Ronnie Ash

Ronnie Ash

Personal information
Nationality	USA
Born	July 2, 1988
Sport
Sport	Running
Event(s)	110 metres hurdles
College team	Bethune-Cookman Wildcats and Oklahoma Sooners
Medal record Men’s athletics Competitor for  United States NACAC U-23 Championships 2010 Miramar 110 meters hurdles 2008 Toluca 110 meters hurdles Continental Cup 2014 Marrakech 110 metres hurdles

Ronnie Ash (born July 2, 1988)^[1] is an American track and field athlete specializing in hurdles. With his 12.99 (+1.2) 110 metres hurdles on June 29, 2014 in a semi-final round of the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, California, he moved into the prestigious sub 13 club and is currently the 17th fastest hurdler in history.^[2]

Unfortunately, Ash did not manage to finish in the final.^[3] Later in the season, Ash was silver medalist at the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup,^[4] selected to the team because his time held up as the #2 time from the countries that make up the Americas team for the season.^[5]

Career

Ash began hurdling at Knightdale High School in Knightdale, North Carolina. He had only arrived at the school his senior year after growing up in a "run down" area of New Jersey. With virtually no athletic experience, he was recruited by the basketball coach and track coach David Castell. He joined the track team because "I thought I could meet new people, and I guess it ended up working out.”^[6] He set school records in the 110 metres hurdles, 300 meters hurdles and the high jump. Graduating in 2008, he had the opportunity to run in the 2008 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics, where he captured a bronze medal behind future world champions Jason Richardson and Ryan Brathwaite.

Ash did not have high expectations coming out of high school, not planning on attending college, but he received an offer at Bethune-Cookman University. At Bethune-Cookman, he won both the 2009 NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship and the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship as a sophomore, outdoors over Richardson.^[7]

The following season he switched to the University of Oklahoma, defending his indoor championship^[8] and finishing third outdoors.^[9][10] A couple of weeks later, he finished third at the 2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Later that summer he returned to the 2010 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics, this time taking gold ahead of then defending world champion Brathwaite and running sub-13 for the first time, with a 12.98. Unfortunately the wind was +3.1 mps, well over the legal limit, so the time couldn't count for record purposes, but foretold of his capability.

References

1. "Profile of Ronnie ASH - All-Athletics.com". All-athletics.com. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
2. "110 Metres Hurdles - men - senior - outdoor - iaaf.org". iaaf.org. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
3. "USA Track & Field - Complete Results". Usatf.org. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
4. "110 Metres Hurdles Result - IAAF Continental Cup 2014 - iaaf.org". iaaf.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
5. "110 Metres Hurdles - men - senior - outdoor - 2014 - iaaf.org". iaaf.org. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
6. "Local & North Carolina state news from Raleigh, NC - NewsObserver.com". Newsobserver.com. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
7. "NCAA Division I Championship Results -- Flash Results, Inc.". Flashresults.com. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
8. "NCAA Division I Championships -- Flash Results, Inc.". Flashresults.com. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
9. "NCAA Outdoor Championships -- Flash Results, Inc.". Flashresults.com. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
10. "Player Bio: Ronnie Ash - SoonerSports.com - Official Athletics Site of the Oklahoma Sooners - Oklahoma Sooners". SoonerSports.com. Retrieved 17 September 2014.