Karen Dennis, director of the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams, talks to the athletes after a practice. Credit: Amal Saeed | Former Photo Editor
A pair of Buckeyes earned 2020 Big Ten indoor track and field honors Tuesday.
Ohio State junior Anavia Battle has been named women’s Big Ten Indoor Track Athlete of the Year by a panel of all 13 Big Ten track coaches. Buckeyes director of track and field and cross country Karen Dennis earned Big Ten Coach of the Year, the fourth time she received the honor, on a unanimous vote.
Battle becomes the second Ohio State athlete to earn the Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year honor, with former Ohio State track athlete Christina Manning collecting the title in 2011 and 2012.
Battle won both the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes at the 2020 Big Ten Championships, and this performance made her the fifth Ohio State athlete to be selected as the Big Ten Track Athlete of the Championships.
She ran the nation’s second-fastest 200-meter dash with a 22.66-second performance at the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational Feb. 14.
In 2018, Battle received the Big Ten Freshman of Year award as she claimed a silver medal in the 200-meter at the Big Ten Championships.
Dennis has been at the heart of Ohio State’s track dominance in the Big Ten as she has amassed five women’s Big Ten outdoor and indoor team titles in her reign as head coach.
