2001-02 Athletics Year in Review – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/10/2002 12:00:00 AM | General
June 10, 2002
Columbus, Ohio – The 2001-02 athletics campaign was a banner year for Ohio State’s teams, student-athletes and coaches. National championships were claimed in synchronized swimming and pistol. Nineteen teams advanced to NCAA championship competition and 28 individuals earned First Team All-America honors. OSU also had six Big Ten Coaches of the Year and one national coach of the year.
The spring season was one to remember as 10 teams advanced to NCAA competition with seven individuals earning First Team All-America honors.
The baseball team captured the 2002 Big Ten Tournament title in Minneapolis to earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regional. Six Buckeyes were named to the All-Big Ten tournament team. Those individuals include seniors Joe Wilkins (who also was named the most outstanding player in the tournament), Doug Dendinger, E.J. Laratta, sophomore Doug Deeds and freshman Scott Lewis and Drew Anderson. Three Buckeyes received First Team All-Big Ten honors: juniors Nick Swisher, Nate Smith and Lewis. Lewis also was named 2002 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a member of the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team.
Capping off its most successful season in the history of the program, the Buckeye softball team rewrote the record books in 2002, setting 21 team and 15 individual records en route to a 55-14 (16-4 Big Ten/second) overall record. The 55 wins were the most ever in the program’s history and enabled them to qualify for the NCAA tournament, their first appearance since 1990. Senior outfielder Anna Smith became the first Buckeye to garner First Team All-America honors while Stacy Roth, Wendy Allen and Smith all earned First Team All-Big Ten honors. Allen also was named Big Ten Player of the Year. The accolades didn’t stop there as head coach Linda Kalafatis was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. The Buckeyes finished 13th in the final national rankings, their highest ranking ever. The team also posted the longest winning streak in the program’s history at 19 games.
The rowing team finished the season with a fifth place finish at the NCAA championships in Indianapolis, its second highest ever. The first varsity 8 finished the season with a 21-5 record to compliment its Big Ten title. Head coach Andy Teitelbaum was named Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Central Region Coach of the Year.
With a 12-6 win at Ohio, the women’s lacrosse team recorded its 11th win of the season, establishing a record for single-season wins. The Buckeyes finished the regular season ranked 12th in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association poll, the highest ranking in the history of the program and received their first bid to the NCAA championship to close out a memorable season. Senior Megan Mirick and junior Shannon Wilson were named 2002 Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association/U.S. Lacrosse All-Americans. Mirick, the American Lacrosse Conference Player of the Year, had a team-high 53 goals and six assists in 2002. The 53 goals is an Ohio State season record.
Women’s golf finished eighth at the 2002 NCAA Championships in Auburn, Wash. The Buckeyes’ eighth-place finish was the highest since the 1997-98 season when the Buckeyes tied for eighth on their home course. Junior captain Mollie Fankhauser was named a Second Team All-American by the National Golf Coaches Association. Fankhauser is the seventh All-America selection in Ohio State history. Head coach Therese Hession was named 2002 Big Ten Coach of the Year after the Buckeyes took home the Big Ten championship.
All-Big Ten selections Phil Metz and Jeremy Wurtzman were selected to play in the 2002 NCAA Men’s Tennis Singles Championships in College Station, Texas. This year was the first time the Buckeyes have had two singles players in the tournament since four Buckeyes participated in 1976. The Buckeyes were undefeated at home during the regular season, a first in program history. The victory over Purdue (4/14/02) was OSU’s 15th-consecutive home win, breaking the all-time record of 14-consecutive home wins set in the 1982-83 season.
All-Big Ten women’s tennis senior Monica Rincon was awarded the Arthur Ashe, Jr., Leadership and Sportsmanship Award and the Senior Award for the Midwest region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Rincon, a three-time All-Big Ten honoree, competed in the 64-player NCAA singles championship in May. Rincon posted a singles record of 25-9 to lead the squad, including a mark of 18-4 at No. 1 singles this spring.
Pieter Olree, senior outside hitter for the men’s volleyball team, was selected a Second Team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The MIVA Player of the Year, Olree finished the season with 614 kills, setting an Ohio State single season record. His 5.69 kills per game average ranked third in the country. Olree helped the Buckeyes to a 19-11 season and a third place finish in the MIVA (11-5).
Four All-Americans were honored in Track and Field. Sophomore Dan Taylor, juniors Tami Smith and Krista Keir and senior Katy Craig all finished in the top eight in their respected events at the NCAA championships to receive All-America honors.
The men’s basketball team once again defied the odds by winning a share of the 2002 Big Ten regular-season title and then claiming the 2002 Big Ten Tournament Championship in Indianapolis. Senior Brian Brown was named First Team All-Big Ten and also landed a spot on the All-Tournament Team along with fellow senior Boban Savovic and junior Brent Darby. Under head coach Jim O’Brien, the Buckeyes recorded their fourth-consecutive 20-win season, a feat accomplished only once before (1960-63) and set an Ohio State record by qualifying for a fourth-consecutive NCAA tournament.
Tommy Rowlands was crowned the 2002 NCAA Champion in the heavyweight division at the NCAA wrestling championships in Albany, N.Y. Head coach Russ Hellickson was named Big Ten Co-Coach of the Year and National Wrestling Coaches Association National Coach of the Year for his efforts. The wrestling Buckeyes finished the season 20-4 and finished sixth overall at NCAA Championships. All-America status went to Rowlands, Nick Preston and Robert Sessley.
In women’s hockey, sophomore offensive defenseman Emma Laaksonen claimed Second Team All-America honors, becoming the first women’s hockey Buckeye to reach All-America status. Laaksonen and Jeni Creary were among the Top 10 candidates for the 2002 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which annually recognizes the accomplishments of the most outstanding player in women’s collegiate hockey.
Head diving coach Vince Panzano and diver Heath Knowling were named Big Ten Coach and Diver of the Year, respectively. It marks the seventh time Panzano has received Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. In addition to diver of the year, Knowling also is a First Team All-Big Ten selection for 2002 and was named Diver of the (Big Ten) Championship for scoring the most points in his best two events and advanced to the NCAA championships. The honor marks the first time since 1996 a diver from the same school won both events and the first time since 1993 a diver from Ohio State won both events. His efforts helped the men’s swimming and diving team to an impressive 9-1 overall record.
The men’s gymnastics team came up short of defending its NCAA title, finishing second at the NCAA championships in Norman, Okla. Raj Bhavsar won the Big Ten and NCAA all-around titles in addition to being named Big Ten Gymnast of the Year. Head coach Miles Avery was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the second-consecutive year. All-America selections include Bhavsar, Jamey Houle, Kerry Adderly, Dick Huntwork and Randy Monahan.
The synchronized swimming team won its third consecutive national championship and its 22nd overall. Mary Hofer, Victoria Bowen, Beth Kreimer, Suzanna Hyatt and Kristin Price were named All-Americans for 2002.
The fencing team went 30-6 overall during the regular season and took fourth place at the 2002 NCAA championships. The Buckeyes scored 140 points, nearly doubling their output from a year ago. OSU had 10 NCAA qualifiers and six All-Americans. First Team All-America accolades went to Jason Rogers, Bond-Williams and Hanna Thompson.
The pistol team closed out the season by winning the Women’s Sport Pistol National Championship and finishing second in the Women’s Two-Gun Aggregate Championship. Individually, Jennifer Trickett and Jessica Marshall were named National Rifle Association Intercollegiate All-Americans.
The rifle team won the Western Intercollegiate Rifle Conference, winning both smallbore and air rifle. Abhijeet Konduskar was a second team All-American in smallbore and air rifle.
After defeating “that team up north” to close out the regular season, the football Buckeyes earned a consecutive trip to the Outback Bowl in January, their 10th bowl game in 11 years. Senior LeCharles Bentley won consensus All-America honors and received the Rimington Award as the best center in college football. Strong safety Michael Doss also won all-america honors, winning that recognition for the second-consecutive season and putting himself in a very select circle.
The field hockey team finished the 2001 season with an overall record of 15-5 and captured the first Big Ten regular-season and conference tournament championships in the 30-year history of the program. Ohio State made the NCAA tournament for only the second time in the history of the program. The National Field Hockey Coaches Association declared two Buckeyes Division I All-Americans. Midfielder Marije van Nouhuys was named a First Team All-American, while forward Vanessa Immordino was named to the second team. It was the first time in the history of the OSU program two players have earned All-America honors in the same season.
The men’s soccer team received its first at-large bid to the NCAA tournament in 2001. The Buckeyes only other appearance was in 2000 when the Buckeyes won the 2000 Big Ten Tournament.
In women’s soccer, head coach Lori Walker was named 2001 Big Ten Co-Coach of the Year and Lisa Grubb was named Freshman of the Year and was selected to the Soccer Buzz Freshman All-America Third Team. Grubb and Jennifer Miller were also Second Team All-Big Ten selections.
The women’s volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinals in San Diego, Calif. Outside hitter Stacey Gordon was honored as the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Freshman of the Year. Gordon was also honored as a Second Team AVCA All-American.
