Athletics Good Stuff – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | General
Athletes of the Week
With his fifth gamewinner of the season and 11th of his career, senior forward Xavier Balc of the men’s soccer team sealed Ohio State’s bid to the NCAA College Cup Dec. 9 in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Balc converted a penalty kick in the second period of the quarterfinals for the first score of the match to send Ohio State on its way to a 4-0 win over Bradley in its first appearance in the Elite Eight.’
The Hudson, Ohio, native notched his second goal of the game and the third Buckeye goal with a header to the back of the net from a junior Patrick Roan cross in the penalty area. During the last three seasons, Ohio State has collected a 31-3-2 record when Balc has at least one point. Balc is responsible for 51 of Ohio State’s last 90 goals during the last three seasons.
With two goals vs. the Braves, Balc notched his first multiple-goal game of the season. Tallying 23 career goals and 34 career assists, Balc’s 80 points are third-most all-time at Ohio State. He is the program’s all-time leader in assists and shots (257).
Freshman Peter Boyd of the men’s hockey team notched his second-career gamewinner 56 seconds into overtime to lift Ohio State to a 3-2 victory over St. Lawrence Dec. 7 in Value City Arena. The rookie has seen action in all 18 Buckeye games, tallying four goals and four assists. With eight points on the season, Boyd is tied with senior Matt McIlvane for third in the category behind seniors Tommy Goebel (14) and Tom Fritsche (10).
Athletics Good Stuff
Men’s Soccer (16-3-5; 4-1-1 Big Ten)
Head Coach: John Bluem
Fifth-seed Ohio State defeated Bradley, 4-0, in the NCAA quarterfinals held in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium Dec. 9 to advance to the College Cup. The Buckeyes scored four goals in a 12-minute span of the second half to move past the Braves.
In their first trip to the College Cup, the Buckeyes will face Massachusetts at 7 p.m. Friday at SAS Soccer Park. ESPNU will televise the match live Friday night while ESPN2 will air the game on tape delay at 11 a.m. Saturday. The championship game will be aired live on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. Sunday.
With the win, Ohio State builds on its best season in program history, now 16-3-5, with a 14 game unbeaten streak (11-0-3) which doubles the previous school record for the longest unbeaten streak. The Buckeyes also improve in two other school records one for wins (16) and the other for shutouts (14).
The four-goal win is the most lopsided NCAA tournament victory for the Buckeyes in nine games all-time and marks the largest margin of victory in any home game since 2001. Ohio State wraps up its home schedule this season with a program-record 8-1-1 mark at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Buckeye senior goalkeeper Casey Latchem had four saves in his 14th shutout of the season and 26th of his career to build on both of his school records.
After a scoreless first half, senior Xavier Balc converted a penalty kick for his fifth game-winning goal of the season and 11th of his career.
Up Next: vs. Massachusetts, 7 p.m. Dec. 14 in Cary, N.C. (Television: ESPNU: live Friday; ESPN2: tape delayed 11 a.m. Saturday)
Big Ten Fall Academic All-Big Ten Honorees
The Big Ten Conference announced its Fall Academic All-Big Ten team Dec. 5. In all, 74 Buckeye student-athletes were honored for their academic efforts. To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, a student-athlete must be a letterwinner in at least their second academic year and carry a grade-point average of 3.0 or better.
The Buckeyes rank second in the Big Ten in award winners, behind Penn State’s 81. Ohio State was one of just five Big Ten teams to have a member from each fall sport receive the award.
Men’s Basketball (5-3; 0-0 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Thad Matta
Ohio State moves to 5-3 on the season with the 47-39 win over Coppin State Monday at Value City Arena. The Buckeyes held Coppin State to just 39 points, the lowest point total for an OSU opponent in the shot clock era and the lowest since Delaware was held to 38 points Jan. 11, 1960, in St. John Arena.
With the win, Ohio State is now 12-0 all-time against the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Buckeyes are now 3-0 against Coppin State.
Evan Turner made his first career start Monday. The freshman connected on his first three 3-point field goal attempts and either scored or assisted on Ohio State’s first three baskets. Turner tallied a season high 13-points to tie for the team lead with senior Jamar Butler.
Butler dished out six assists in the contest for a career total of 396, good for seventh on the all-time career list. The senior is only five helpers behind No. 6 Larry Bolden (1974-77/401) on the career assist chart. During his tenure at Ohio State, the Buckeyes are 42-8 when Butler has four or more assists.
Up Next: vs. Presbyterian College, noon Dec. 15 in Value City Arena (Television: Big Ten Network)
Up Next: at Cleveland State, 7 p.m. Dec. 18 in Cleveland, Ohio (Television: Sports Time Ohio)
Up Next: vs. Florida, 4 p.m. Dec. 22 in Value City Arena (Television: CBS)
No. 18/19 Women’s Basketball (6-2; 0-0 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Jim Foster
Former Buckeye standout Brandie Hoskins graduated Sunday with a degree in sociology. The Dayton, Ohio, native was the 33rd overall pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft last April. Hoskins completed her Ohio State career as a three-time All-Big Ten honoree and ranks fifth all-time in career assists with 471 and 13th in career points at 1,462. The Buckeyes are coming off a 69-55 win over Ole Miss last Sunday, Dec. 2.
Up Next: at Washington, 7 p.m. Dec. 16 in Seattle, Wash. (Television: Fox SportsNet)
Up Next: vs. Youngstown State, 7 p.m. Dec. 19 in Value City Arena
Up Next: vs. Nebraska, Noon Dec. 22 in Value City Arena
Men’s Cross Country
Head Coach: Robert Gary
Head Coach Robert Gary was named Ohio Collegiate Cross Country Head Coach of the Year in a vote by the Ohio cross country Head Coaches while senior co-captain John Ealy was honored as the state’s top male runner.
Gary has guided the Buckeyes to more NCAA Championship appearances then any other Head Coach in Ohio State history (six). This is the seventh time Gary has been named Ohio Head Coach of the year by his peers and the sixth in the last seven seasons.
In 2007, Ealy earned first-team All-Region honors with his sixth-place finish in a time of 30:52.31 on the 10-kilometer course at NCAA Regionals. Ealy, a Reynoldsburg, Ohio native, competed at the NCAA Championships all four years as a Buckeye.
No. 1 Football (11-1; 7-1 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Jim Tressel
Ohio State moved into first in the BCS poll to earn a trip to its second-consecutive national championship game. The Buckeyes, 11-1, will face LSU, 11-2, Jan. 7 at the Superdome in New Orleans.
Kirk Barton and Marcus Freeman walked Sunday at Ohio State’s Autumn Commencement. Barton, a history major, and Freeman, a sports and leisure major, greatly contributed to the Buckeyes’ 11-1 record.
James Laurinaitis was named a first-team All-America selection by the Walter Camp Football Foundation for the second-consecutive year. The junior linebacker also was named to the 2007 Sporting News and Football Writers Association of America All-America teams.
Vernon Gholston and Malcolm Jenkins were both named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation’s second-team.
Cameron Heyward was named a first-team 2007 Sporting News Defensive Freshman All-American Dec. 7. Receiving honorable mention was Ohio State freshman Chimdi Chekwa.
Defensive coordinator Jim Heacock was named the nation’s top NCAA assistant Head Coach as he was presented the 12th Annual Frank Broyles Award by the Rotary Club of Little Rock Dec. 4.
Up Next: vs. Louisiana State (11-2, 6-2 SEC) at the 2008 BCS National Championship, 8 p.m. Jan. 7 in New Orleans, La.
Men’s Hockey (5-12-1; 2-8-0 CCHA)
Head Coach: John Markell
Freshman Peter Boyd scored the gamewinning goal 56 seconds into overtime to lift Ohio State to a 3-2 victory over St. Lawrence Friday in Value City Arena before dropping game two, 5-4, on Saturday. Boyd has two gamewinning goals this season to lead the squad.
On the weekend, six Buckeyes tallied goals with senior Tommy Goebel leading with a goal in each game. Ohio State had scores from senior John Dingle, junior Corey Elkins and freshmen Kyle Reed, Peter Boyd and Patrick Schafer. Goebel has a team-best nine goals and 14 points. He has at least one goal in six of his last eight games, including one in each game vs. the Saints. .
Chris Reed adding a career-high two assists and points in Friday’s game while senior Tom Fritsche notched a helper as well improving to 98 career points to lead all current Buckeyes. Ohio State received assists from senior Jason DeSantis, sophomore goalie Joseph Palmer and freshmen Corey Toy, Shane Sims and Boyd on Saturday.
Palmer was named to the 2008 U.S. National Junior Team and will compete in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship for Team USA. The tournament, which features the best players in the world under age 20, will be held Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Pardubice and Liberec, Czech Republic. Palmer is the fifth Buckeye but first goalie to be named to the U.S. National Junior Team, joining current senior Fritsche (2006) and former Buckeyes Ryan Kesler (2003, ’04), Dave Steckel (2001, ’02) and R.J. Umberger (2001, ’02).
Former Buckeye Mike McCormick (1999-02) graduated Dec. 9 with an undergraduate degree in sociology. Since playing at Ohio State, McCormick has being playing professional hockey in Germany.
Up Next: at Alaska, 7:05 p.m. Dec. 14 in Fairbanks, Alaska
Up Next: at Alaska, 7:05 p.m. Dec. 15 in Fairbanks, Alaska
Up Next: vs. Harvard at the Ohio Hockey Classic, 9:05 p.m. Dec. 29 in Value City Arena
Up Next: vs. Miami or St. Cloud State at the Ohio Hockey Classic, 8:05 p.m. Dec. 30 in Value City Arena
Women’s Hockey (8-8-2; 5-7-2 WCHA)
Head Coach: Jackie Barto
Ohio State fell to No. 3 Minnesota Duluth, 7-2, Dec. 8 at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center in Duluth, Minn. Junior forward Hayley Klassen scored both of the Buckeye goals and senior Erin Keys had an assist to take the team lead in points with 21.
In game two, freshman goaltender Deidre Facklis made 50 saves, including 18 against the UMD power play in her second career start, but the Buckeyes dropped the decision, 4-0, Dec. 9. Facklis was four saves shy of the Ohio State record.
No. 13 Men’s Swimming and Diving (4-0; 0-0 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Bill Wadley
Wes Wieser was named Big Ten Diver of the Week Dec. 4 after setting a new Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion record in his execution off the platform at the Ohio State Invitational, posting a score of 398.70. Wieser won the event by nearly 18 points and qualified for the NCAA Zone meet in March.
After a month long break, the Buckeyes welcome Wright State to Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion at 5 p.m. Jan. 11 for a dual meet.
Up Next: vs. Wright State, 5 p.m. Jan. 11 in McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion
Women’s Swimming and Diving (1-3; 0-0 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Jeanne Fleck
Chelsea Davis earned her second Big Ten Diver of the Week recognition Dec. 4. Davis, a native of Columbus, posted a first- and third-place finish at the Ohio State Invitational. Off the three-meter board, Davis recorded a meet-best score of 333.10 which qualifies her for the NCAA Zone meet in March. Her third-place showing from the one-meter also sends her to the Zone meet with a result of 290.00.
Ohio State will next see action vs. Toledo at 1 p.m. Jan. 5 at Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on The Ohio State University campus.
Up Next: vs. Toledo, 1 p.m. Jan. 5 in McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion
No. 13 Wrestling (5-1; 1-0 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Tom Ryan
No. 13 Ohio State handed No. 10 Wisconsin its first loss of the season (4-1; 0-1 Big Ten), outlasting the Badgers, 23-13, Monday in St. John Arena.
The win marks the Buckeyes’ first victory over Wisconsin since a 28-17 win in Madison Feb. 23, 2003.
Ohio State won six of 10 matches, including a win by freshman Colt Sponseller, the 2007 National High School Senior Athlete of the Year, at 165 pounds with a 3-1 win over Jake Donar in his first match as a Buckeye.
With five lead changes and Ohio State up by only four points heading into the final bout, heavyweight J.D. Bergman kept his perfect record in tact (11-0) by pinning 11th-ranked Kyle Massey 2:32 into the first period.
The Big Ten Network has announced it will televise Ohio State’s dual meet against Iowa on January 18.
Other Buckeye wins:
125: Nikko Triggas (8-4) tech. fall Drew Hammen, 16-0; 5-0
149: No. 8 Lance Palmer (8-3) dec. Kendall Vogel, 8-2; 8-6
174: Alex Picazo (7-3) dec. Justin Peterson, 12-7; 14-9
184: No. 5 Mike Pucillo (9-1) dec. No. 12 Trevor Brandvold, 5-4; 17-9
Up Next: at Ohio Duals, All Day Dec. 16 in Athens, Ohio
Ohio State Athletics Schedule
Dec. 14-16
Friday, Dec. 14
Men’s hockey at Alaska, 7:05 p.m.
Fairbanks, Alaska
Saturday, Dec. 15
Men’s basketball vs. Presbyterian College, noon
Columbus, Ohio
Value City Arena
Men’s hockey at Alaska, 7:05 p.m.
Fairbanks, Alaska
Sunday, Dec. 16
Wrestling at Ohio Duals, TBA
Athens, Ohio
Women’s basketball at Washington, 7 p.m.
Seattle, Wash.
