Krenzel and Gordon named Ohio State Athletes of the Year – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
June 19, 2003
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State student-athletes Craig Krenzel (Jr., Utica, Mich./Henry Ford II) and Stacey Gordon (So., Oshawa, Ontario/Eastdale Collegiate) have been named the 2003 Ohio State Male and Female Athlete of the Year, respectively. The award was voted on by an interdepartmental panel of OSU administrators and coaches and was based on the 2002-03 season only.
As the top Buckeye athletes, Krenzel and Gordon will represent Ohio State on the Big Ten ballot to select the Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year and Suzy Favor Female Athlete of the Year. Each school in the Big Ten nominates one male and one female student-athlete and a panel of media selects the winners, which will be announced Thursday, June 26.
Krenzel, a junior, led the 2002 OSU football team to its first national championship since 1968. He was named the Co-MVP during the regular season and the offensive MVP of the Fiesta Bowl. The quarterback threw for 2,110 yards, 12 touchdowns and completed 59 percent of his passes. Krenzel also rushed for 368 yards and three touchdowns. He not only excels on the playing field but in the classroom as well. He was a Second Team Academic All-America selection and received the 2003 Socrates Award, which is presented by the The Sporting News to the top scholar-athlete in intercollegiate athletics. Krenzel is a three-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and was named to the Big Ten’s All-Academic team. He is 15-1 as a starter for Ohio State.
Gordon, a sophomore volleyball player, was named the 2002 Big Ten Player of the Year, a 2002 First Team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American and was selected to the 2002 AVCA Mideast All-Region Team. Gordon finished the season ranked third nationally in kills per game (5.98) and ranked seventh in aces (.30) and digs (3.18) per game. She recorded her 1,000th career kill in a game against Michigan, which made her the only Buckeye sophomore to reach this milestone. Gordon was named to the Wahine Volleyball Classic All-Tournament Team and was the Most Valuable Player of the Buckeye Classic. She ranks second in OSU history for career kills per game at 5.40. Krenzel is the first football player to receive the honor of OSU Male Athlete of the Year since Eddie George in 1996. George went on to win the Big Ten Jesse Owens Athlete of the Year Award. Krenzel is just the fifth football player to receive the award since its existence. Gordon becomes the fifth volleyball player to receive OSU’s Female Athlete of the Year honors and the first since Vanessa Wouters did so in 1998.
