Perkins graduate Cory Leslie broke the Ohio State school record in the mile with his first-place time of 3:57.97 on Saturday at the PSU National, an NCAA automatic qualifier and the second-best mile performance in the nation so far this season.

Leslie ran a blistering time of 3:57.97 in the mile at the Penn State National Invitational, shattering the Ohio State school record on his way to a first-place finish for the 23rd-ranked Ohio State men’s track and field team.

In addition to breaking his own personal record and the OSU school record, Leslie also bettered the National Invitational meet record and Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track record time (previously 3:59.15).

"Performance of the day undoubtedly goes to Cory Leslie," Ohio State head coach Robert Gary said after the meet. "He was outstanding today in running an auto qualifier and breaking the Buckeye record. I am very proud of Cory — I have been disappointed in my coaching (of him), but it seems we are now on to the right recipe."
Leslie’s sub-four minute performance earned the Buckeye junior the mile title ahead of former Ohio State All-American Jeff See (second, 3:58.15), Penn State All-American Ryan Foster (third, 3:58.15), and teammate Chris Fallon, who set a PR with his fourth-place time of 4:05.71.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Perkins’ Cory Leslie is running well at Ohio State.

Leslie won the 3000m in a time of 8:23.08 for the Buckeyes in the Buckeye Classic last Friday.

Leslie, a redshirt sophomore, is Ohio State’s 1000m school record holder with a time of 2:22.48, done last year in indoors at the Notre Dame Meyo Invitational. The two-time Ohio State Scholar Athlete was also an Academic All-Big Ten selection.

Earlier in the season, Leslie placed 10th at the 6.4k Mountaineer Open (20:11.96), 57th at the 8k Big Ten championships (25:09) and 75th at the 10k Great Lakes championships (32:07).

In outdoor as a freshman, he finished 19th in the 3000m steeplechase at the NCAA championships in a time of 8:54.38, took 11th-place in the steeple at the Big Ten championships and was a member of the Ohio State 4x800m relay team that posted a then 2010 world-best time of 7:17.68 at the Drake Relays.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Edison’s Sarah Foster and the Ohio State Buckeyes women’s cross country team finished 29th in the their first-ever trip to the Division I National Finals.

Foster finished third best for the Buckeyes, crossing the finish line in a time of 21:42, good for 125th overall.

Villanova won its ninth NCAA title with a total of 86 points, followed by Florida State with 133. Oregon, the 2008 champion, finished in third-place with a score of 188. The Buckeyes finished 673 points.

Monday’s race brought to an end the most-successful season in the history of the women’s cross country program at Ohio State.

The 2009 squad won its first All-Ohio championship in 18 years, improved its standing at the Big Ten championships, and finished second at the Great Lakes regional finals to qualify for the first national championship appearance in school history. With all but one regular starter returning in 2010, the future of the team looks bright.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Sarah Foster (#143) is second runner from left.

Edison’s Sarah Foster, a junior, has helped lead Ohio State women’s cross country to a remarkable turnaround this season.



For the first time in its 28-year history, the OSU women’s cross country team will compete for a national title on Monday, Nov. 23 at the NCAA Division I Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.



Foster was one of three OSU runners to make the 2009 Great Lakes All-Regional team by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The three student-athletes are the first members of a Buckeye squad to be named to the All-Regional team in school history.



Her sophomore season in outdoors, Foster set the second and third-best 10000m times in school history. She also finished fifth in the 10000m at the Big Ten Championships and 11th in the 5000m.



In indoor season this year, she owned the top team time in the 5000m, a 14th-place run of 17:01.06 at the Big Ten Championships.



At Edison, Foster was a Division II state champion in the 3200m in 2005, while also earning All-Ohio honors.

Stay tuned for a feature story by Zach Dzurick on Foster and how OSU does in the NCAA Championships.

swalker@MorningJournal.com