A season full of injuries and bad weather will come to an end this weekend when the Ohio State Men’s and Women track and field team host the 2005 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

The Buckeyes, who competed in the 20th Annual Jesse Owens Classic last weekend, last hosted a conference championship in 1998 at Ohio Stadium. This weekend will be the first time Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium will host the Big Ten competition, according to the Ohio State Athletics Web site.

Because of the amount of injuries that have hit the Buckeyes this season, coach Russ Rogers said he and his squad are not that concerned with where they place in the Big Ten, they just want to fare well.

“I just wish we had everybody healthy. With the bodies we’ve got we are going to be in big trouble,” Rogers said. “The people we have competing will be OK, it’s just the ones that are hurt that’s going to hurt us. If everybody goes out there and does their best I think we can end up fourth at the highest.”

Last year, the Buckeyes placed third on the men’s side and fourth on women’s side while claiming seven individual titles.

Senior jumper Rosalind Goodwin, who won the women’s triple jump last year with a school best leap of 43-2 ½ inches, said she has been looking forward to the Big Ten championships.

“I haven’t been jumping the way I wanted, so I used the Jesse Owens to put it all together and get ready for the Big Ten,” said Goodwin, who is ranked among the nation’s top 10 jumpers. “I’m going out there with a lot of confidence and looking to become a double champion in the long and triple and go after the Big Ten record 44-1.”

Despite their injuries, the Buckeyes have runners like senior hurdler/sprinter Dalanda Jackson who have overcome early injuries to return and compete strong.

“Everything went well for me in the Jesse Owens considering I didn’t run my main events,” Jackson said. “I ran some events I usually don’t run and had some pretty decent times so I’m optimistic about the Big Tens.”

Though she has suffered a number of leg injuries throughout her four-year career, Jackson said regardless of how her career ends this weekend, track will always be in her blood.

“I’m happy with my career here,” Jackson said. “You can’t change what fate has in store for you. Unfortunately, I’ve had some injuries while I’ve been here but I also ran well in the times I was healthy so I have no complaints.”

Rogers said he is confident that junior sprinter Todd Dutch, who took first in the 100-meter dash with a season best time of 10.3 seconds at the Jesse Owens Track Classic last week, can become a Big Ten medalist this weekend. However, Dutch said he was not concerned about winning the Big Ten Championships because he has bigger goals in mind.

“Big Ten’s really don’t mean as much to me because my goals are to make it to nationals because that has a little more recognition and more clout,” said Dutch, who also finished second in the 200-meter at the Jesse Owens Classic with a regional qualifying mark of 20.83. “Big Ten’s are good for our school and the program but it would be a bigger accomplishment to go to the nationals and take it from there.”

Even though the Buckeyes are lacking senior experience with 17 seniors on their roster, most of them understand that the Big Ten Championships may be their last meet they ever run in.

“I think it sank in the first meet of the season and I realized this is the last of them,” Goodwin said. “I try to use that to make me work harder and go out with a bang. I want to make sure when I leave that I’ve done something and people recognize me as one of the greatest jumpers ever at Ohio State.”

Some of the notable seniors to keep an eye out for this weekend include thrower Bryan Duby, who recorded a season best throw of 207-8 last weekend, sprinter Jenna Harris, who holds the fourth-best time in OSU history in the 100-meter dash, and thrower Shelaine Larson, who currently holds the league’s top throw at 204-3.

“Although we’ve been plagued with injuries, a lot of people are starting to come back and step up,” Dutch said. “We’re not looking too bad. I think we can fare a lot better than what a lot of people think.”