COLUMBUS, Ohio – This week’s “Buckeye Spotlight” recognizes seven student-athletes who are shining in conference tournament/championship competition as well as early their respective regular seasons.
Throughout the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Ohio State Athletics continues to celebrate exceptional female student-athletes and women’s teams throughout history, highlighting a new moment or person every week. For Title IX stories, visit OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
This Week’s Spotlights:
Jakub Dobeš | Men’s Hockey | So. | Ostrava, Czechia
- Jakub Dobeš backstopped the Buckeyes to a series win and a matchup in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals against No. 2 Michigan Saturday evening in Ann Arbor.
- The Montreal Canadians draft pick had a 1.26 goals-against average and .959 save percentage in the three games combined vs. Penn State. He allowed just one goal in the Buckeyes’ game one and game three wins and two in an overtime loss in game two. He had 30+ saves in each outing.
- His two wins over the weekend moved him into ninth in school history with 41 career victories and he is tied for eighth for a single season with 20 this year.
- Dobeš, last year’s Big Ten Goaltender of the Year, is a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award, given to the top goalie in the nation, for the second straight season. He is in the Top 16 nationally in goals-against average and save percentage.
Lexi Edwards | Women’s Gymnastics | Sr. | Richmond, Va.
- Lexi Edwards tied her career-high 9.975 on floor at her senior day meet Sunday to win the event title against Illinois and Kent State.
- She also scored a 9.875 on vault and a 9.850 on uneven bars to help the Buckeyes earn a home record score of 197.600 and the second-best overall score in program history.
- Edwards’ floor score also pushed the Buckeyes to a season-best 49.600 overall score in the event.
- With her efforts in both Sunday’s win and Friday’s victory over BYU, the Ohio State women’s gymnastics team finished the 2023 home slate undefeated.
Dylan D’Emilio | Wrestling | R-Jr. | Curtice, Ohio
- Dylan D’Emilio was seeded in the No. 9 slot and worked his way to a fourth-place finish overall at the 2023 Big Ten Championships at 141 pounds.
- He recorded three upset wins along the way to the third-place match.
- He helped the Buckeyes to a No. 4 overall finish in the team standings.
- In the process he earned an automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Championships March 16-18 in Tulsa, Okla.
Sophie Jaques | Women’s Hockey | Gr. | Toronto, Ont.
- Sophie Jaques was named the 2022-23 WCHA Player of the Year last week ahead of the team’s WCHA Final Faceoff run.
- Jaques, who was also named a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, is just the second Buckeye to earn the leagues’ player of the year title and just the fifth defenseman to win it in the 24-year history of the award.
- She was also named to the 2023 WCHA Final Faceoff All-Tournament team as Ohio State advanced to the championship game for the fourth year in a row.
- The Buckeyes begin the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at the OSU Ice Rink as the No. 1 overall seed for the second straight year. Ohio State will play the winner of the first round game between Penn State and Quinnipiac.
Cotie McMahon | Women’s Basketball | Fr. | Centerville, Ohio
- Cotie McMahon shined at the Big Ten tournament, earning all-tournament honors while helping the 25-7 Buckeyes to a runner-up finish.
- McMahon averaged 21.0 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game as the Buckeyes defeated Michigan (for the third time this year), and then she had 12 points and 14 rebounds as Ohio State came from 24-points behind to stagger Indiana in the semifinals.
- She had 23 points and seven rebounds against Iowa.
- Earlier in the week, McMahon was named Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten Conference.
Tyler Pettorini | Baseball | So. | Wooster, Ohio
- Tyler Pettorini helped the Buckeyes win the strong, Frisco Classic, baseball tournament over the weekend by batting .416 in the three games with five RBI and two runs scored.
- He had the big blow in Ohio State’s 8-3 win over 2021 College World Series champion Mississippi: a bases loaded double to score three runs.
- He had a doubles day in the 12-9 win over 2022 College World Series runner-up Oklahoma, as well: recording three doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in the championship clinching victory.
- Pettorini is riding a seven-game hitting streak and has hits in eight of 10 games this season.
Caden Spencer | Men’s Gymnastics | Fr. | Huntington, W.Va.
- Caden Spencer led the Buckeyes to a season-best 409.950 score as a team in a win at No. 11 Army last Saturday. Spencer won three event titles, earned three personal-best scores and stuck his vault in his best meet as a Buckeye.
- He had the highest score of the competition on vault with a personal-best 14.750 and the stick.
- He won the parallel bars competition with a 14.100, and he also won the high bar competition by tying his personal-best score of 13.900.
- Spencer also finished second in the floor competition with a personal-best 14.250.
- Among the Buckeyes’ scores this season, Spencer’s vault was the highest and his other three scores ranked second in their respective events.
- This season, Spencer ranks seventh nationally on high bar (13.850), 16th on parallel bars (13.733) and 17th on floor (13.533).
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