Buckeye Sports Shorts – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | General
May 1, 2002
%^$Athletes of the Week
%^$Women’s golf junior captain Mollie Fankhauser earned medalist honors at the Big Ten Championships with a composite 304, as she led the Buckeyes to the Big Ten title. Her 68 in the second round tied a Stone Creek Golf Course record and was the lowest round by an individual in the tournament. It marked the second straight year Fankhauser claimed the conference crown.%^$
%^$Sophomore defenseman Greg Bice led the men’s lacrosse team to a 17-5 victory over conference rival Butler Saturday. Bice had a career high two points in the game, including his first career goal. Bice had an outstanding game defensively, as he held the Bulldogs’ top player scoreless.%^$
%^$Sports Shorts
%^$
The No. 4 Ohio State women’s golf team won its secondconsecutive Big Ten Championship Sunday with a team score of 1,200(+68). Junior captain Mollie Fankhauser earned medalist honors forthe second straight year with a composite 304. Fankhauser’s 60 inthe second round tied a Stone Creek Golf Course record and was thelowest round by an individual in the tournament.%^$
%^$
Lindsay Knowlton shot 306 to finish fifth while Kristen Whitetied for seventh with a score of 310 and Allison Hanna shot,finishing in a tie for 10th place.%^$
%^$
In conference awards given out at the conclusion of the event,White was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year while ThereseHession was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.%^$
%^$
Men’s soccer is taking on the Columbus Crew (MLS) in the firstConnor Senn Memorial Match at 7 p.m. Tuesday (April 30) at JesseOwens Memorial Stadium. Senn was a freshman member of the OSUsoccer team who died Sept. 26, 2001, after collapsing during theOhio State at Akron match. Tickets are $3 for adults and $1 forstudents (with ID) and those under 18. A portion of the proceedswill go toward the Connor Senn Memorial Scholarship Fund, whichwill benefit a men’s soccer student-athlete. A team-signed ColumbusCrew jersey will be auctioned off and there will be a postgameautograph session with the Buckeyes and The Crew!%^$
%^$
13th-ranked men’s volleyball (19-11 overall) lost 3-2 in thesemifinals of the MIVA Tournament at Ball State to end the season.Pieter Olree had a match-high 31 kills in the match with TomTrantow adding a career-high 25. Olree was named to the MIVAAll-Tournament Team.%^$
%^$
15th-ranked women’s lacrosse (10-4 overall, 3-2 AmericanLacrosse Conference) finished the home schedule undefeated withwins over No. 15 Penn State, 15-12, and Davidson, 13-3. The Buckeyewin over Penn State was OSU’s first over the Nittany Lions in sixgames. Tracey Bounds had three goals and three assists in the gameand scored the winning goal. Bounds had two goals and four assistsagainst Davidson. Megan Mirick opened the scoring against Davidsonjust six seconds into the game and became OSU’s season recordholder for points. Mirick collected three goals and an assist toraise her season record to 57 points (51 goals, 6 assists). TheBuckeyes close out the regular season with a 1 p.m., Saturday, May4 game at Ohio.%^$
%^$
The No. 18 men’s lacrosse team pounded GWLL foe Butler, 17-5,Saturday in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium to extend its winningstreak to three games. The win ended the Buckeyes’ eight-gamelosing streak against the Bulldogs. Pat Myers led the squad withthree goals and an assist, while junior Curtis Smith had two goalsand two assists. Smith’s four points gave him 102 in his career,making him the 20th player in program history to reach the centurymark and tying him for 19th all-time. Tony Russo was againoutstanding in goal, making 12 saves. The Buckeyes end theirregular season at Notre Dame Saturday. The winner of the game willshare the conference title with Fairfield (4-1 GWLL), as both theBuckeyes and Irish enter the game with 3-1 records in conferenceplay.%^$
%^$
The softball team continued to add to its record winning streakwith five more wins last week to win its 18th game in a row andmove to 49-9 on the year (15-3 Big Ten). The No. 20 Buckeyes’ wintotal for 2002 is the most in a single-season for the program andbreaks the mark of 46 established a year ago. OSU defeated WrightState on the road, 7-0 and 10-1, Wednesday before downing Ohio,11-0, Friday at Buckeye Field. The Buckeyes then traveled toIndiana and swept the Hoosiers, 8-0 and 5-4, to remain atop the BigTen standings. OSU can win the conference championship, its firstsince 1990, and host the Big Ten tournament (May 9-11) with a sweepof Penn State in State College, Pa., Saturday and Sunday. Michiganis nipping at OSU’s heels with a 13-3 record. If both teams winout, the Buckeyes will be the champions based on winningpercentage, .850 to .833.%^$
%^$
Anna Smith continued her dominant hitting in the five games thesoftball team played last week by connecting on 10 hits in 16 atbats (.625) and scoring four times. Smith is leading the Buckeyes,and is second in the nation, with a .523 batting average(92-of-176) and has stolen 36 bases, one behind her record total of37 set in 2000. Jennifer Link and Kristine Himes also contributedto the top offense in the Big Ten with .500 performances. Link went6-for-12 with a double and a triple while stealing three baseswhile Himes belted her 14th home run of the year as well as adouble. In the circle, the OSU staff continued to play well withWendy Allen lowering her conference leading ERA to 0.87 afterallowing three hits in 7 2/3 innings of scoreless work. Katie Chainstruck out nine batters, second to Kristi DeVries’ 16, to bring herseason total to 182, two behind the record 184 she totaled lastyear. Chain also is nine K’s away from 500 for her career. DeVriesmade the most of her four appearances with a 1-0 record, a save andonly allowing opposing hitters to bat .091.%^$
%^$
Scott Lewis (Fr., Washington Court House, Ohio/Washington CourtHouse) salvaged a series split for Ohio State baseball, maintainingthe Buckeyes’ lead atop the Big Ten in the process, by striking outa career-best 12 Purdue batter. He was named the Big Ten Pitcher ofthe Week on Monday. The lefthander scattered six hits over seveninnings, allowing only one run while complementing his strikeouttotal with no walks. He improved to 5-2 on the year and lowered hisERA to 2.67, which ranks second on the team and third in the BigTen behind Nate Smith (1.87 ERA). Thanks to Lewis’ performance,Ohio State has never lost a Big Ten series in Bill Davis Stadium,which opened in 1997.%^$
%^$
Five baseball players from Ohio State were among the more than150 players named to the midseason watch list for the 15th annualRotary Smith Award, that was announced last Thursday. The awardwill be given to the nation’s top player June 24 in Houston, Texas.The Buckeyes landed a pair of starting pitchers on the list in E.J.Laratta (Sr., Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek) and Nate Smith (Jr.,Bryan, Ohio/Bryan). The three other OSU players nominated for thisprestigious honor are first baseman Nick Swisher (Jr., Parkersburg,W.Va./Parkersburg), second baseman Christian Snavely (So.,Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) and outfielder Doug Deeds (So., Bexley,Ohio). Voting to determine the 12 semifinalists will begin inmid-May. Three finalists will be announced prior to the start ofthe NCAA super regionals, June 7-9.%^$
%^$
Nick Swisher (Jr., Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg) hit a homerun in the series finale against Purdue to extend his career-longhit streak to 17 games. During that streak, Swisher is batting .442with three homers and 13 RBI.%^$
%^$
The track and field teams will play host to the 17th annualJesse Owens Track Classic Sunday in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.Field events start at 9 a.m., with track events beginning at 9:30.The opening ceremonies, including the official dedication of thestadium, will be held at 1 p.m.%^$
%^$
Goalkeeper Allison Blanton (Sr., Newton, N.J./KittatinnyRegional) was named the Most Valuable Player of the field hockeyteam at its annual awards banquet earlier this month. Blanton wasnamed MVP by vote of her teammates. Defender Jennifer Van Kirk(Jr., Lititz, Pa./Warwick) was given the team Unsung Hero Award byher teammates. The award honored Van Kirk for her defensivecontributions.%^$
%^$
The Ohio State men’s tennis team will find out its fateThursday when the NCAA announces the field of 64 teams for the 2002NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament. The Buckeyes, ranked No. 20nationally, fell in the semifinals Saturday to Minnesota in the2002 Big Ten Men’s Tennis Tournament, held at the Stickney TennisCenter and Jesse Owens West Recreation Center on the Ohio Statecampus. Ohio State, 21-4 overall and 10-2 in the Big Ten, islooking for its third-consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. Bothprevious trips, the only NCAA tournament appearances in Buckeyes’history, have come under the direction of head coach Ty Tucker, nowin his third season as the OSU head coach.%^$
%^$
The women’s tennis team will find out if it receives a bid tothe NCAA team championship at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Buckeyes havequalified for the team tournament each of the last three seasons.The squad finished the season in third place in the Big Ten for thethird consecutive year with an overall mark of 19-6 and a leaguemark of 7-4.%^$
%^$
The Ohio State men’s golf team tied for 12th in the 15-teamFossum Invitational over the weekend in East Lansing, Mich. SeniorDoug Wade fired a final-round 69 Sunday to lead the Buckeyes. Hetied for 23rd-place overall. Ohio State has completedregular-season play and will now focus on the 2002 Big TenTournament this week (May 3-5) in Iowa City, Iowa. The Buckeyesplay host to the 2002 NCAA Tournament May 29-June 1 on The OSUScarlet Course.%^$
%^$
The women’s rowing team had a week off to prepare for the 2002Big Ten Rowing Championships this weekend in East Lansing, Mich.The Buckeyes, ranked No. 5 in the most recent USRowing/CollegiateRowing Coaches Association NCAA Division I Varsity Eight CoachesPoll, will battle No. 3 Michigan and No. 12 Michigan State for the2002 Big Ten title Saturday.%^$
%^$Ohio State Athletics Events for The Week
%^$Go Out and Cheer on the Buckeyes!
%^$Tuesday, April 30
%^$Men’s Soccer vs. Columbus Crew (MLS), 7 p.m.
%^$Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium
%^$
%^$Wednesday, May 1
%^$Baseball vs. Youngstown State, 6:35 p.m.
%^$Bill Davis Stadium
%^$
%^$Thursday, May 2
%^$Softball vs. Akron, 5 p.m.
%^$Buckeye Field
%^$
%^$Friday, May 3
%^$Baseball at Michigan, 3 p.m.
%^$Ann Arbor, Mich.
%^$
%^$Men’s Golf at Big Ten Championship, All Day
%^$Iowa City, Iowa
%^$
%^$Saturday, May 4
%^$Men’s Soccer vs. Alumni, noon
%^$Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium
%^$
%^$Baseball at Michigan, (DH) 1 p.m.
%^$Ann Arbor, Mich.
%^$
%^$Men’s Golf at Big Ten Championship, All Day
%^$Iowa City, Iowa
%^$
%^$Men’s Lacrosse at Notre Dame, 1 p.m.
%^$South Bend, Ind.
%^$
%^$Women’s Lacrosse at Ohio, 1 p.m.
%^$Athens, Ohio
%^$
%^$Rowing at Big Ten Championship, All Day
%^$East Lansing, Mich.
%^$
%^$Softball at Penn State, 1 p.m.
%^$State College, Pa.
%^$
%^$Sunday, May 5
%^$Track and Field at Jesse Owens Track Classic, 9 a.m.
%^$Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium
%^$
%^$Baseball at Michigan, 1 p.m.
%^$Ann Arbor, Mich.
%^$
%^$Men’s Golf at Big Ten Championship, All Day
%^$Iowa City, Iowa
%^$
%^$Softball at Penn State, 1 p.m.
%^$State College, Pa.
%^$
