Four Buckeyes off to NCAA regionals, two All-Big Ten

The Ohio State women’s track and field team has had its share of ups and downs this outdoor season and is looking for success this weekend at the 2007 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships to help finish on a positive note and bring lasting pride to an aspiring program.

The meet, held at Audrey J. Walton Stadium in Columbia, Mo., consists of premiere athletes from 15 top 25 women’s teams in conferences such as the Southeastern, Big Ten and Big East.

It is also a make or break scenario for all athletes in the competition. A top five time or score is needed in each of the 38 events to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, Calif.

OSU will send four to compete: senior high jumper Jessica Stringer, senior long and triple jumper Veronica Vance, junior hammer thrower and shot putter Veronica Jatsek and sophomore sprinter Ayrizanna Favours, who competes in the 200- and 400-meter dash.

Coach Karen Dennis said she is proud of the girls who will represent OSU this weekend and believes although the competition is stout, they have what it takes to advance.

“The regional is filled with very tough competition. I am excited to see a couple of our kids get out there and show up,” she said. “Jessica Stringer is peaking right now, Ayrizanna has come back from sickness to compete well, Veronica Jatsek has been one of the hardest workers all year and if Veronica Vance has a good warm-up, who knows what could happen?”

For seniors Stringer and Vance, the NCAA Mideast Regional could be their last collegiate competition. The two jumpers have experienced highlight-filled careers at OSU and are looking for one more great memory as members of the scarlet and gray squad.

“I want to finish my career with an amazing meet and leave nothing out there on the track, which is all I can really ask for. As a team, it would also be good to have some teammates make it out to Sacramento and represent OSU in the championships,” Vance said.

Two Buckeyes win All-Big Ten accolades

For Jatsek and Favours, a terrific year got even sweeter when, on May 16, both were named to the 2007 All-Big Ten teams.

Jatsek, a first team All-Big Ten selection, won the hammer competition at the 2007 Big Ten Championships with a heave of 208 feet, 2 inches, enough for a meet record and second place on OSU’s all-time list. The junior from Walton Hills, Ohio, also won OSU’s Big Ten Sportsmanship award.

“These awards mean a lot. This was a hard year for me with the runner-up finish in the indoor season, alternating coaches and being split from my brother, who throws for the men’s team. I have had to become more mentally tough and it has helped me become better in the process,” Jatsek said.

Favours, a second team All-Big Ten selection, finished in second place in the 200-meter dash at the Big Ten Championships with a time of 23.71 seconds.

Dennis said she has watched the progression of Favours all year and believes the sprinter has the talent to be a first team selection – if she stays away from the injury bug. “Ayrizanna has battled through things all year. A second team All-Big Ten selection is great to be recognized for, but if healthy, she could have been a first-teamer,” she said.

Big Ten championship recap

OSU went into the Big Ten Championships wanting to make some noise, and although they finished in 10th place, in some ways they did.

By dominating events and showing vast improvement, Dennis said she believes this is the scene of a team on the rise.

“We have a lean team, and although we didn’t think we would win, we didn’t go to lose either. The team competed hard and well. I am excited about the camaraderie and heart we displayed out there,” she said.

Jatsek was stellar in field competition with a win in the hammer, recording a record-setting throw of 208 feet, 2 inches. This throw was 7 feet, 7 inches farther than any other previous mark. She also finished in sixth place in the shot put with a distance of 46 feet, 4 inches.

Favours finished in second place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.71 seconds. She later helped anchor the 4×400-meter dash team to a sixth place finish. Meanwhile, sophomore sprinter Chandra Krempel continued to show improvement with an eighth place finish in the 400-meter dash (55.19).

On the jumps, Stringer, looking for her third consecutive outdoor high jump championship, came up short but still finished in third place with a season-best height of 5 feet, 10 and-a-half inches. Vance set two season bests with an eighth place finish in the long jump at 19 feet, 9 inches and a top five finish in the triple jump at 41 feet, three and three-quarter inches.

“Each year we build momentum, and as we gain experience, we will continue to improve. Sooner or later, we will be making a big dent in the Big Ten, and until then we will just keep getting better,” Jatsek said.

Dylan Horowitz can be reached at [email protected].