By: Jason Baxter, Assistant Athletic Director
Jasmyn Allen enters this weekend’s Ohio State Indoor Meet with a chance to become the second indoor state champion in school history. She would join Asya Reynolds who won the Long Jump at the State Meet in 2014. Allen qualified for the State Meet last year as a sophomore in the 60 Hurdles. She narrowly missed the finals finishing ninth in the prelims, missing the finals but one spot. She enters Saturday’s meet at the University of Akron with the fourth fastest time in the state this winter in the 60 Hurdles.
Her first glimpse of success came in her freshman year when she qualified for the regional meet at Austintown Fitch with 4x100 and 4x200 team. She reached regionals once again last year in the 100 Hurdles after a fourth-place finish at the Mayfield District meet.
Allen looks to be the next in a line of successful Arcs who have competed beyond the friendly confines of Korb Field including most notably; Asya Reynolds at Michigan State, speedsters Ashley Savoy (Toledo), Erica Mosby (Kent), distance ace Heather Conger (Bowling Green) and long-time 400 record holder/1979 State Champion Brenda (Kazinec) Ciccarello (Michigan). Allen also has a former Arc in her corner in alum Briona Gresham (’06), who returned two years ago, as part of the girls track coaching staff, she continued her athletic career at The University of Dayton. The junior still has many more opportunities to impress college coaches with an important outdoor season looming following Saturday’s State Championship meet.
Allen will be joined in Akron by fellow junior and 60m Hurdler Quentin Woodall who has had an extremely successful winter season and is now the lead hurdler for the Arcs following the graduation of state qualifier Jai Dixon. Woodall enters the meet on Saturday with a season-best 8.32. Woodall ran his 8.32 about two weeks ago at the Rubber City Open at Akron. The same track he will be running on this Saturday. Woodall was also in contention to make the state 60 Dash (7.17) and the 200 (22.92).
Woodall like Allen had impressive showing at last year’s District Meet, he advanced to Regionals in both the 110 Hurdles and 300 Hurdles just trailing his former teammate and Connor Duricky, who enters with the fastest 60 Hurdles time in the State Meet. Woodall missed both finals at regionals and has used it as motivation ever since.
Woodall also a strong season on the gridiron for the Arcs as a cornerback, he finished with a team-high four interceptions and had 28 tackles.
The Arcs have competed at multiple meets this winter at Oberlin University as part of the Grand Prix Series. But they have also competed in meets at the University of Akron and Kent State University.
Good luck to our student-athletes and coaches this weekend in Akron.
Follow live on Saturday: http://live.finishtiming.com/#/results/meet/20170023