The drought is over. And it ended in the state of Ohio, no less.
Competing at Geneva, Ohio's SPIRE Institute, the Ohio State men's track & field team captured its first indoor Big Ten title in 25 years Saturday, finishing with 101.50 points ahead of second place Nebraska at 93.50 points.
The title was the program's sixth overall, but first since 1993.
| Place | School | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OHIO STATE | 101.50 |
| 2 | NEBRASKA | 93.50 |
| 3 | INDIANA | 86 |
| 4 | PENN STATE | 84 |
| 5 | WISCONSIN | 70 |
| 6 | MICHIGAN | 57 |
| 7 | IOWA | 51 |
| 8 | ILLINOIS | 48 |
| 9 | MINNESOTA | 37 |
| 10 | PURDUE | 32 |
| 11 | MICHIGAN STATE | 21 |
| 11 | RUTGERS | 21 |
Zack Bazile (long jump), Nick Demaline (shot put) and Cole Gorski (pole vault) captured titles in their individual events Friday to stake the Buckeyes to a 39.5 to 29 lead over Indiana following the first day.
Saturday, the sprinters took over with Ohio State's 4x400 meter relay team of Asa Burke, Drelan Bramwell, Nick Gray and Andre Jeff capturing the gold medal with a time of 3:05.09.
Gray also captured first place in the 200 meter dash with a time of 20.45. It was his third-straight Big Ten title in the event and his time set a school and meet record. Gray also added a third place finish in the 60 meter dash with a time of 6.72, just off the 6.68 his teammate and Ohio State football cornerback Kendall Sheffield posted to take the silver in the event.
Alex Lomong placed fourth in the 800 meter run earlier with a time of 1:51.06, helping the Buckeyes pile up team points on a day in which they ran away from the field.
“I’m most proud of these seniors,” director of track and field and cross country Karen Dennis said. “Nick Demaline, Cole Gorski and Zack Bazile are all seniors and they got us off to a great start on Friday. They are the ones who have bought into this program. They have really motivated everyone else.
“And then, I’m proud of the young ones. They really fought to the end. My coaches are amazing. They have put their heart and soul into this profession and they want to see the best for these kids. For all of us to be able to experience a victory like this is really exciting.”
Following the championship, the team took the customary victory lap:
