Big Ten Network : Track & Field Top Stories

Big Ten announces women's All-Big Ten teams

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 15:02:00 +0000

The Big Ten Conference office announced on Tuesday the 2010 All-Big Ten women's indoor track and field teams and individual award winners. Highlighting the list, Penn State junior Shavon Greaves was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year and Minnesota senior Alicia Rue earned the nod as Field Athlete of the Year. Michigan's Jillian Smith was tabbed Freshman of the Year by the conference coaches while Nittany Lion head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan was named Coach of the Year by her peers. In addition, Nittany Lion senior Bridget Franek was tabbed Big Ten Track Athlete of the Championships while seniors Aja Evans of Illinois and Faith Sherrill of Indiana took home Field Co-Athletes of the Championships laurels for their outstanding performances over the weekend. The Big Ten Conference office honors an individual from each team with the Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen were individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Honorees for men's indoor track and field are, Illinois's Angela Bizzarri, Indiana's Ashley Rhoades, Iowa's McKenzie Melander, Michigan's Danielle Tauro, Michigan State's Rebecca Buchholtz, Minnesota's Chimerem Okoroji, Ohio State's Ashley Caldwell, Penn State's Anna Muzio, Purdue's Sarah Klaczynski and Wisconsin's LaQuita Brazil. These eleven student-athletes are now candidates for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as the conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year. The conference also announced All-Big Ten first and second teams at the conclusion of the Championships on Sunday. A complete list of individual honorees and All-Conference teams are listed below: Track Athlete of the Year: Shavon Greaves, Penn State Field Athlete of the Year: Alicia Rue, Minnesota Freshman of the Year: Jillian Smith, Michigan Track Athlete of the Championships: Bridget Franek, Penn State Field Co-Athletes of the Championships: Aja Evans, Illinois; Faith Sherrill, Indiana Coach of the Year: Beth Alford-Sullivan, Penn State First Team Angela Bizzari – Illinois Aja Evans – Illinois Molly Beckwith – Indiana Ashley Rhoades - Indiana Faith Sherrill – Indiana Rebecca Addison – Michigan Jillian Smith – Michigan Danielle Tauro – Michigan Shana Vinson- Michigan Alicia Rue – Minnesota Christina Manning - Ohio State Shaniqua McGinnis - Ohio State Doris Anyanwu – Penn State Caitlin DeFusco – Penn State Fawn Dorr – Penn State Bridget Franek - Penn State Shavon Greaves - Penn State Christina Madison - Purdue Chavon Robinson - Wisconsin Dorcas Akinniyi - Wisconsin Second Team Alecia Beckford-Stewart - Illinois Ryisha Boyd – Illinois Ashley Kelly – Illinois Marissa Golliday – Illinois Melissa Bates - Illinois Elizabeth Yetzer – Minnesota Chioma Omeoga – Minnesota Alena Brooks – Minnesota Nikki Swenson – Minnesota Samantha Sonnenberg – Minnesota Letecia Wright - Ohio State Nkeiru Ugwoaba - Purdue Stacey Wannemacher - Purdue Megan Seidl - Wisconsin

Big Ten announces men's All-Big Ten teams

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 14:59:00 +0000

The Big Ten Conference office announced on Tuesday the 2010 All-Big Ten Men's indoor track and field teams and individual award winners. Highlighting the list, Ohio State sophomore Thomas Murdaugh was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year and Indiana senior Derek Drouin earned the nod as Field Athlete of the Year. Indiana's Andy Bayer was tabbed Freshman of the Year by the conference coaches while Golden Gopher head coach Steve Plasencia was named Coach of the Year by his peers. The conference coaches also recognized a pair of student-athletes for their excellent performances at this year's Big Ten Indoor Championships as Murdaugh and Minnesota senior Aaron Studt took home Track and Field Athlete of the Championships laurels, respectively. The Big Ten Conference office honors an individual from each team with the Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen were individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Honorees for men's indoor track and field are, Illinois's Greg Shroka, Indiana's Bayer, Iowa's Adam Hairston, Michigan's Chris Baldwin, Michigan State's Cliff Miller, Minnesota's Joey Schwecke, Ohio State's Ryan Blake, Penn State's Dan Sandrowicz, Purdue's Jacob Palmer and Wisconsin's Luke Rucks. These eleven student-athletes are now candidates for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as the conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year. The conference also announced All-Big Ten first and second teams at the conclusion of the Championships on Sunday. A complete list of individual honorees and All-Conference teams are listed below: Track Athlete of the Year: Thomas Murdaugh, Ohio State Field Athlete of the Year: Derek Drouin, Indiana Freshman of the Year: Andy Bayer, Indiana Track Athlete of the Championships: Thomas Murdaugh, Ohio State Field Athlete of the Championships: Aaron Studt, Minnesota Coach of the Year: Steve Plasencia, Minnesota First Team Andrew Riley, Illinois Derek Drouin, Indiana Robert Peddlar, Michigan Kyron Foster, Michigan State Ben Blankenship, Minnesota Harun Abda, Minnesota R.J. McGinnis, Minnesota Ben Peterson, Minnesota Aaron Studt, Minnesota Thomas Murdaugh, Ohio State Stephen Robinson, Ohio State Jeff See, Ohio State Elon Simms, Ohio State Brandon Woodard, Ohio State Ryan Foster, Penn State Shane Crawford, Purdue Jack Bolas, Wisconsin Grant Bughman, Wisconsin Ryan Gasper, Wisconsin Landon Peacock, Wisconsin Luke Rucks, Wisconsin Second Team Kevin Dibbern, Iowa Erik Sowinski, Iowa Ray Varner, Iowa Steven Willey, Iowa Andrew Bayer, Indiana Brendon Blacklaws, Michigan Dallas Bowden, Michigan Sean McNamara, Michigan Nicholas Neuman, Michigan Sean Pruitt, Michigan Matt Fisher, Minnesota Jack Szmanda, Minnesota Logan Stroman, Minnesota Adam Green, Ohio State Hanif Johnson Joe Kovacs, Penn State Chris Kirtz, Purdue Eric Sparks, Purdue Maverick Darling, Wisconsin Nate Larkin, Wisconsin

Gopher men repeat as Big Ten champions

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:26:00 +0000

FINAL STANDINGS 1. Minnesota 160.5 2. Ohio State 112.5 3. Wisconsin 81 4. Purdue 67 5. Iowa 56 6. Indiana 51 6. Penn State 51 8. Michigan 42 9. Michigan State 41 10. Illinois 40 A sweep of the top three places in the heptathlon and five other individual champions propelled Minnesota to its second straight Big Ten men's indoor track and field championship on Sunday at the University Fieldhouse. "This means a lot to the program," head coach Steve Plasencia said. "The way we've been able to keep things going it seems like it's been coming for the last 10 or 12 years. Right now, it feels like this team is a very strong team." The Gophers totaled 160.50 team points, the second most in Big Ten Men's Indoor Championship history, to easily outdistance the rest of the field. Ohio State was second with 112.50 points and Wisconsin was third with 81.00 points. The point total also bettered the margin of last year's title, when Minnesota outscored second-place Michigan by 42 points. This marks the first back-to-back indoor titles for Minnesota, and the third overall in program history. "I scored it out last night and I scored it conservatively," Plasencia said. "And actually had Ohio State having us by a few points. Our guys came out today and seized it, and there is nothing you can say but congratulations to them on that effort. It meant so much for our guys to be able to do it at home. We don't get the opportunity to do things that often where people recognize what we do, you could feel it build within them. It seems like it's been building in them all indoor season." R.J. McGinnis successfully defended his heptathlon title and Aaron Studt captured the weight throw title after taking the shot put crown on Saturday. Ben Blankenship claimed the title in the mile and Harun Abda took the 600-meter championship. Ben Peterson was the champion in the pole vault on Saturday. McGinnis was in second place entering final event of the heptathlon, the 1000-meter run, and placed second in the event in 2:43.17 to move past teammate Jack Szmanda for the overall win. McGinnis totaled 5,708 points, while Szmanda was second with 5,643 points and Brock Spandl was third with 5,629 points. Spandl won the heptathlon pole vault title on Sunday and was second in the 60-meter hurdles event to move into third place overall. McGinnis' point total was the second best in the Big Ten this season. For the second straight day, Studt entered the finals of his event in second place and won on the final throw. He took the weight throw title with a heave of 66-9.25 to win by nearly five inches after placing fourth last season. Micah Hegerle was fifth for the Gophers in 64-2.50. Blankenship captured the Big Ten title in the mile with a winning time of 4:05.64. Blankenship, who placed fourth in the event last year, took the lead in the final two laps of the race and held off Indiana's Andrew Bayer by 0.27 seconds for the victory. Andy Richardson was sixth and Paul Hilsen was seventh in the event for the Gophers. Abda won pulled away from the field to take the 600-meter title with a winning time of 1:17.76. Logan Stroman finished second for the Gophers by winning his section of the finals with a time of 1:18.19. David Pachuta was sixth overall. Defending Big Ten high jump champion Matt Fisher placed second with a jump of 7-2.50. Last year's runner-up, Derek Drouin of Indiana, had an NCAA automatic qualifying performance to win the event in 7-5.0. Travis Burkstrand added a third place finish in the 800-meter run in 1:51.56. In the 5000 meters, Chris Rombough was fourth in 14:17.23 and Mike Torchia was one-tenth of a second behind to place fifth. The 4x400-meter relay team of John Holton, Abda, Pachuta and Stroman placed fourth with a time of 3:13.57. In the 4x400 Ohio State won in a time of 3:11.18 to set a new University Fieldhouse record. In all four University Fieldhouse records were set as Andrew Riley of Illinois won the 60-meter hurdles in 7.81 seconds, Thomas Murdagh of Ohio State claimed the 400-meter dash in 46.67 seconds and Ryan Foster of Penn State took the 800-meter run in 1:50.43. The entire 2010 Big Ten Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships will be aired by the Big Ten Network on Mar. 9 at 9:00 p.m. The NCAA Championships are in two weeks, March 12-13, hosted by the University of Arkansas.

PSU women delight crowd, win Big Ten title

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:17:00 +0000

FINAL STANDINGS 1. Penn State 111 2. Ohio State 88 3. Indiana 83 4. Minnesota 82 5. Wisconsin 72 6. Purdue 71 6. Illinois 67 8. Michigan 61 9. Iowa 36 10. Michigan State 30 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Bolstered by dual individual wins from junior Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.), a gold-medal run in the mile by senior Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio), and a sizzling victory in the 4x400-meter relay, the Nittany Lion women's track and field team captured the program's second-ever Big Ten Indoor Championships victory, Saturday at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. "This championship is a dedication to our seniors, our leaders, and to the Penn State community and fans," said Director and Head Coach of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. "This team is on a mission, and to be able to execute, and celebrate a championship at home like this is a testament to the tenacity of the athletes, and the tremendous coaching efforts from Coach (Chris) Johnson, Coach (Fritz) Spence, and my entire volunteer coaching staff. They are the reason this program continues to excel." Trailing in the team standings for much of the afternoon, the Lions screamed into first place with two events remaining, thanks to a 25-point haul in the 200-meters led by a victory from Greaves. Claiming her second-career Big Ten Indoor title in the event, Greaves blitzed to a facility- and meet-record, and NCAA-automatic qualifying 22.98. Greaves' blazing one-lap effort is also the fastest in the NCAA this year. Junior Caitlin Defusco (Schwenksville, Pa.) would join Greaves on the medal stand, thanks to a personal-best and NCAA-provisional qualifying 23.67, which would hold up for third. Senior Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.), and freshman Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.) also got in on the scoring action, turning in fourth and fifth-place showings, respectively, with finishing times of 23.75, and 24.19. "Words can't even describe how excited I am," said Greaves on the team title. "I'm so excited that everyone ran so fast, about the seniors in position to win a triple crown. The atmosphere from on fire, so I just let that carry me. Now I'm ready to go run fast nationals." The same Nittany Lion quartet would also come back to cap the championship with a victory in the 4x400, running a season-best and NCAA-provisional qualifying 3:35.38, which is also a new Big Ten Championship record. The relay wins is the fifth-consecutive indoor conference title for the Nittany Lions, who have won eight of the last nine 4x400s in indoor and outdoor track. Franek mounted an impressive kick in the final lap of the mile to garner her first indoor conference victory finishing in a personal-best and Penn State record 4:37.95, bettering an outstanding field. Just over an hour later, Franek would prove her fitness, taking second in the 5000-meters, and adding another eight points to the Nittany Lion total. Franek would finish the race in 16:09.48. "I've never heard the place so loud, and I've never been so proud to be a Penn Stater," said Franek, following her 56-lap weekend. "From start to finish, we knew we wanted it and we went out there and grabbed it. We didn't let anyone get in our way." With its latest team title - the second the Nittany Lions have taken indoors - the Penn State women's program has now claimed a total of five Big Ten Championships including cross country, and indoor and outdoor track and field. Across the athletic department, the title marks Penn State's fourth victory in 2009-10 and 64th all-time. "Victory is more meaningful when it's so demanding," continued Sullivan. "And the Big Ten came hungry and up until the last events, but the Nittany Lions responded and we are grateful it fell our way. We will be celebrating for a long time to come, but most importantly, we will look to get these athletes ready to continue their season at the NCAA Championships."

Big Ten Men's Indoor Track & Field preview

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:51:00 +0000

The University of Minnesota Fieldhouse will serve as host to the 100th annual running of the Big Ten Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships. The event first began in 1911 in Evanston, Ill., with Northwestern as the host school. The 2010 event features some of the best teams and athletes in the country with four squads ranking in the USTFCCCA's Top 25. Indiana leads the conference contingent at No. 7, followed by No. 11 Penn State, No. 17 Minnesota and No. 20 Ohio State. The Gophers will look to defend their conference crown when they return four reigning individual champions from last year's meet. Junior Hassan Mead will look to repeat as the 3,000- and 5,000-meter champion, while seniors Matt Fisher and Aaron Studt will seek a return to the top podium spot in the high jump and shot put competitions, respectively. The championships host will also look to a talented crop of athletes in the heptathlon, highlighted by defending conference champion R.J. McGinnis. The senior Gopher enters weekend competition with the third-best mark in the nation at 5,753 as Minnesota is well represented in the leader board with four athletes ranking inside the top 20. Indiana has strong potential to improve on its sixth-place showing from last season with a wealth of top talent both on the track and in field competition. Hoosier sophomore Derek Drouin will seek to improve on his runner-up finish in the high jump as he is currently tied for the top clearance in the nation with a mark of 7'4.25 (2.24m). Senior pole vaulter and defending Big Ten champion Jeff Coover is also among the nation's best, boasting the third-highest mark at 18'.05 (5.50m). On the track, IU will likely be a top contender in the distance medley relay as the Hoosier quartet owns the nation's fourth-fastest time at 9:38.39. Indiana will also look to harriers Andrew Poore and Andrew Bayer to bring in quality points in distance events. Penn State also returns a wealth of talent to the track, led by 800-meter title holder Ryan Foster. With the second-fastest time in the country (1:47.32), Foster paces a trio of Nittany Lion half-milers rating inside the top-five nationally, holding promise for one of the most thrilling races over the weekend. Junior hurler Joe Kovacs also enters the meet with a top-three mark in the shot put at 63'6.25 (19.36m) – good enough to lead the conference. Illinois and Michigan are home to the final two returning champions. Illini sophomore Andrew Riley will look to seize his second conference crown in as many championships appearances in the 60-meter hurdles and improve on his time of 7.72 from last year. Meanwhile, Wolverine senior Sean Pruitt also returns as a top contender to repeat in the weight throw. Ohio State will rely on senior Jeff See and sophomore Thomas Murdaugh as the Buckeyes look to make a run for the top spot at this year's event. One of the top middle-distance runners in the nation, See has already posted a sub-four-minute mile earlier this season, clocking a time of 3:58.82 to rank seventh nationally and first in the conference. Murdaugh has also cemented his name on the national scene, posting a top-10 time in the 400 meters while also leading the Buckeyes to an undefeated and conference leading time of 3:08.22 in the mile relay.

4x400 relay highlights Illini at Meyo Invitational

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 18:41:00 +0000

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The Illinois women's track and field team ran amongst several of the top teams in the nation at the Meyo Invitational and turned in a number of solid performances at the Loftus Center, highlighted by a victory in the 4x400m relay. The team of sophomore Ashley Kelly, freshman Kayla Smith, sophomore Ryisha Boyd and junior Melissa Bates edged Mississippi (3:39.88) for the win and provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships with a time of 3:39.83. "Overall, it was a pretty good meet for us," head coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said. "We still have some work to do, but this was the toughest competition we have faced yet, and I expect us to continue to get better. Our 4x400m relay team is right on track with where we were last year and ran a very good race today." The Illini also had a pair of distance runners provisionally qualify for nationals in their first race since the NCAA Cross Country National Championships. Senior and two-time national champion Angela Bizzarri turned in a third-place finish in the 3,000m with a time of 9:16.75, just missing the automatic standard (9:16.00), while sophomore Kristin Sutherland also placed third in the 5,000m on Friday night and provisionally qualified with a time of 16.43.68. "Angela and Kristin ran well for their first time out this season, and they will only continue to get better as the season progresses," Buford-Bailey said. Bates posted the highest individual finish by any Illini in the running events, placing second in the 300m with a personal best 39.09, while fellow junior Tamika Robinson ran the fastest preliminary time in the 60m hurdles (8.46) before running the same time in the finals to take third overall. Senior Aja Evans matched Bates for the best finish by an Illini with a runner-up finish in the shot put, as she threw a season-best mark of 51-7 (15.72m). In the 60m dash, both junior Tamika Robinson (7.62) and senior Aja Evans (7.61) made it to the final, placing 9th and 12th, respectively. Bates (24.67) and freshman Kayla Smith (24.68) finished ninth and 10th, respectively, in the 200m, while sophomores Ashley Kelly (55.26) and Ryisha Boyd (55.37) placed seventh and eighth in the 400m. "Ashley Kelly ran an awesome 400m to put herself on the Big Ten ranking list and Ryish Boyd was right there with her," Buford-Bailey said. "I was really excited about Kayla Smith's performance in the 200m and Tamika had a consistent day in both her races too." Kayla Smith was the top Illini in the long jump, finishing ninth with a leap of 18-11 3/4, while freshman Kawanna Brooks posted a personal best of 38-8 3/4 in the triple jump to place 15th. On Friday night, senior Elizabeth Boyle notched her personal best in the 3,000m, placing seventh with a time of 17:01.49, and Kelly took fourth in the 300m with a personal-best time of 39.17. Latoya Griffith (39.85) and Paris Streeter (40.66) also turned in PRs in that race to place 11th and 25th, respectively. Next week, the Illini travel to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Tyson Invitational, which is held at the same site as the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Wisconsin's Seidl takes high jump crown

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 21:38:00 +0000

NEW YORK -- The sky continues to be the limit for the jumpers on Wisconsin's women's track and field team. After shattering Wisconsin's all-time record for the high jump last weekend, senior Megan Seidl won the extremely competitive championship division of the women's high jump on Saturday at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York. Seidl won the event by clearing the bar at 5 feet, 11 1/2 inches. Fellow Badgers teammate Monika Jakutyte also placed in championship division of the high jump, notching seventh with a leap of 5-8 1/2. Breaking the indoor school record for the third time this season, senior Chavon Robbinson leapt 42 feet, 8 inches to land in fourth place of the highly competitive championship division of the triple jump. In the college division of the triple jump, LaQuita Brazil posted a mark of 38-7 to place seventh. Overall, the Badgers nabbed 12 top-15 finishes in The Armory on Saturday, tallying a total 22 top-15 finishes at the two-day invitational. The Badgers dominated in the championship division of the weight throw, with Amanda Hoeppner grabbing second place with a heave of 61 feet, 1 inches – her second heave beyond 60 feet in as many weeks. Fellow senior Johanne Verpil came in next for the Badgers, placing ninth with a mark of 56-7 1/4, while sophomore Rebecca Fritz took the 11th position by throwing 55-11. Freshman Jasmine Boyer rounded things out for the Badges' crew by placing 27th with a 49-7 3/4 throw. The Badgers' 4x400-meter squad of senior Alexis Beecham, junior Akalia Cabell, senior Amanda Donath and freshman Jameice DeCoster sprinted its way to a second-place finish, clocking in at 3:48.33 in the college division of the 4x400. Distance runner Hannah Grinaker ran the 3,000 meters in 9:47.13, grabbing seventh place in the competitive championship division of the event. Fellow Badger Ashley Beutler set a personal best in the championship division of the mile by clocking in at 4:52.62 and claiming ninth place. In the college division of the mile, senior Karlye Wolff ran a personal-best 5:04.87 to place 13th in the 39-athlete field, while senior Karen Greuel clocked a 5:07.22 to finish 17th. In the college division of the 800 meters, sophomore Megan Beers crossed the line at 2:15.51 to nab the 14th position. The Wisconsin women stay on the road next week and will travel to Ames, Iowa, to compete at the Iowa State Classic on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12-13.

Ohio State's See tallies sub-four mile

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 21:24:00 +0000

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. OSU WOMEN BREAK MORE RECORDS IN NY NEW YORK – Records continued to fall for the Ohio State women's track and field team Saturday afternoon at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. Ohio State's 4x400m relay team of Ashley Caldwell, Shaniqua McGinnis, Nyjah Cousar and Christina Manning led the Buckeye charge on day two in New York with a fifth-place and NCAA provisional time of 3:39.32. Vying for the title alongside a talented championship field, the Buckeyes crossed the finish line with the second-best time in the Big Ten this season and a Top 20 time nationally. Arkansas claimed first-place with an NCAA-best time of 3:33.18. Sophomore Maggie Mullen set another personal record in the weight throw championship, finishing in fifth with a toss of 18.13m (5-5.75), seventh-best in the Big Ten this season. Victoria Flowers of Connecticut took home the title with an NCAA provisional mark of 20.28m (66-6.50). Mullen set a PR in the shot put (14.46m/47-5.25) Friday evening. Kelcey McKinney had an impressive showing in the college triple jump, one day removed from setting a PR in the long jump (5.86m/19-2.75). The sophomore from Dayton used a mark of 11.82m (38-9.25), eighth-best in the Big Ten on the year, to finish in sixth. A jump of 12.13m earned Georgia State's Angelia Nugent the win (39-9.50). Linton Leads Buckeyes at Meyo Invitational Freshman Christienne Linton ran a PR of 8.73 to finish 11th in the finals of the 60m hurdles, highlighting the Ohio State effort at the Notre Dame Meyo Invitational in South Bend Ind. Linton - whose 60m hurdle time is one of the Top 10 in the Big Ten this season - also represented the Buckeyes well in the 60m dash, narrowly missing out on qualification for the final round with a time of 7.72. Kristen Carter debuted for the Buckeyes in the 3000m run with a 23rd-place time of 9:50.17. Molly Jacobson improved on her season-best time by more than 17 seconds, completing her run in 9:59.47. Ohio State will be back in action next Friday when they host the Buckeye Classic at French Field House beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Illinois men shine at Meyo Invitational

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 20:00:00 +0000

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Illinois turned in a plethora of personal bests at the Meyo Invitational while competing against some of the top teams in the nation at the Loftus Center this weekend. On Friday night, freshman Bai Kabba stole the show for the Illini, winning the 300m dash in a time of 34.41 for his second career individual event title. Sophomore Andrew Riley continued to near an NCAA provisional mark, as he reset his personal best in the 60m dash (6.74) for the fourth straight meet and placed second in the event. "I was pleased with weekend overall because our guys continued to improve," interim head coach Mike Turk said. "We need to keep getting better, but it is always positive to have numerous athletes turn in personal bests. Bai (Kabba) had a nice weekend with a victory in the 300m, and Riley has reset his personal best each week in the 60m, which is pretty outstanding for an athlete of that level." Sophomore Stanley Azie tallied personal bests and placed fourth overall in both the 60m (6.87) and 200m (21.59), while freshman Boyea Lockett placed ninth in the 60m with a time of 6.92. In the 60m hurdles, Riley ran a solid 7.94 in the preliminaries, but false started in the finals. Junior Dan Jones (48.09) and Kabba (48.13) finished eighth and ninth, respectively, in the 400m, as both athletes tallied personal bests in the event. Freshman Malcolm Taylor placed eighth in the 500m with a 1:03.98, and both seniors, Brian Beaird (1:51.10) and Scott Phelps (1:52.36), added personal bests in the 800m to place 13th and 21st. In the mile, Kyle Engnell (4:09.65) posted a PR to lead the Illini with a 13th-place finish followed by Mike Murray (4:10.42) in 17th and Graham Farnsworth (4:11.00), who also notched a PR, in 19th. In the longer distance events, sophomore Dan Kremske (8:15.89) smashed his personal best in the 3,000m to finish 13th, and the Mickow brothers came in 20th and 21st in the 5,000m, with Hunter running a 14:40.46 and Colin finishing five seconds later at 14:45.42. In the field events, junior Oz Lifshitz turned in the top performance, garnering fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 49-1 (14.96m). Freshman Ryan Michel placed ninth in the high jump with a leap of 6-9 (2.06m), while Riley was the top Illini long jumper, finishing 15th with a bound of 22-11 (6.98m). Sophomore Alex Baldwin placed 10th in the pole vault with a personal-best mark of 16-0 ¾ (4.90m) and freshman Josh Hodur was 17th after a mark of 15-7 (4.75m). Next week, Illinois splits up for a pair of meets, with part of the team competing at the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa, and the other part of the squad heading to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Tyson Invitational.

Indiana women set two school records

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 19:03:00 +0000

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 2010 indoor season has seen the IU men's distance runners gain national recognition. At the Meyo Invitational, the women's distance runners got in on the act. The Hoosiers got four NCAA qualifications in women's distance events, including two new school records. Senior Molly Beckwith, who ran a leg on the school record D.M.R. on day one of the meet, ran an NCAA auto time in the 800m on day two. Beckwith's time of 2:04.50 is a new school record and the third fastest in the NCAA this season. The time is a half second better than the NCAA auto standard. Senior Wendi Robinson, who also ran a leg on the D.M.R. on day one, ran a provisional qualifying time in the 3,000m. She finished in 9:26.55 for her third NCAA mark of the season. The time is the 5th best in school history. In the men's 800m, Danny Stockberger came within .21 seconds of his first career NCAA qualification. His time of 1:50.71 is a 1.25 second improvement on his career best. Junior Ben Hubers ran a time of 8:07.27 in the men's 3,000m. The time is just off the provisional standard of 8:05.00. The time is more than 10 seconds better than his previous career best. The Hoosiers will host the Hoosier Hills on Feb. 12 and visit the Tyson Invitational on Feb. 12-13. For complete coverage of IU track and field, stay tuned to IUHoosiers.com.

PSU women win Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 18:59:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Paced by victories from sophomore Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.), senior Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas), and the 4x400-meter relay, the Nittany Lion women's squad took top honors in the team standings, Saturday at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. Juniors Blake Eaton (Allegeny, N.Y.) and Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.) picked up an event wins, helping the Penn State men to a second-place standing in team scoring. Lane and Spring both scored wins in the distances, with Lane taking the 800-meters, and Spring posting a victory in the mile run. Lane ran a strong last lap to finish in a personal-best 2:09.53, with Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) also getting in on the scoring, taking third overall in 2:10.80. Spring outlasted the mile field, finishing in 4:50.12 to nose teammate Natalie Bower (Pleasant Unity, Pa.), who finished second in 4:50.33. Senior Jessica Babcock (Irvine, Calif.) would finish fourth in the race, going 4:53.67. Eaton tossed a personal-best 60-10.50 (18.55) to win the shot put – a personal-best by nearly 10 inches. Eaton's performance, which also improves his position on the NCAA descending order list, is currently ranked ninth nationally. Classmate Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.), who is already an NCAA automatic qualifier in the shot, turned in a third-place effort in the event, launching a throw of 58-06 (17.83). Williams cruised to victory in the 600-meters, running 1:18.33 to better the rest of the field by almost a full second. Teammate Kevin Fuller (Camp Hill, Pa.) finished fourth in the race, running 1:20.47. In the sprints, Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.) posted a personal-best an NCAA provisional-qualifying 53.14 in the 400-meters, finishing second-to-only Joanna Atkins of Auburn – the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Champion at the distance. Teammate Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) placed third in the race, finishing in 53.39, to go along with another bronze-medal effort in the 200-meters, where she ran a personal-best 23.98. Junior Caitlin DeFusco (Schwenksville, Pa.) would also turn in a top five finish in the one-lap 200, placing fourth overall in 24.16. Dorr and Greaves would make up the final two legs of the winning 4x400 relay, with junior Megan Duncan (North Huntingdon, Pa.), and freshman Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.), who finished fourth in the open 400, on the first two efforts. The team finished in 3:36.57 – the fastest time by a Lion squad in 2010, and a top 10 performance nationally. In the field events, junior Bryson Hartzler (Belleville, Pa.) recorded a fourth-place effort in the high jump, clearing a personal-best 6-10.25 (2.09), while Dan Sandrowicz (Indiana, Pa.) also posted a fourth-place standing, managing a leap of 47-04.50 (14.44) in the triple jump. For the women, Brittany Maun (Greensburg, Pa.) highlighted the field events with a second-place effort in the high jump, going over 5-08.75 (1.75) for second. Sophomore Anna Muzio (Harrisburg, Pa.) also added to the team scoring with a fifth-place finish in the shot put with a performance of 44-02.75 (13.48). In the men's distances, sophomore Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.) and freshman Danny Pawola (Naperville, Ill.) combined for a three-four finish in the mile run, running 4:11.41, and 4:13.74, respectively. Junior Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio) also earned bronze-medal status, finishing third in the 800-meters in 1:52.70. The Nittany Lion women scored a total of 134 points for the team victory, with Auburn in second with 111. Cornell rounded out the top three with 78. Princeton took the men's title with 111, followed by Penn State with 83, and Cornell with 80. The Nittany Lions will hit the road for the first time this indoor season next weekend, splitting their squads between the Tyson Invitational at Arkansas, and the Husky Classic at Washington. Both competitions are set for Friday and Saturday, February 12-13.

Leslie breaks OSU record in 1000m

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 15:57:00 +0000

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, Cory 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!"

Illini men cruise to Illinois Intercollegiate crown

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:06:00 +0000

CHARLESTON, Ill. - After a dominating performance at the Carle/Health Alliance last week, the Illinois men's track and field team picked up where they left off, easily winning the Illinois Intercollegiate with 169 points on Saturday. The Illini grabbed 11 individual event titles at Lantz Fieldhouse and topped host Eastern Illinois (128) by 41 points. Senior Greg Shroka reset his personal best in the high jump (2.18m) to win the event for the third consecutive meet and made an attempt at the school record, with his final three jumps coming at 2.22m. "We had a very good meet today with a number of personal bests across the board," interim head coach Mike Turk said. "Greg (Shroka) got a chance to take some jumps at the school record for the first time and had some pretty good cracks at it." Illinois' other All-American, sophomore Andrew Riley, also reset his personal best for the second straight week to win the 60m dash (6.78) and took the top spot in the 60m hurdles (7.94), giving him six total event titles in just three meets this season. The Kingston, Jamaica native also was third in the high jump (2.04m). Sophomore Shawn Ledbetter was the second Illini finisher in the 60m hurdles, placing fourth overall at 8.33. The Illini filled the top four spots in the 60m dash, with junior Stanley Azie (6.93) and freshmen Boyea Lockett (6.99) and Josh Zinzer (7.01) following Riley. Zinzer was the top Illini finisher in the 200m, taking second place with a time of 22.43. Sophomore Roger Jones leapt to the long jump crown with a mark of 6.80m, while junior Oz Lifshitz won the triple jump (15.05m) and finished over a meter ahead of the next competitor. The Mickow brothers dominated the distance events, as Colin handily won the 3,000m (8:41.75) by nearly five seconds and Hunter picked up the victory in the 5,000m (14:49.90). Freshman Jordan Hebert (15:03.44) and sophomore Phil Pompei finished two-three in the 5,000m behind Hunter. "I challenged some of our other guys to step up, and they responded well," Turk said. "Roger (Jones) and Oz (Lifshitz) did very well in the jumps for us, and Hunter Mickow really looked good and is ahead of where he was last year. Shawn (Ledbetter) will be our sprinter of the week after a strong showing in the hurdles and Josh Zinzer also had a very good day." Both of Illinois' relay teams earned victories, with the distance medley team of senior Brian Beaird, freshman Ryan Lynn and sophomores Graham Farnsworth and Colin Mickow running 10:07.12 to win by over 26 seconds and the 4x400m relay team of juniors Shane Daniel and Dan Jones and freshmen Bai Kabba and Malcolm Taylor timing 3:17.86 to win by under half a second. Other event victories came from sophomore Alex Baldwin in the pole vault (4.60m) and freshman Kyle Engnell in the mile (4:11.17). Engnell was also the runner-up in the 800m (1:55.97) followed by sophomore Dan Kremske (1:58.42) in third. Illinois finished second through fourth in the 400m, paced by Daniel (49.40), Dan Jones (49.94) and freshman Bai Kabba (50.23). In the 600m, senior Scott Phelps (1:20.61) and Taylor (1:21.03) were third and fourth, respectively. Junior Matt McHugh was runner up in the weight throw (17.18m). Next week, the Illini head to the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind.

OSU's White sets record in 800 meter

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:45:00 +0000

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.

UW's Miller just misses school record

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:37:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- Craig Miller's run at history came up a little short, but the performance did plenty to set him up for the future. The Wisconsin senior took a shot at 30-year-old track record Saturday in the Wisconsin Elite Invitational and narrowly missed, but his performance moved him to the top of the national performance list and provided another highlight for the capacity crowd that crammed into the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center. In running away with the mile run, Miller provided one of the Badgers' eight event wins on the day and helped propel Wisconsin to the team title in the process. The Badgers racked up 251.5 points to claim the five-team event over runner-up Purdue, which tallied 184 points. Indiana State finished third with 152, while South Dakota (121) followed in fourth and Milwaukee (84.5) rounded out the team race in fifth. Miller's blistering time of 4:00.78 in the mile was just off the pace necessary to break Steve Lacy's track record of 4:00.40 from 1978. It was fast enough, however, to tie Miller for the national lead in the mile. Because his time was run a flat 200-meter track, it is converted and officially recognized as by the NCAA as 3:58.98. "It was my first race of the year, so I wasn't necessarily in top form, but I think I'm at the level in my running where I can run at 4-flat without a lot of race-specific mile training," Miller said. "The last 200 meters I slowed down a little bit, but I'm happy with how things went for my first race." Senior Jack Bolas served as the rabbit for Miller and the rest of the competitors – which included senior teammate Ryan Gasper – and took the field through the first 1,200 meters right on pace at 30 seconds per lap. Once Bolas dropped out, Miller dropped the field into his rearview mirror and ran through the finish in an elite time despite not having any competition to help push him along. "That's a big factor," Miller said. "When Jack stepped off, I was trying a lot harder just to run the same pace. It's definitely easier to follow somebody and let them set the pace." The run at Lacy's long-standing record brought the crowd to its feet and set the stage for the final events on the track. "It was a great opportunity for me because I don't run at a lot of home meets, and it was nice to have the whole building cheering and all the whole team there watching," said Miller, who holds the Badgers' school record in the mile at 3:59.09. "It was a good team atmosphere." That energy created by Miller's run did a lot to spur on his Badgers teammates that followed, as well. "I definitely fed off of that, the atmosphere and how crazy the crowd was," said junior Zach Beth, who ran to a win in the 800 meters. "It helps to have that team competition, too. The team just looked great in general today." Beth and teammate Luke Rucks both established themselves in their first 800s of the season, with Beth winning in 1:50.52 and Rucks taking the runner-up spot in 1:50.91. Their converted times rank Beth sixth nationally and Rucks ninth, and both are now provisionally qualified for the NCAA championships. The trio of junior Landon Peacock, freshman Reed Connor and redshirt Maverick Darling continued the strong day for the Badgers' distance group by sweeping the top three spots in the 3,000 meters. All three clocked in below the NCAA provisional qualifying mark, although Connor competed unattached in will not be eligible for NCAA consideration. Peacock claimed the win in 8:04.69, with Connor second in 8:05.06 and Darling third in 8:06.07. Across each event group, the Badgers enjoyed a dominant day on the track. Senior Nate Larkin set the tone for the day by holding off defending Big Ten champion Josh Hembrough to score a win in the 60-meter hurdles, reversing their finish from last year's 110-meter hurdles final at the Big Ten outdoor championships. Larkin clocked in at a season-best 8.00 seconds, with Hembrough on his shoulder at 8.02. "It was a good race for me," said Larkin. "I love running in front of these people, so it was great to get out here and race in my last home meet. "When you run against great competition like (Hembrough), it's not always the fastest race, but I did what I needed to do." Wisconsin's success in the sprints continued with Grant Bughman winning the 400 meters over teammate Andrew Milenkovski – despite the fact that neither were seeded in the ""fast"" afternoon heats of the race and ran earlier in the day. Bughman ran a 49.09 to take the top spot, while Milenkovski came in at 49.45. Senior James Groce made his return to the Wisconsin uniform a triumphant one, as he took the win in the 600 meters in 1:19.71, finishing ahead of junior teammate Quinn Evans (1:19.98). It was Groce's season debut and his first race as a Badger since 2008 after sitting out all of last year. "(Today) was filled with a lot of emotions," he said. "It felt good to get the jersey on, not compete unattached and be a Badger again." Junior Chas DeMers led a sweep of the top three spots for the Badgers in the 200 meters, clocking in at 21.97 to finish ahead of sophomore Kyle Jefferson (21.99) and freshman Gavin Robertson (22.26). The crew of Groce, Jefferson, Evans and Milenkovski then wrapped things up with a win in the 4x400-meter relay, clocking a time of 3:15.88. "We had a great crowd and we had a lot of good performances across the board," UW head coach Ed Nuttycombe said. ""I think the people who came to watch this meet had a good time and saw some really good marks. "Today was our first real test to see where we are and, in many cases, we're where we want to be. In others, we've got some improvement to make in the next couple of weeks to get where we need to be (for the) Big Ten championships." With three home meets in as many weeks under their belts, the Badgers hit the road for the first time this season when they head to South Bend, Ind., for the annual Meyo Invitational next weekend. The two-day meet begins Friday, Feb. 5, and continues Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Loftus Center.

Seidl breaks Wisconsin's high jump record

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:11:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- While redshirting last year, Megan Seidl spent her time focusing on individual training so she could better herself, and better help her Wisconsin women's track and field team. She boosted the Badgers in a big way Saturday at the Wisconsin Elite Invitational. The senior topped a 13-year-old school record with her clearance of 6 feet, 3/4 inches in the high jump, a mark good enough not only to win the event but also automatically qualify her for the NCAA indoor championships. Seidl's jump was one of three record-breaking performances on a day that saw the Badgers put together an outstanding all-around meet with eight event wins on their way to a team victory. Wisconsin tallied 242 points to take the title over Purdue, which scored 178 points to earn a runner-up finish. Indiana State was third with 178 points, followed by Milwaukee (130) in fourth and South Dakota (97) in fifth. "I think my technique is really coming together, so I have a lot of confidence right now," said Seidl, who moved into a tie for fourth place nationally in the high jump. "The most important thing was to make sure I kept control over my mental state … otherwise things tend to fall apart if you let yourself get too excited." While it took 13 years for someone to topple Camille Williams' high jump mark of 6-0 1/2, senior Johanne Verpil's school mark in the weight throw only lasted a week before she improved it again Saturday. She was the first Badger to break the 60-foot mark in the weight throw with her toss of 60-5 1/4 last week. This time around, two Badgers achieved the feat. In the end, Verpil came out on top for the second-consecutive week with her throw of 61 feet, 7 1/2 inches, a mark that placed her third overall, while senior teammate Amanda Hoeppner also broke the 60-foot barrier with her fourth-place throw of 61-1 1/2. Verpil said the way in which she and Hoeppner push each other in practice and competition is paying dividends for both throwers. "Every week you want to do better,"" Verpil said. "If we don't push each other, who (will)? "It's always better when you have your teammate behind you and it's like, 'I want to beat you.'" In a highly-competitive field of jumpers, senior Chavon Robinson performed remarkably, setting her second school record in three weeks in the triple jump on her way to the win. Robinson's leap of 41 feet, 8 inches erased the record she set two weeks ago and also has her provisionally qualified for the NCAA championships and atop the Big Ten performance list in the event. Earlier in the day, Robinson also landed a runner-up finish in the long jump with a mark of 19-11 3/4. "The competition was great because Purdue has some of the best jumpers in the Big Ten and Indiana State has a leader in the triple jump," Robinson said. "I'm definitely ahead of where I was indoors last year, so I'm happy." It was a strong day for the Badgers' sprinters, as well, as the group nabbed the top spot in 60-meter dash, 60-meter hurdles and 200 meters. Junior Egle Staisiunaite won the 60-meter hurdles, clocking an 8.71, while freshman Jamice DeCoster claimed both the 60 meters – in 7.66 seconds – and the 200 meters, in 25.0. Her 200 meters time was just faster than senior Alexis Beecham, who placed second at 25.46. "Every weekend has been a progression for me,"" DeCoster said. ""Last weekend I didn't do what I wanted to do, but I felt like I made up for it this weekend." The Badgers' distance crew also broke away from the pack for wins in the 600 meters, mile and 3,000 meters. Wisconsin went 1-2 in the 600, as senior Amanda Donath won with a time of 1:32.55, and sophomore Jenna Severson finished second in 1:33.94. Freshman Ashley Beutler won the mile, clocking in at 4:55.08, and junior distance runner Hannah Grinaker won the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:54.26. The Wisconsin women will next compete at the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind., a meet that begins Friday, Feb. 5, and continues on Saturday, Feb. 6.

Four Nittany Lions off to Indoor Championships

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:34:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Juniors Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.) and Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.), sophomore Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia), and freshman Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) each punched their ticket to the NCAA Indoor Championships, posting automatic efforts in their respective events, Saturday at the Penn State National, at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. One of the most highly competitive competitions of the indoor season, the 2010 National did not disappoint, as event produced well over 50 NCAA-qualifying performances at the Division I, Division II, and Division III level, as well as three NCAA leaders at the D-I level. Foster and Loxsom highlighted what was one of the most hotly contested events of the entire meet – the men's invitational 800-meters – with Foster blitzing to a victory in heat one of the event, with a sizzling effort of 1:47.48, bettering the NCAA automatic standard by over half a second. Foster headlined a talented field all the way through, as teammate Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.) also clocked a personal best, and NCAA provisional qualifier with a finishing time of 1:48.97. Foster's mark was also good for new meet, facility, and Penn State records, as his impressive run bettered from Nittany Lion Ray Levitre's 1:48.19, set in 1987. Foster, who set school and facility records in the 1000-meters two weeks ago, would also claim his second Australian National Indoor Record, besting the previous record of 1:47.9, which has stood in 1969. Loxsom was up next, holding his own against IAAF World Championship qualifier Moises Joseph of Haiti and Canadian professional standout Kyle Smith. Loxsom, who set a World Junior Best at 600-meter at the PSU Northeast Challenge, tore down the home stretch to finish in 1:47.98, which also bettered the previous Penn State, facility, and meet records. Junior Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.) ran an outstanding race, turning in a performance of 1:50.14, also dipping under the NCAA provisional standard. Thanks to Foster and Loxsom, the Nittany Lions now hold the No. 1, and No. 2 fastest times in the country this year. Also sprinting her way into the record books was Nittany Lion alum and current Adidas competitor Shana Cox, who set a new American record at 500-meters. Cox, who also claimed meet and facility records, broke the tape at 1:08.70, just .01 seconds under the previous American record of 1:08.71, set by Jearl Miles-Clark. Miles-Clark's record was set at the 2004 Penn State National. After posting a school-record and auto-qualifying 7.24 in the 60-meters on Friday, Greaves continued to shine, winning the invitational 200-meters in an NCAA automatic 23.16, which is also a new meet and facility record. Greaves, who is the NCAA leader in the 60, is currently the second-fastest collegian in the one-lap 200. Teammate Caitlin DeFusco (Schwenksville, Pa.) impressed in the 200, clocking a PR 24.09 to win the morning sections, and post the second-fastest time of the day behind Greaves. The Lion sprint duo would provide two of the four legs on the Nittany Lions' 4x400-meter relay, along with Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.) and Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.). Racing behind Tennessee through the first 1000-meters of the relay, Greaves took the stick on the third leg and overtook her opponent, and handed off to Dorr, who sprinted away from the field to finish in 3:37.57 – the Lions' fastest performance of the year, and sixth-best in the NCAA. Dorr also had a tremendous afternoon individually, clocking a personal-best 53.10 to win the 400-meters, bettering her own provisional standing, with the third-fastest time in the country. In the throws, Kovacs unleashed a personal-best, and NCAA automatic-qualifying 63-06.25 (19.36) in the shot put, which vaults him to third on the NCAA descending order list. Kovacs' outstanding effort, which was good for second overall in a sensational field, was a personal best by nearly five feet, as well as the best mark in the Big Ten this year, and the second-best performance in Penn State history. Teammate Blake Eaton (Allegeny, N.Y.) also got in on the action, placing third with a career-best and NCAA provisional-qualifying 60-01 (18.31). Eaton, who is now ranked second in the Big Ten, now stands 10th in Division I with a throw that ranks fifth in the Penn State record books. The NCAA qualifying performances continued to roll in for the Lions, including a speedy section of the women's invitational 3,000-meters that saw three provisional performances by the Nittany Lions, and a national leader by Tennessee's Jackie Areson (9:07.27). Senior Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) led the charge with a fifth place finish overall with a provisional-qualifying time of 9:18.04, while sophomore Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.), and senior Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas), who ran 9:24.53, and 9:27.41, respectively to finish sixth and seventh in the race. Senior Brittany Maun (Greensburg, Pa.) claimed an individual victory in the high jump, clearing 5-08.75 (1.75). The Nittany Lions will be back in action again next weekend, playing host to the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup, which is slated for February 5-6, at Ashenfelter III Indoor Track.

Brink sets Ohio State record 1000M

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:02:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Freshman Victoria Brink set the Ohio State indoor record in the 1000m invitational Saturday at Penn State National Invitational, highlighting the second day of competition for the Buckeyes in Happy Valley. Brink ran a ninth-place time of 2:53.90 against one of the day's most competitive fields. Tennessee sophomore Chanelle Price would end up on top with her first-place run of 2:42.71, followed by Renee Tomlin of Georgetown (2:44.46) – both eclipsed the previous meet record time in the 1000m. Senior Katie Williams set the second-best time in Ohio State indoor history with her 11th-place run of 9:35.05. Jackie Areson of Tennessee finished in first (9:07.27) as the Top 4 set NCAA automatic qualifying time. In the pole vault, Ashley Bowden broke her previous personal-best mark with her second-place vault of 3.60m (11-9.75), the fourth-best mark in OSU indoor history. Yelizaveta Lozovatskaya cleared the bar at edged Bowden to win the event. Ohio State's 4x400m relay team of Latoya Sanderson, Ashley Caldwell, Nyjah Cousar and Shaniqua McGinnis finished in first place with a time of 3:42.28, well ahead of second-place Howard (3:47.14). McGinnis won the 400m dash in a time of 55.26, more than a half second better than second-place Yvonne Amegashie of Virginia Tech (55.79) and the fourth-best mark in the Big Ten this season. McGinnis was part of the Buckeyes' runner-up DMR team that set the second-best time in school history Friday at the national invite. Senior Sanderson finished fourth in the 400m invitational in 56.10. A day after finishing ninth in the pentathlon, Ashley Galbraith represented the Scarlet and Gray well once again, finishing sixth in the high jump at 1.65m (5-5). Penn State senior Brittany Maun finished first with jump of 1.75m (5-8.75). Other highlights: Caldwell's PR of 1:14.75 in the 500m invitational earned her a fifth-place finish. Shana Cox, running for Adidas, set the facility record with her winning time of 1:08.70. Tennessee star Phoebe Wright was second in 1:09.70. Kelcey McKinney finished seventh in the triple jump at 11.72m (38-5.5). Lena Bettis was first with a jump of 12.67m (41-7). The Buckeyes are scheduled to compete at two meets next weekend (Feb. 5-6) – the Notre Dame Meyo Invitational and the New Balance Invitational Feb. 5-6.

IU gets 9 qualifying efforts at Indiana Relays

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:50:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana track and field closed out the Indiana Relays with nine NCAA-qualifying performances, including two automatic marks. After six NCAA marks on day one, Jeff Coover and Andrew Poore led the way as the Hoosiers posted three more. Coover became the school's third jumper to clear 18 feet in the pole vault, posting an NCAA auto mark in the process. Poore recorded the fastest 5,000m ever at Gladstein Fieldhouse. Coover cleared 5.50m (18-0.5) to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. His clearance of 18 feet puts him into elite company as one of only three Hoosiers to do so. The other two, Mark Buse and Dave Volz, both won NCAA titles in the event. Coover is tied for the third-best clearance in Div. I this season. Poore broke a Gladstein Fieldhouse record that stood for 28 years, finishing the 5,000 meters in 13:48.88. The time is just off the NCAA auto. Standard of 13:47.00 and leads the country by nearly three seconds. The redshirt sophomore moves into second in the IU record books with a nearly 22-second improvement on his career best. He trails only Stephen Haas in the IU records. Junior Ashley Rhoades won the high jump invitational with a clearance of 1.80m (5-10.75). Her season and career best is fifth in Div. I this season. Junior Danny Stockberger won the 800m invitational with a career best time of 1:51.96. Freshman Logan Griffith won the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.30 seconds, and the men's 4x400m relay took the win as well, as Martin Stephen, Joshua Moore, Chris Vaughn and Ryan Hindes recorded a season-best time of 3:16.13 Junior Lindsey Hartman won the women's 800m invitational, finishing in 2:10.68. The time is nearly a full second faster than her previous career best. Helene Delone won the 5,000m invitational in 17:41.71, beating Red Lake's Julia Sambu to the line by less than a tenth of a second. The women also won the 4x800m relay, as Samantha Ginther, Ashley Seymour, Verena Vogl and Breanne Ehrman clocked a time of 9:03.11, a six-second improvement on the team's season best. Next up for the Hoosiers is the Meyo Invitational at Notre Dame on Feb. 5 and 6. For complete coverage of IU track and field, stay tuned to IUHoosiers.com.

Greaves sets school record at Penn State Invitational

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:34:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: January 29, 2010 – Junior Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.) set a new school record in the 60-meters, highlighting an outstanding Nittany Lion effort at the Penn State National, Friday at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. The event was a hot one in the sprints and hurdles, as a well over 20 athletes dipped under NCAA standards over the three rounds of the 60-meter dash, and 60-meter hurdles, with Greaves and Virginia Tech's Queen Harrison (60H – 8.08) better the NCAA automatic standard. Greaves, who already sat third in the NCAA in the 60, motored to a school-record 8.25 in the 60 semi-finals, finishing second-to-only St. Augustine's Barbara Pierre, who clocked a blistering 7.18 to set a new facility record. Greaves' mark bested Nittany Lion great Connie Moore, who clocked 7.27 in 2004, and is also the number-one mark in the country this season, and an NCAA automatic qualifier. Greaves wasn't finished, however, resetting her own Penn State best, and NCAA leader 90 minutes later, with a scorching 7.24 to finish second in the final. Besting the women's 5000-meter field was senior Jessie Babcock (Irvine, Calif.), who clocked a PR 17:02.29 to take top honors in the event. Teammate Claire Berryman (Morgantown, W.Va.) placed third overall, finishing in 17:16.67. Sophomore Vince McNally (Smoketown, Pa.) was the top finisher in the men's 5K, going 14:36.04 to finish eighth in the invitational section. In the field, senior Brad Lawrence (Voorhees, N.J.) topped out at a career-best 16-8.75 (5.10) in the pole vault, placing fifth in the elite invitational section. Sophomore Anna Muzio (Harrisburg, Pa.) captured a top 10 effort, placing 10th in the 20-lb weight throw with a toss of 54-04 (16.56). Sophomore Anya Uzoh (Laurel, Md.) also got off to a fine start in the men's heptathlon, standing third after four events with 2837 points.