May 22, 2012
Meet Information
COLUMBUS, Ohio. – The No. 22 Ohio State women’s track and field team will travel to Jacksonville, Fla., May 24-26 for the 2012 NCAA East Regional preliminary meet. This season, the University of North Florida will play host to the top teams east of the Mississippi River including those from the Big Ten, ACC, SEC and Big East.
Meet Basics
Days: Thursday, May 24 (1 p.m. - 9:40 p.m. ET); Friday, May 25 (11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. ET); Saturday, May 26 (2 p.m. - 9:45 p.m. ET)
Venue: Hodges Stadium - Jacksonville, Fla.
Live Results and Video: www.unfospreys.com
A look at the Buckeyes set to compete this weekend:
Chesna Sykes - 100m dash, 200m dash, 4x100m relay
Madison McNary - 100m dash, 200m dash
Christienne Linton - 100m dash, 100m hurdles, 4x100m relay
Christina Manning - 100m hurdles, 4x100m relay
Alexandria Johnson - 100m hurdles
Aisha Cavin - 200m dash, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay
Shaniqua McGinnis - 400m dash, 4x400m relay
Nyjah Cousar - 400m dash, 400m hurdles, 4x400m relay
Jackie Dim - 4x400m relay
Tori Brink - 3000m steeplechase
Nicole Hilton - 3000m steeplechase
Ashley Galbraith - high jump
Kelcey McKinney - triple jump
Norianna Brown - shot put
Carly Pendleton - discus
Alexis Thomas - hammer throw
Maggie Mullen - hammer throw, javelin throw
All-American
Christina Manning will be looking to do well in Jacksonville to make strides towards winning her first ever NCAA outdoor title after finishing second last season. Manning claimed the indoor NCAA hurdle title earlier this year and will enter this meet with the fastest Division I hurdle time this season.
Alexandria Johnson and
Christienne Linton hold the No. 17 and No. 18 times, respectively, for the region. Also expected to make a move in Jacksonville is
Nyjah Cousar who holds the seventh-fastest 400m hurdle time in the east.
In the 100m dash, Chesna Sykes holds the 16th-fastest time in the east region. Teammates Madison McNary and Linton will join Sykes to follow-up Ohio State’s domination in the 100m dash at the Big Ten championships with a strong showing in the NCAA prelims.
Coming off of a PR in the 400m dash at the Big Ten championships is Shaniqua McGinnis who holds the No. 10 time in the 400m dash for the region. McGinnis will also take to the track as part of the No. 4 seeded 4x400m relay team. The 4x100m relay team enters with the fifth-best regional time.
On the field events side, Alexis Thomas has the top hammer throw mark after winning the Big Ten title with a new school record and PR. Senior Maggie Mullen will join Thomas in the hammer with a top 10 ranking.
Buckeyes in the Individual Top 30 Rankings
Nine members of the Scarlet and Gray are ranked within the Top 30 nationally in several event areas. A look at where the Buckeyes sit:
Big Ten Champions!
Three gold medals and 93 points were picked up by Ohio State on the last day of the Big Ten championships to help the Buckeyes successfully defend their conference title en route to bringing home the 2012 Big Ten Outdoor Championship with 117 points -- the second in school history and in as many years. Ohio State has now won three of the last four championships counting indoor and outdoor.
Thomas captured the first Buckeye medal of the championships by recording a stellar mark on her third throw in the hammer competition to capture the gold medal. The junior's throw of 64.62m (212 ft.) is now the new Ohio State record and the newest Big Ten meet record.
Manning scored 28 points for Ohio State by winning the 100m hurdles (12.71), 100m dash (11.49) and placing second in the 200m dash (23.30). In her final conference championship meet, Manning also helped bring in another 10 points as part of the 4x100m relay team that claimed the gold medal.
The 4x100m relay team of Manning, Linton, Sykes and Cavin ran a time of 43.70 to set a new school record and Big Ten meet record. The Big Ten meet record was previously held by an Illinois relay team and had stood for 16 years.
Thomas, Manning and Dennis Win Big Ten Honors
In recognition of their tremendous efforts at the Big Ten championships and throughout the outdoor season, Thomas, Manning and head coach Karen Dennis were honored by the Big Ten for their hard work and outstanding achievements.
Thomas was named Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year and Field Athlete of the Championships after an impressive performance in the hammer throw. The Huber Heights native’s win in the hammer throw is her first Big Ten title and she is the first Buckeye in history to be named Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year and Field Athlete of the Championships.
Manning was named Big Ten Athlete of the Year after a strong outdoor season that included setting a new school record in the 100m hurdles (12.68) at the Tom Jones Memorial and being named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week twice. This is the second consecutive outdoor Big Ten Athlete of the Year honor for Manning and the fourth of her career including the indoor season.
Fellow Big Ten coaches selected head coach Karen Dennis as Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season as she kept her team at the head of the conference to successfully defend their title. This season, Dennis helped lead the Scarlet and Gray to four titles, two silver medals and four bronze medals while two school records and Big Ten meet records fell.
Cavin, Linton and Sykes joined Manning and Thomas as First Team all-Big Ten selections after claiming the gold medal in the 4x100m relay. McNary was named a Second Team all-Big Ten performer after her runner up finish in the 100m dash (11.71). In addition, Mullen was recognized as the Oho State recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, presented to individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior.
Buckeyes in the USTFCCCA National Rankings
Ohio State is currently ranked No. 22 according to the May 21 rankings by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Five Big Ten teams join the Buckeyes in the top 50 with No. 19 Illinois leading. After the Buckeyes, Big Ten teams in the top 50 are No. 27 Nebraska, No. 35 Wisconsin, No. 47 Michigan and No. 49 Michigan State. Sprinting powerhouse and No. 1 ranked LSU will be the toughest competition in Jacksonville. The Tigers hold the top seeded times in the 100m dash, 200m dash, 800m run, 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay.
In the final USTFCCCA Regional Rankings of the 2012 season, Ohio State surpassed Notre Dame for the No. 1 spot in the Great Lakes Region. The Buckeyes lead the region ahead of No. 2 Wisconsin and No. 3 Notre Dame.
Follow the Buckeyes on Facebook and Twitter!
The women's track and field and cross country programs are on Facebook and Twitter. Visit www.facebook.com/OSUwtrackXC to get the latest news and notes on the Buckeyes. Be sure to also follow the team on Twitter @OhioState_WTRK.
Up Next
The top qualifying times from both the East and West preliminaries (running this weekend in Austin, Texas) will compete in the 2012 NCAA Championships June 6-9 in Des Moines, Iowa on the Drake Campus.
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