Kofi Owusu-Ansah
Track and Field
1999-2000
Some athletes come and some athletes go. Then there are the athletes that entirely change a sport forever.
For the past four years, the men's track and field team has undergone some pretty big changes due to a lone sprinter's desire for speed and achievement. Kofi Owusu-Ansah has gone above and beyond both academically and athletically, and has helped change the course of YSU track and field.
For his achievements, he has been named the 2000 male Vindicator Scholar Athlete of the Year.
With a good chance of being YSU's first Olympian, Owusu-Ansah qualified for the Olympic Trials this summer in his home country of Ghana and is ranked among the country's top three.
Back in the states, Owusu-Ansah is ranked 27th in the 100-meter dash with a record time of 10.29 seconds and is also ranked 26th with a time of 20.78 in the 200-meter dash.
Qualifying for the Division I National Track and Field Championships in both the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash, Owusu-Ansah is known for being the first YSU athlete to qualify for nationals during the indoor season. Not only is he the first athlete to ever provisionally qualify, but he is also the first athlete to do in two events. Advancing to competition in the 200 meter dash, Owusu-Ahsah ran a 15th plae time of 21.36. his qualifying time of 21.29 ranks him as the third fastest sprinter in the 80-year history of Ohio Collegiate track and field.
Owusu-Ansah has not just become a common name in the national rankings, but it is also found next to some impressive times in the Mid-Continent record books. In the 200-meter dash, he holds the fastest times in both indoor and outdoor competition with records of 21.29 and 20.68, repectively. He has also been named the Mid Continent Conference Athlete-of-the-Year four times, receiving the most recent award during this year's indoor season.
A 13-time Mid Con Athlete of the Week, Owusu-Ansah received first-team All Conference honors in both the 100 meter and 200 meter dash events at this year's Mid Con outdoor championships.
Supporting all of Owusu-Ansah's athletic achievements are the nine records that he holds for YSU. This year, he set the indoor records in the 55- meter dash with a time of 6.24 seconds and in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.29. during the outdoor season, Owusu-Ansah consistently improved with every meet and set record-low times of 10.29 in the 100meter dash and 20.68 in the 200meter dash.
This three-year team captain has also managed to perform well and stay on track academically. With a 3.1 grade=point average in business, Owusu-Ansah plans to graduate in June with a degree in marketing.
A three-time Mid-Con All-Academic team member, he also serves on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and actively participates in community and university relations with prominent members of the YSU faculty.
Leaving behind him a trail of records and accomplishments, Owusu-Ansah also leaves the YSU track program with a new set of standards. His dedication and perseverance not only makes him an admirable athlete, but also makes him a great leader in competitions to come.
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