running for Brajdic, as he could potentially make an instant impact, but this is a solid distance group regardless.

 

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The National Championship meet was earlier today and as stkoran mentioned above no Buckeyes qualified this year.

Oklahoma State won the team title for the second consecutive year and quite easily... they placed 3 runners in the top 10 and all 5 scorers in the top 30 (73 total points) to easily outdistance runner-up Florida State (193). Oklahoma State, barring very little injury, has a great chance at a 3 peat next year... of the 7 that ran today 2 were freshman, 1 sophomore and 4 juniors. Quite an impressive team.

In the Big Ten Wisconsin had a very good showing placing 3rd overall (223). Other Big Ten team finishes include Indiana in 7th (298), Minnesota in 27th (608) and Penn State in 30th (659).

Individual Results
Team Results

 

[stkoran]

Oklahoma State will only be getting better next year too, as they have signed 3x Ohio D1 State XC Champion and National 2-mile runner up Zach Wills of Mason.

But, there's some good news for the Buckeyes today: 2x Ohio D2 state champion and Scioto Downs course record holder Michael Brajdic has signed with OSU! Brajdic should make an instant impact on a team that has a good chance to go to nationals next year.

OSU has also signed Bradley Hess, the 3rd place finisher in Indiana's state championship. This is turning into quite the distance haul for the Buckeyes this year.

 

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Indoor season is upon us. The Buckeyes had their first meet this past weekend at Kent State and their 300m track (most indoor tracks are 200m). It looks like it was just a few people getting some early work in. It looks like Korbin Smith, who was strictly a sprinter and long jumper last year, is venturing into the world of the multi-events.

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...0&SPID=10412&ATCLID=205054367&DB_OEM_ID=17300

Marshall, Branch Lead Buckeyes at Kent State Early Bird

Results
Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 12/12/2010

KENT, Ohio - The Ohio State men's track and field team got a head start on its 2011 campaign Friday and Saturday at the Golden Flash Gala, hosted by Kent State University.

Highlighting the weekend was a victory by freshman Cody Marshall in the pole vault. The East Canton, Ohio, native used a personal record mark of 4.90m (16-0.75) to take home first-place in the first collegiate meet of his career. Teammates Graham Morgan and Alan Dague tied for seventh at 4.45m (14-7.25).

Tyler Branch enjoyed a successful trip north, posting Top 10 finishes in both the shot put and weight throw. The junior's top performance came in the shot, where he captured the runner-up spot at 17.50m (57-5), just behind Findlay's Derrick Vicars (17.51m/57-5.50). Branch followed up his strong effort in the shot put with a ninth-place finish in the weight throw at a PR distance of 18.37m (60-3.25). Unattached competitor Robert Klink was the weight champion at 21.80m (71-6.25).

 

[stkoran]

January 6, 2011 Ohio State Open

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...0&SPID=10412&ATCLID=205073977&DB_OEM_ID=17300

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State men's track and field team opened its 2011 season Friday evening inside French Field House with a strong team showing at the Buckeye Classic.

Junior Matt DeChant was the star of the day for the Buckeyes, setting a personal record of 18.93m (62-1.25) in the shot put - an event in which he is a two-time All-American - to capture first-place honors.

Aside from DeChant, highlights included a PR in the weight throw from Max Mays and a 60m sweep by freshmen sensation Demoye Bogle.

Cont.

Huge performance from DeChant. He just keeps getting better. Very impressive throw from Mays as well.

Bogle got off to a nice start. Hopefully he will be able to make an impact at B1G's in both the 60 and 60 hurdles.

Not really much else to discuss as a lot of the top guys sat out, while the distance guys ran races without much competition. The Dual should provide a much better picture of how this team looks.

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

 

[stkoran]

January 15, 2011

The "Dual" - Ohio State 88 defeats Michigan 74

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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Fueled by a raucous home crowd and a host of record-setting performances, the Ohio State men's track and field team defeated rival Michigan 88-74 in "The Dual" Saturday afternoon at French Field House.

With the victory, Ohio State picked up its third consecutive win over their conference rivals and now owns a 5-2 advantage over the Wolverines since the renewal of the rivalry in 2008. As a team, the Buckeye captured wins in nine out of 15 events.

A number of Buckeyes turned in impressive individual efforts. Junior college transfer Michael Hartfield wowed the crowd in his Buckeye debut, capturing a pair of wins in both the long jump and triple jump. All-American Matt DeChant set a PR in the shot put for the second consecutive week, while Cody Marshall also set a PR in the pole vault. All-American and Big Ten champion Thomas Murdaugh was also strong in his first meet of the season, winning handily in the 400m and anchoring the 4x400m relay to victory.

A very nice showing from the Bucks in their first meet with the whole team competing. Here's an event by event breakdown:

60 Meters

Bogle runs 6.86 to win. A nice improvement from last week. If he can get down to around 6.80 he should be able to make some noise on the conference level.

Terrell only ran 7.16 and didn't run the 200, so maybe he is coming off an injury? He's a big talent and had a nice outdoor season - hopefully he can get back to that level.

200 Meters

Callahan ran 22.50 to take second. Not a strong event for tOSU right now.

400 Meters

Murdaugh crushed the field in 47.35 (46.75 equivalent) to take 1st. Great way to start the season for him. Roberts missed second by less than .01, taking third in 48.91 (48.31 equivalent). Nice improvement from last week. Would like to see him get under 48.

600 Meters

Marvel Brooks, Jared Hall, and Marcus Brooks swept this race, running 1:20, 1:21 and 1:21 respectively. Solid efforts from all three. Someone will need to get down to the 1:18 range to make in impact on the conference level.

800 Meters

Another Buckeye sweep here, with Leslie (1:52), Hiltner (1:53), and Grove (1:54) running well for the Bucks. Very solid double for Leslie coming off his mile win (spoiler) and Grove as well. Hiltner should have a lot more in the tank, but both he and the season are young. Also, somehow Michigan has a 2:05 guy on the team.

1 Mile Run

Yet another sweep for Ohio State. Leslie ran away with this one in 4:08, with Knickles and Fallon running 4:15 and 4:16 respectively. Very happy with Leslie's effort here today, as his times equate to 4:06 and 1:51 on a banked or oversized track and it appears he was solo in both efforts. Hopefully after his strong finish in the steeple last year he will really break though in the mile this year. OSU will really need him to score points at the B1G meet to stay in the title hunt.

3000 Meter Run

Adam Green finished 0.2 seconds behind a very goodCraig Forys to take second in 8:17. Very solid start to the season for Adam, coming off his solid solo mile effort last week. Williams and Roys continued to run poorly, posting times of 8:37 and 8:45, respectively. Don't expect them to score at conference, but it would nice to see them turn things around.

60 Meter Hurdles

Bogle and Witherspoon went 3-4 for the Bucks in 8.09 and 8.10. Nice improvements from last week for both. If they can get in the 8.00 range they could potentially score at conference.

High Jump

Well, this event looks like it will be a disaster all year. Heath Nickles and Korbin Smith competed for tOSU, neither being a high jumper. They went 5'9" and 5'7", respectively. That won't win a high school dual meet. Neither Ryan Blake or Cody Westbrook appear on OSU's roster. Not sure what happened there, but without them this will be a big hole in an event the Bucks weren't that strong in to begin with.

Pole Vault

Cody Marshall set a new PR, going 5.00 meters (16'4.75") to take second, while Nickles went 4.70m (15'5") to take third. When we signed Marshall I said not to expect much this year, but I will pleasantly say that I was mistaken. 5.00 meters makes him a player on the conference level, and if he can get to 5.10 meters, he will definitely score. Nickles was consistently at 16' last year, so it would be nice to see him get back there, if not better. PV looks weak this year in the B1G, so two 5.00 or better vaulters would be nice.

Triple Jump

Mike Hartfield got the win in 49'9" while Derek Blevins took third in 49'1.75". Huge improvement from last year for tOSU, as Blevins had a team best jump of 48'1" and was often well below that. If both can get over 50', tOSU should have two scorers at B1G.

Weight Throw

A bit of a step back for this crew today, but nothing to sneer at. tOSU took spots 2-6 in the event, with Max Mays leading the way in 62'10", well off his PR of 67' set last week. All five Buckeyes were over 60', however. This group has the potential to score a lot of points at B1G, so they will need to start performing at a consistently higher level. A good start to the season, though.

Shot Put

All-American Matt DeChant just keeps getting better, taking first in a new PR and NCAA automatic qualifying throw of 19.44 meters (63'9.5"). DeChant also had throws of 18.79 and 19.12 meters, both of which are better than his PR coming into this season. DeChant's throw was better than any mark by a B1G athlete last year. Curt Smith took third in 54'5.5". Curt is a big talent who is coming off a serious back injury, so hopefully he is healthy and keeps on improving. Tyler Brach fouled on all of his throws. He has struggled so far in 2011, but it's still very early, and he threw well back in December.

Long Jump

I saved the best for last. Coming into this season I said tOSU could really dominate this event at the B1G level, and that prediction appears to be coming true. The Buckeyes went 1-2-3, all beating Michigan's defending conference champion Robert Peddlar. Hartfield went 25'4", Smith 24'3" and Blevins 24'1.5". Only one B1G athlete jumped better than 24'1.5" last year, and he is no longer in the conference. Hartfield's mark is only 0.13 meters away from being an NCAA automatic qualifier. If these three keep this up, there is a very real chance they will sweep the B1G meet and rack up 24 points.

Ohio State also won the 4x4 in 3:13, well ahead of TSUN.

All in all, a very solid meet for Ohio State and especially great performances from DeChant, Hartfield, and Murdaugh. The only area that perhaps underperformed was the weight throw, and the only even that looks like it Ohio State will be a non-factor in is the high jump.

And always nice to beat TSUN!

Full results are here: http://www.finishtiming.com/Results/OSU/2011/01-15/index.htm

:scum4:

 

[stkoran]

January 21-22 All-Ohio Championships

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Vi...0&SPID=10412&ATCLID=205081490&DB_OEM_ID=17300

KENT, Ohio ? The Ohio State men?s track and field team captured the 2011 All-Ohio Indoor Track and Field Championship Saturday at the Kent State Field House. With a combined score of 161, the Buckeyes finished 23 points ahead of second place Akron (138) and 57 ahead of third place Kent State (104).

Junior transfer Michael Hartfield continued his hot start, claiming a pair of victories in the long and triple jumps, scoring 20 points for the Buckeyes in those two events. Ohio State also dominated in the mile and 3000m runs, scoring a total of 32 points with first and third place finishes by Adam Green and Will Knickel in the mile and Cory Leslie and Chris Fallon in the 3000m. The Scarlet and Gray also posted a pair of wins in the 4x400m relay and the distance medley.

?I thought the guys competed real well,? head coach Robert Gary said after the meet. ?Coming off the Dual was asking a lot physically and emotionally, but the team responded well. Kent State did a very nice job hosting the meet. Even though we rested a couple guys and tried some off events, we got some solid performances.?

Below is a breakdown of the Buckeyes? day in Kent:

60m Dash
Kent State sophomore Nathaniel Scales won the 60m in a time of 6.86 seconds. Brandon Blackwell (7.02) and Blake Callahan (7.04) finished seventh and eighth, respectively, for the Buckeyes.

60m Hurdles
Demoye Bogle demolished his previous PR with a runner-up time of 7.98. However, the freshman?s impressive sprint wasn?t enough to knock off Cincinnati junior Terence Somerville, who used an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 7.68 to finish first. Junior Barron Witherspoon was third for OSU in 8.12 seconds.

200m Dash
Bogle followed up his second-place effort in the hurdles with a fifth place finish in the 200m in a time of 22.00. Akron?s Phil Ferguson finished first in 21.23 seconds, edging Princeton Bryson of Kent State (21.48) at the finish line.

400m Dash
Ferguson also was the champion in the 400, finishing in 47.80. He was followed by Ashland?s Cory Lamar (48.29) and John Guagenti of Findlay (48.35). Senior Aaron Roberts was the top Buckeye, finishing sixth in 48.53. All-American Thomas Murdaugh did not compete for Ohio State.

800m Run
Akron?s Willie Brown took the title in the 800 in a time of 1:50.65. Jared Hall finished third for the Scarlet and Gray in 1:53.11, just behind runner-up Destin Heasley of Kent State (1:51.95).

Mile Run
Green and Knickel collected 16 points for the Buckeyes with a 1-3 finish. Green was the winner in a time of 4:14.69, just ahead of Akron?s Max Hiltner (4:14.93). Knickel crossed the finish line in 4:17.62.

3000m Run
OSU juniors Leslie and Fallon scored an additional 16 for the Buckeyes in the 3000m run, going 1-3 in times of 8:16.58 and 8:24.66, respectively. Xavier?s Tommy Kauffmann (8:17.80) finished second.

Long Jump/Triple Jump
Hartfield remained undefeated as a Buckeye with a pair of wins in the long jump and triple jump. The junior leapt to a winning distance of 7.65m in the long jump, and followed that performance with a season-best mark of 15.26m (50-0.75) in the triple. Steve MacDonald?s season-best mark of 7.09m (23-0.75) helped him to fifth place in the LJ while Derek Blevins (14.87m/48-9.50) and Julian Vann (13.92m/45-8) went 3-4 in the triple for OSU.

Pole Vault
Akron swept the Top 2 spots, with Michael Uhle taking the title at 5.11m (16-9.25). Freshman Cody Marshall finished fourth for the Buckeyes, clearing the bar at a height of 4.91m (16-1.25).

Shot Put
An NCAA automatic qualifying throw of 19.42m (63-8.75) helped Ashland?s Kurt Roberts capture the shot put title. Tyler Branch was the top finisher for Ohio State, taking fourth in 17.71m (58-1.25).

Weight Throw
Throwers Max Mays and Matt DeChant scored 10 points for Ohio State in the weight throw, with Mays claiming third with a toss of 19.85m while DeChant threw 19.20m to finish fifth. Ryan Loughney from Ashland took first with a toss of 20.75m.

Heptathlon
The Buckeyes claimed two of the Top 3 spots and 14 points toward their team score in the heptathlon, led by second place finisher Heath Nickles (5169 points). Nickles, who sat in fourth after the first day of competition, fought his way up the standings with a first place finish in the pole vault (4.70m/15-5) and second place sprint in the 60m hurdles. Korbin Smith fell one spot to third place, but still managed to post a PR score of 5059. Kent State?s Michael Schober captured the title with a total of 5358 points, the third-best heptathlon score in the nation so far this season.

Men Distance Medley
The Buckeyes scored another first-place finish in this event as Fallon, Roberts, Hall and Green recorded a time of 9:57.72.

4x400m Relay
The Buckeye 4x400 team of Bogle, Marvel Brooks, Jared Hall and Marcus Brooks scored the final 10 points for Ohio State with a first-place time of 3:13.94. Ashland came in second at 3:15.94.

Great to see OSU take the title here, especially resting some guys and having some other guys competing in off events. Another great double from Hartfield, solid runs from Green and Leslie in off events, and a great run from Bogle in the hurdles.

OSU heads to Penn State this weekend for the National invitational where they look to post some big marks. OSU is performing well right now, but will have to continue to improve as the B1G looks to be extremely competitive this year.

 

[stkoran]

Recruiting update - recent additions:

Blake Taneff - New Albany, Ohio: 9:28 2 Miler; 14th place in D1 XC this year

Luke Norris - Lebanon, Ohio: 14.74 110H; 37.31 300H; 3rd place D1 300H 2010

Antonio Blanks - Dayton, Ohio: 10.91 100; 14.54 110H; 37.26 300H; 1st place D2 300H 2010; 7th place D2 100 2010