Athletics Good Stuff – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | General
Oct. 4, 2006
Athletes of the Week
Junior forward Xavier Balc was named the Big Ten Men’s SoccerOffensive Player of the Week Monday for his efforts in two Buckeyewins last week. Balc assisted on all three OSU goals last week, thefirst coming in Ohio State’s 1-0 win over No. 21 Akron Tuesday andthe second two coming in the Buckeyes’ 2-1 win at Big Ten leaderPenn State Sunday.
Balc leads the Big Ten in points with 17 from six goals and five assists. His goal and assist totals are tied for the league lead and he also ranks first in the conference in shots (42) and shots per game (3.50). The Big Ten honor is the first this season for Balc and the second of his career.
Senior Dana Je led the women’s golf team to a second-placefinish Sunday at the 2006 Wolverine Invitational in Ann Arbor,Mich. Je shot a 222 (74-73-75) for the tournament to tie for firstplace individually. She then fell to UM’s Brianna Broderick in aplayoff for medalist honors. Last season, Je competed in all 30rounds and finished with the lowest scoring average on the team.
Athletics Good Stuff
The men’s lacrosse team will host Johns Hopkins in the secondannual Michael R. Breschi Buckeye Classic at 7 p.m. Friday in JesseOwens Memorial Stadium in Columbus. The event is named in honor ofMichael R. Breschi, 3, the late son of Ohio State head coach JoeBreschi, who died accidentally in March 2004. Tickets for the gameare $5, with all proceeds benefiting the Michael BreschiScholarship Fund at Ohio State. The scholarship is awarded annuallyto a member of the Buckeye men’s lacrosse team. Fans that areunable to attend the game and would like to contribute to thescholarship fund can do so by visiting the men’s lacrosse pageon-line at ohiostatebuckeyes.com. (NOTE: There is a concert in theJerome Schottenstein Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday that will affectparking around Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium for the lacrosse game.Lacrosse fans will be directed to park in the Buckeye Lots.)Women’s soccer midfielder Lisa Collison notched a hat trick Oct. 1when she scored three-consecutive goals to help the Buckeyesrebound from an early 2-0 deficit against Northwestern at JesseOwens Memorial Stadium. Collison’s three goals in a game is a tiefor the OSU record. Collison has six goals and one assist for the13 points in 2006, a team season high. The last time a Buckeyetallied three goals in a contest was in 2004 when former midfielderDanielle Dietrich scored three goals against Minnesota in OSU’s 4-0shutout. This is the second time this season Collison has recordedfive or more points in a match. Earlier this season against SanDiego, Collison compiled five points on two goals and an assist.For her efforts, Collison was named to the Top Drawer SoccerNational Team of the Week.
Senior tri-captain Lisa Grubb officially became the OSU all-time leader in assists vs. Northwestern. Grubb, who was credited with the helper on Collison’s third goal, now is the Buckeye all-time leader in goals (31), assists (24) and points (86).
After splitting the weekend, defeating Wisconsin, 2-1, but falling to Northwestern, 4-3, in double overtime, Ohio State returns to the road Oct. 6 to face Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, and Illinois Oct. 8 in Champaign, Ill.
On the road Sunday, the men’s soccer team handed Penn State itsfirst Big Ten loss since 2004 and improved its record to 5-5-2overall (1-1-0 Big Ten). The Buckeyes overcame an early 1-0 deficitto knock off the Nittany Lions and improved to 4-2 in their lastsix games, which included a win over No. 21 Akron last Tuesday.Ohio State plays its next three games at Jesse Owens MemorialStadium, beginning with a 2 p.m. match Sunday against Wisconsin.The women’s golf team improved their record over the weekend to17-3-0, placing 2nd of 10 teams at the 2006 Wolverine Invitational.Senior Dana Je tied for 1st place. The Buckeyes will resumetournament action Oct. 6-8 in Chapel Hill, N.C. at the Lady TarHeel. The men’s golf team will travel to Durham, N.C. this weekendto compete in the 2006 Coca-Cola Duke Golf Classic. The tournamentfield will consist of: Coastal Carolina, Duke, Florida Southern,Furman, Houston, Jacksonville, Maryland, North Carolina, OhioState, Old Dominion, UNC Charlotte, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington,Virginia Commonwealth and Virginia Tech. The event will be playedat the par 72, 7,045-yard Duke University Golf Club with 36-holesbeing played Sunday and the final 18-holes to be played Monday. The14th-ranked women’s volleyball team returns home this week aftertwo weeks on the road. Ohio State (12-2 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) willhost 13th-ranked Wisconsin (12-2, 4-0) Friday at 7 p.m. and24th-ranked Minnesota (10-4, 4-0) Sunday at 2 p.m. in St. JohnArena.
Last week, Ohio State lost 2-3 (26-30, 30-27, 31-29, 32-34, 7-15) at 11th-ranked Purdue and then won at Indiana, 3-1 (25-30, 30-25, 30-23, 30-25). At Purdue, Danielle Meyer had a match-high 27 kills with Anna Szerszen adding 23 and Briana McCarthy 10. At Indiana, McCarthy recorded a team-high 22 kills, with Meyer adding 15, Szerszen 13 and Kristen Dozier 10.
For the first time in men’s tennis history the Buckeyes havefive players ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis AssociationPreseason Top 125 Singles Poll. Sophomore Bryan Koniecko leads theBuckeyes at No. 19 followed by Devin Mullings at No. 56. SeniorChris Klingemann comes in at No. 60 and sophomore Steven Moneke isranked No. 65 after a solid rookie season. Freshman JustinKronauge, the No. 1 recruit in the nation, is ranked No. 105 tostart the year.
All five ranked players, along with junior Drew Eberly, begin play in Tulsa, Okla., this week in the 2006 Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Tennis Championships held on the campus of Tulsa University.
The seventh-ranked field hockey team (8-1, 1-1 Big Ten) splitits games last week, blanking Ball State, 7-0, Wednesday beforefalling to No. 12 Indiana, 2-1, Sunday. Senior Curlyne Wynn tallieda career-high seven points against BSU with two goals and threeassists. Junior Michaela O’Malley also scored two goals for theBuckeyes, while senior Saskia Mueller had two assists and juniorYesenia Luces had a goal and an assist. In the game Sunday atIndiana, junior Jamie Gofgosky scored the lone OSU goal on anassist from Luces in the Buckeyes’ first defeat of the 2006 season.
Ohio State looks to begin a new win streak this weekend when the team travels to No. 2 Wake Forest Oct. 6 at 3 p.m., before hosting No. 9 Penn State Oct. 8 at 1 p.m. at North Turf Field in its first Big Ten home game this season.
The women’s hockey team opens its 2006-07 season with atwo-game nonconference series against Northeastern Oct. 6-7. Gamesbegin at 7:07 p.m. both nights at OSU Ice Rink. The Buckeyescontinue their home-stand the following weekend with a WCHA seriesagainst the defending national champion Wisconsin Badgers Oct.13-14. Games against UW begin at 7:07 p.m. Friday and 4:07 p.m.Sunday.
In its preseason tune-up, Ohio State fell to Wilfrid Laurier University by a score of 2-1 in an exhibition game Sept. 30 at OSU Ice Rink. Junior Erin Keys scored the lone OSU goal on an assist by classmate Lisa Chesson. Goaltenders Erika Vanderveer and Liana Bonanno each made seven saves while splitting time in the Buckeye goal.
The men’s and women’s cross country teams run in the 2006All-Ohio Championships Friday in Delaware, Ohio. The men’s teamwill seek to successfully defend its team victory from last season.The women’s squad will be out to better a runner-up finish in 2005.The 17th-ranked men’s hockey team opens the 2006-07 season with anexhibition game against Guelph at 8:05 p.m. Saturday in Value CityArena. The team begins regular-season play next week, when it hostsCentral Collegiate Hockey Association foe Lake Superior State at7:05 p.m. Oct. 13-14 in VCA.
At CCHA Media Day last week, the Buckeyes were picked to finish fourth by the coaches and sixth by the media in the annual preseason polls. Senior defenseman Sean Collins was an honorable mention preseason all-conference selection.
Men’s swimming head coach Bill Wadley was picked by USASwimming to serve as an assistant coach at the World UniversityGames in Bangkok, Thailand, Aug. 12-17, 2007. This is the secondtime Wadley has been chosen to represent USA Swimming as a nationalteam coach at the event. The women’s basketball team, two-timedefending Big Ten champions, is ranked in the Top 10 by Athlon,Lindy’s and Street and Smith preseason preview publications. TheBuckeyes are slated No. 5 by Athlon, No. 6 by Street and Smith, andLindy’s has tabbed OSU its No. 10 team heading into the 2006-07schedule.
Street and Smith deemed senior center Jessica Davenport one of its “Terrific 10” for the upcoming season.
Heavy rain forced the cancellation of the Sixth Annual OhioCollegiate Charity Classic, hosted by the softball program, lastweekend at Fred Beekman Park. The event raised $20,000 last yearfor the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research. Adonation amount for this year’s tournament will be announced at alater date. The Buckeyes wrap up their fall season Sunday at Miami(Ohio).
Ohio State Athletics Schedule
Oct. 4 – 11
Wednesday, Oct. 4
Men’s Tennis at ITA All-American Championships
Tulsa, Okla.
Friday, Oct. 6
Women’s Soccer vs. Iowa, 8:30 p.m.
Iowa City, Iowa
Field Hockey vs. Wake Forest, 3:00 p.m.
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Women’s Volleyball vs. Wisconsin, 7:00 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Women’s Ice Hockey vs. Northeastern, 7:00 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Cross Country at All-Ohio Championships
Delaware, Ohio
Women’s Golf at Lady Tar Heel Tournament
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Saturday, Oct. 7
Football vs. Bowling Green, 3:30 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Women’s Ice Hockey vs. Northeastern, 7:00 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Men’s Ice Hockey vs. Guelph, 8:00 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Rifle vs. Virginia Military Institute, TBA
Lexington, Va.
Women’s Golf at Lady Tar Heel Tournament
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Sunday, Oct. 8
Men’s Soccer vs. Wisconsin, 2:00 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Women’s Soccer vs. Illinois, 1:00 p.m. Champaign, Ill.
Field Hockey vs. Penn State, 1:00 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Women’s Volleyball vs. Minnesota, 2:00 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Men’s Golf at Coca-Cola Duke Golf Classic
Durham, N.C.
Women’s Golf at Lady Tar Heel Tournament
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Monday, Oct. 9
Men’s Golf at Coca-Cola Duke Golf Classic
Durham, N.C.
Wednesday, Oct. 11
Men’s Soccer vs. Louisville, 5:00 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Women’s Soccer vs. Wright State, 7:30 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Field Hockey vs. Louisville, 3:30 p.m.
Louisville, Ky.
