April 24, 2007

Columbus, Ohio - The Big Ten named Elon Simms co-track athlete of the week Tuesday. He shared the honor with Keith Hopkins of Purdue. Simms led the Buckeyes to a third-place finish at the All-Ohio Championships Saturday as he racked up 23 team points for the Buckeyes.

The award is the first AOW for the sophomore from Fremont, Ohio. Simms took home a second-place finish in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles in a time of 51.74. Simms' time is the best in the Big Ten this season and is sixth in the Mideast region. Simms placed third at the 2006 Big Ten Outdoor Championships in the 400m IM hurdles and with this NCAA regional qualifying time is among the top contenders for the conference crown this season.

"Obviously I think Elon (Simms) is one of our most talented student-athletes," head coach Robert Gary said. "But I believe equally important is his high goals and work ethic."

Simms also was a member of the Buckeye 4x400-meter relay team that won the event in a season best time of 3:09.87. The mark is an NCAA regional qualifying time and is the second-best in the Big Ten this season. Simms also placed fourth in the 400-meter dash with a personal-best time of 47.97.

The Ohio State men's track and field team will return to action this Friday and Saturday with the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, and select distance competitors heading to the Hillsdale Invitational, in Hillsdale, Mich.