Athletics Good Stuff – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
Athletes of the Week
John Albertson, a senior on the men’s volleyball team, had 15 kills (hitting .700), 10 blocks (2 solo, 8 assists) and two digs in OSU’s 3-2 come-from behind victory over No. 10 IPFW. His four kills and four blocks (2-2) in game two helped keep OSU alive. Trailing 28-26 in game two, Albertson had a kill and a solo block to tie the game at 28. His assist block (with Daniel Mathews) and his game winning kill helped the Buckeyes to the win. In the fifth game, Albertson had three consecutive assist blocks (with Mathews) to give OSU a 4-1 lead in the game to help secure the victory. His 10 total blocks marks the fourth time in his career that he has had double-figure blocks in a match.
In her first collegiate meet, freshman gymnast Rebecca Best won vault and tied for first on floor to lead the Buckeyes to a 193.850-190.800 win at Maryland Friday night, marking an Ohio State record-high score in a season opener. Best scored a 9.825 on both events to contribute to the Buckeyes’ team score, which elevated them to a No. 17 national ranking this week.
Athletics Good Stuff
Men’s Basketball (12-4; 3-1 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Thad Matta
Ohio State won its eighth-consecutive game of the season, 79-48, Jan. 9 in Value City Arena against Big Ten opponent Iowa.
The win for the Buckeyes against the Hawkeyes is the biggest margin of victory in conference action and overall since Ohio State defeated Penn State, 104-69, Jan. 25, 2006.
The game vs. Iowa was the 11th time this season Ohio State held its opponents to less than 40 percent shooting. The Hawkeyes finished 33.9 percent at 19 for 56 from the field.
The Buckeyes played their first of three-consecutive road games at Purdue Jan. 12. Ohio State dropped a 75-68 decision to the Boilermakers, snapping its 19 game win streak against Big Ten Conference opponents.
Senior guard Jamar Butler led the Buckeyes in West Lafayette with 26 points and a career-high six 3-pointers. Freshman center Kosta Koufos added 12 points and nine rebounds.
Up Next: at Michigan State, 7 p.m. Jan. 15 in East Lansing, Mich. (Television: ESPN)
at Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. Jan. 19 in Knoxville, Tenn. (Television: CBS)
vs. Illinois, 9 p.m. Jan. 22 in Value City Arena (Television: Big Ten Network)
vs. Minnesota, 8 p.m. Jan. 26 in Value City Arena (Television: Big Ten Network)
No. 16 Women’s Basketball (13-3; 4-1 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Jim Foster
The Buckeyes defeated Big Ten Conference foe Indiana, 71-59, Jan. 10 in Value City Arena and Northwestern in Evanston, 77-55, Sunday.
Senior forward Tamarah Riley was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field against the Hoosiers. Her 16 points were two shy of her career-best of 18. Riley currently leads the league in shooting in conference games with a 73.1 (19-of-26) percentage.
Senior Marscilla Packer led Ohio State with 18 points and freshman Jantel Lavender recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds in a 77-55 win at Northwestern Jan. 13. Packer needs just three points to reach 1,000 for her career.
Ohio State held a 35-30 halftime lead over the Wildcats and exploded for 42 points in the final 20 minutes to win its fourth-consecutive game.
The Buckeyes have won 36 of their last 39 Big Ten regular-season games and 100 of the last 115 games overall.
Up Next: vs. Illinois, 7 p.m. Jan. 17 in Value City Arena
vs. Wisconsin, noon Jan. 20 in Value City Arena (Television: Big Ten Network)
at Minnesota, 8 p.m. Jan. 24 in Minneapolis, Minn. (Television: Big Ten Network)
No. 4 Men’s Gymnastics (3-3; 2-2 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Miles Avery
The Buckeyes made their 29th appearance at the Windy City Invitational in Chicago Jan. 12 and finished fourth with 341.2 points out of seven teams.
Junior captain Jake Bateman (82.2) and freshman Brandon Wynn (81.6) finished sixth and seventh, respectively in the all-round.
Senior Jimmy Wickham posted the highest Buckeye score at the invite on vault with a 15.95.
Senior DJ Bucher and Bateman were selected to the All-Big Ten watchlist as voted on by the conference head coaches Jan. 10. The league head coaches also picked the Buckeyes to finish third in the league. Ohio State is the three-time Big Ten defending champions.
Up Next: vs. Illinois, 7 p.m. Jan. 26 in St. John Arena
at Temple, vs. Navy, 7 p.m. Feb. 2 in Philadelphia, Pa.
No. 17 Women’s Gymnastics (1-0; 0-0 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Carey Fagan
Ohio State began its 2008 campaign with a score of 193.850, an OSU all-time best for a season opener to beat Maryland, which scored 190.800 points, to start the season 1-0 in College Park Jan. 12.
The Buckeyes led Maryland on vault with a 48.550, bars with a 48.675 and floor with a 48.625. Ohio State scored a 48.00 on beam, .125 shy of the Terrapins.
In her first collegiate meet, freshman Rebecca Best led the Buckeyes with a first-place finish on vault and a first-place tie on floor. Both routines scored a 9.825.
Senior Maalika Moore-Thomas followed Best on vault to place second with a 9.750 and added a third-place finish on floor with a 9.775. Moore-Thomas finished with a 9.725 on beam to lead the Buckeyes on the event.
Up Next: at Illinois, 8 p.m. Jan. 19 in Champaign, Ill.
vs. N.C. State, 7 p.m. Jan. 26 in St. John Arena
Men’s Hockey (7-15-2; 3-10-1 CCHA)
Head Coach: John Markell
Ohio State faced the U.S. National Under-18 Team in exhibition action and handed the U-18 squad a 3-2 loss Jan. 11 in Value City Arena.
Junior defenseman Nick Biondo led the Buckeyes with two points on a goal and assist.
Five current Buckeyes played for the Under-18 Team seniors Jason DeSantis and Tom Fritsche, sophomore Joseph Palmer and freshmen John Albert and C.J. Severyn. The team is part of the U.S. National Team Development Program, created to prepare players for international competition and the next levels of hockey.
Up Next: vs. Michigan State, 7:05 p.m. Jan. 18 in Value City Arena (Television: Big Ten Network)
vs. Michigan State, 7:35 p.m. Jan. 19 in Value City Arena (Television: FSN Detroit)
at Lake Superior State, 7:05 p.m. Jan. 25 in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
at Lake Superior State, 7:05 p.m. Jan. 26 in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Women’s Hockey (10-9-3; 7-8-3 WCHA)
Head Coach: Jackie Barto
The Buckeyes snapped a six-game road losing streak to No. 9 St. Cloud State Jan. 11 after skating to a 2-2 tie with the Huskies in game one in St. Cloud, Minn. Ohio State dropped a 5-4 decision to St. Cloud State in game two.
In game one, the Scarlet and Gray rallied from a one-goal deficit twice to eventually earn the tie. Senior defenseman Tessa Bonhomme scored the first goal of the game and sophomore forward Raelyn LaRocque was credited with the second goal.
In game two, Bonhomme and senior forward Erin Keys both tallied three points to lead the Buckeyes. Bonhomme, the team captain from Sudbury, Ontario, registered her 11th multiple-point game of the season and has collected 11 points in the last four games. She leads the team with 31 points. Right behind her is Keys with 29 points. The St. Paul, Minn., native has had a point in seven of the last nine games with 15 points in that span.
Up Next: vs. Wisconsin, 7:07 p.m. Jan. 18 in OSU Ice Rink
vs. Wisconsin, 4:07 p.m. Jan. 19 in OSU Ice Rink
at Niagara, 7 p.m. Jan. 25 Niagara Falls, N.Y.
at Niagara, 2 p.m. Jan. 26 Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Pistol
Head Coach: Jim Sweeney
Ohio State competed in the Seventh Annual Ohio Standard Pistol Championship and the ROTC Classic at the Lt. Hugh Wiley Range in Converse Hall Jan. 12.
Teresa Meyer defended her women’s sport pistol championship with a 569 score. Krystin Schmid finished third at 548 with Lauren Diefenderfer taking fifth with a 513 score.
In the open standard pistol competition, Seth Berglee finished third with a 547 score. Meyer finished fourth with a 536 with Schmid taking eighth with a 520.
Up Next: at U.S. Naval Academy, TBA Jan. 19-20 in Annapolis, Md.
at The Citadel, TBA Jan. 25-26 in Charleston, S.C.
Rifle
Head Coach: Pat Cherry
Ohio State returned to action with a 4,483-3,323 victory at the Rose Hulman Institute of Technology Jan. 12.
The Buckeyes won both events, winning in smallbore rifle, 2,222 to 2,132 and in air rifle, 2,261 to 1,292.
Individually, Ohio State won all three events in the match. Sam Ohlinger took first in smallbore, scoring a 564. Staci Collins finished second at 561 with Kelly Lake taking third at 555.
In air rifle, Lake won the event with a 579. Collins finished second at 566. In the two-gun aggregate, Lake took first with a 1,134 with Collins finishing second at 1,127.
Up Next: at Army, TBA Jan. 19 in Palmyra, Pa.
at Penn State TBA Jan. 20 in University Park, Pa.
at Roger Withrow Invitational TBA Jan. 26 in Murray, Ky.
No. 13 Men’s Swimming and Diving (6-0; 0-0 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Bill Wadley
Ohio State went 2-0 Jan. 11-12, defeating Wright State, 141-87, and Kentucky, 181-117, at Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the Ohio State campus.
The Buckeyes swept the diving events against the Raiders. Sophomore Ryan Jefferson won on the 3-meter board with 383.63 points and junior Wes Wieser took first on the 1-meter event with 341.63 points before continuing their dominance against the Wildcats.
The Buckeyes started things off with a close finish in the 200-yard medley relay. The team of Dan Novak, Felipe Travesso, Andrew Bretscher and Matt Voelker edged out Kentucky (1:30.14) to take first in 1:30.08.
For the second-consecutive meet, Ohio State put together a top four sweep in the 1,000 freestyle. Sophomore Stefan Sigrist captured first in 9:16.66, while sophomore Mark Neiman finished second in 9:16.86. Freshman Tom O’Neill took third (9:20.71) and fourth went to sophomore Alex Chen (9:35.25).
Ohio State freshman Quincy Lee swam a career-best 1:49.44 in the 200 butterfly to earn a first-place finish, while classmate Elliott Keefer took first in the 200 breaststroke in 2:02.03 for the Buckeyes.
George Markovic led Ohio State in a one-two-three finish in the 500 freestyle. The sophomore captured first in 4:30.28 and was followed by Jayson King (4:31.61) and Sigrist (4:33.83).
Freshman Justin Farra and sophomore Niksa Roki went one-two in the 200 individual medley for the Scarlet and Gray. Farra touched the wall in a time of 1:52.30, while Roki finished in a time of 1:53.55.
The Buckeye divers finished with another strong performance and swept both the one- and three-meter events. Freshman Sean Moore earned first on the three-meter with a score of 420.53, while junior Wieser took first on the one-meter with 379.73 points.
Up Next: vs. Michigan State and Eastern Michigan, 5 p.m. Jan. 19 in McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion
vs. Northwestern and Michigan, 6 p.m. Feb. 1 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
vs. Northwestern and Michigan, noon Feb. 2 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Women’s Swimming and Diving (4-3; 0-0 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Jeanne Fleck
Ohio State improved its record to 4-3 after beating Kentucky, 179-119, Jan. 12 and Wright State, 150-87, Jan. 11 at Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.
Samantha Cheverton led the Buckeyes with three NCAA “B” cut times and three first-place finishes vs. the Wildcats. The freshman earned first in the 200 freestyle (1:49.83), 200 butterfly (2:01.50) and 500 freestyle (4:52.68).
On the boards, Ohio State divers continued to dominate against Kentucky and swept both the one- and three-meter events. Freshman Bianca Alvarez took first on the three-meter with 372.00 points, while junior Chelsea Davis finished first on the one-meter with 311.63 points.
Ohio State freshmen took charge in the first half of the meet against the Raiders to give the Buckeyes a commanding 69-24 lead after five events. Cheverton won the 1,000 freestyle (10:01.52), Anita Beck took first in the 200 freestyle (1:51.99), Maggie O’Brien touched first in the 50 freestyle in 25.04 and Katelyn Brix won the 200 individual medley in 2:08.02.
Ohio State divers had another strong meet. Alvarez won the 3-meter event with an Ohio State school and McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion record score of 396.15 points. Davis won on the 1-meter board with 304.35 points.
Up Next: vs. Michigan State and Eastern Michigan, 5 p.m. Jan. 19 in McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion
at Northwestern, 1 p.m. Jan. 26 in Evanston, Ill.
Men’s Tennis
Head Coach: Ty Tucker
After posting 2-1 records in singles action and 2-0 marks in doubles competition at the 2008 Mary Davis Memorial Shootout, freshmen Balazs Novak and Shuhei Uzawa were named to the All-Tournament team. The event, hosted by the University of Notre Dame at the Eck Tennis Pavilion in South Bend, Ind., ran from Jan. 11-13.
Up Next: Ohio State Invitational, All Day, Jan. 18-20 in Varsity Tennis Center
at USTA Futures, All Day Jan. 18-22 in Boca Raton, Fla.
vs. Butler, 10 a.m. Jan. 23 in Ohio State University Varsity Tennis Center
vs. Xavier, 6 p.m. Jan. 23 in Ohio State University Varsity Tennis Center
at Mississippi, TBA Jan. 26 in University, Miss.
Women’s Tennis
Head Coach: Chuck Merzbacher
The women’s tennis team will begin the spring schedule of its 2007-08 season at the MLK/Johan Kriek Classic Saturday in Fort Myers, Fla. The event will consist of seven other teams, including Wichita State, Stetson, Miami (Fla.), Dartmouth, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida International and South Florida.
The Buckeyes will open up their Big Ten season March 8 at home against Indiana, but will first face 12 nonconference opponents. Opening with five dual matches on the road, the first home match for the Scarlet and Gray will come against South Florida Feb. 16.
Up Next: at MLK/Johan Kriek Classic Jan. 19-21 in Fort Myers, Fla. (TBA)
at Marquette, 3 p.m. Jan. 25 in Milwaukee, Wis.
vs. Oklahoma, 10 a.m. Jan. 26 in Milwaukee, Wis.
Men’s Track and Field
Head Coach: Robert Gary
The Ohio State men’s track and field team opened its 2008 indoor season Jan. 11 at Kent State Field House with a 91-56 victory over the Flashes.
In the field, senior Dave Ebersole opened the season with a big toss in the shot put of 63 feet, 7 3/4 inches. The toss automatically qualifies him for the NCAA championships and is the sixth-best toss in program history.
Also in field events, Andrew Gassen made a big debut for the Buckeyes as he won the long jump with a mark of 22 feet, 1/4 inch and the triple jump with a distance of 44 feet, 4 1/4 inches. Senior Kyle Burns won the pole vault with a jump of 16 feet and 3/4 inches.
In sprints for Ohio State, junior Matt Comer took the 200m title in an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 21.63. Comer went on to score another five points for the Buckeyes by winning the 400m in a time of 48.34. Senior Anthony Cole, defending 200-meter Big Ten champion, won the 60-meter dash in a time of 6.86 and placed second in the 200m with a time of 21.75.
In distance events, junior Jeff See, defending Big Ten mile champion, began his 2008 campaign with a bang with wins in both the mile (4:10.67) and the 800m (1:52.38). In the 3,000-meter run, the Buckeyes swept the top two spots as sophomore Chad Balyo won the event in a time of 8:27.07 and senior John Ealy placed second in a time of 8:30.35.
In the 4X400-meter rely, Comer, Brandon Woodard, Elon Simms and Stephen Robinson won the Buckeyes another five points as they edged out the Flashes by .02 seconds.
Up Next: at Michigan Dual, TBA Jan. 19 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
at Gladstien Invitational, TBA Jan. 25-26 in Bloomington, Ind.
Women’s Track and Field
Head Coach: Karen Dennis
At the Kentucky Invitational, junior Ayrizanna Favours took fourth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.36. Buckeye freshman Leticia Wright grabbed fifth place in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.65 while sophomore Ashley Caldwell took 10th in the 400m in a time o 57.34. In the 4×400-meter relay, Ohio State took fifth in a time of 3:48.79.
In the field, freshman Chelsea James was fifth in the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 4 1/4 inches. In the long jump, classmate Alana Gray also finished in fifth with a mark of 18 feet, 5 inches.
Up Next: at Indiana Invitational, TBA Jan. 19 in Bloomington, Ind.
No. 9 Men’s Volleyball (1-0; 1-0 MIVA)
Head Coach: Pete Hanson
Ohio State rallied with 12 blocks in the final two games to defeat ninth-ranked IPFW, 3-2 (25-30, 30-28, 25-30, 30-21, 15-6) in front of 667 fans in the opening match of the season Jan. 11, played in St. John Arena.
John Albertson and Robbie Klein shared team-high honors with 21 points in the contest. Albertson had 15 kills (.700), two solo blocks and eight assist blocks while Klein had a team-high 20 kills and two assist blocks.
Up Next: vs. Penn State, 7 p.m. Jan. 19 in St. John Arena
vs. St. Francis (Pa.), 7 p.m. Jan. 20 in St. John Arena
at Quincy, 7 p.m. Jan. 25 in Quincy, Ill.
at Quincy, 7 p.m. Jan. 26 in Quincy, Ill.
No. 11 Wrestling (13-2; 1-0 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Tom Ryan
The Buckeyes went 4-1 at the 2008 National Duals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to finish fifth Jan. 12-13. In the fifth-place matchup, Ohio State knocked off nationally No. 1-ranked Penn State, 24-11, en route to its best finish at the National Duals since 2002.
After dropping its preliminary match to No. 5 and fourth-seed Central Michigan, 19-16, the Scarlet and Gray rebounded with wins over West Virginia (29-9), No. 12 Hofstra (25-16) and No. 9 Northwestern (19-17), before its victory over Penn State.
The win against the Nittany Lions also served as head coach Tom Ryan’s 130th-career victory. In two seasons with the Buckeyes, Ryan has compiled a 21-9 record.
Redshirt-sophomore Mike Pucillo was the lone Buckeye to go undefeated at the National Duals, going 5-0.
Chat live online with Jason Johnstone at OhioStateBuckeyes.com at 10 a.m. Thursday. Click here to post a question.
Up Next: vs. Iowa, 7 p.m. Jan. 18 in St. John Arena (Television: Big Ten Network)
vs. Penn State, 7 p.m. Jan. 25 in St. John Arena
Ohio State Athletics Schedule
Jan. 15-22
Jan. 15
Men’s basketball at Michigan State, 7 p.m.
East Lansing, Mich.
Jan. 17
Women’s basketball vs. Illinois, 7 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Value City Arena
Jan. 18
Wrestling vs. Iowa, 7 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
St. John Arena
Men’s hockey vs. Michigan State, 7:05 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Value City Arena
Women’s hockey vs. Wisconsin, 7:07 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
OSU Ice Rink
Fencing at Division 1 North American Cup, All Day
Atlanta, Ga.
Men’s tennis at Ohio State Invitational, All Day
Columbus, Ohio
Varsity Tennis Center
Men’s tennis at USTA Futures, All Day
Boca Raton, Fla.
Jan. 19
Men’s track at Michigan Dual, All Day
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Rifle at Army, TBA
Palmyra, Pa.
Women’s track at Indiana Invitational, TBA
Bloomington, Ind.
Synchronized Swimming at Ohio State Tri-Meet, 2 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion
Men’s basketball at Tennessee, 3:30 p.m.
Knoxville, Tenn.
Women’s hockey vs. Wisconsin, 4:07 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
OSU Ice Rink
Women’s swimming vs. Michigan State and Eastern Michigan, 5 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion
Men’s swimming vs. Michigan State and Eastern Michigan, 5 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion
Men’s volleyball vs. Penn State, 7p.m.Columbus, Ohio
St. John Arena
Men’s hockey vs. Michigan State, 7:35 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Value City Arena
Women’s gymnastics at Illinois, 8 p.m.
Champaign, Ill.
Pistol at U.S. Naval Academy, TBA
Annapolis, Md.
Fencing at Division 1 North American Cup, All Day
Atlanta, Ga.
Men’s tennis at Ohio State Invitational, All Day
Columbus, Ohio
Varsity Tennis Center
Men’s tennis at USTA Futures, All Day
Boca Raton, Fla.
Women’s tennis at MLK/Johan Kriek Classic, TBA
Fort Myers, Fla.
Jan. 20
Rifle at Penn State, TBA
University Park, Pa.
Women’s basketball vs. Wisconsin, noon
Columbus, Ohio
Value City Arena
Men’s volleyball vs. St. Francis (Pa.), 7 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
St. John Arena
Pistol at U.S. Naval Academy, TBA
Annapolis, Md.
Fencing at Division 1 North American Cup, All Day
Atlanta, Ga.
Men’s tennis at Ohio State Invitational, All Day
Columbus, Ohio
Varsity Tennis Center
Men’s tennis at USTA Futures, All Day
Boca Raton, Fla.
Women’s tennis at MLK/Johan Kriek Classic, TBA
Fort Myers, Fla.
Jan. 21
Fencing at Division 1 North American Cup, All Day
Atlanta, Ga.
Men’s tennis at Ohio State Invitational, All Day
Columbus, Ohio
Varsity Tennis Center
Men’s tennis at USTA Futures, All Day
Boca Raton, Fla.
Women’s tennis at MLK/Johan Kriek Classic, TBA
Fort Myers, Fla.
Jan. 22
Men’s tennis at USTA Futures, All Day
Boca Raton, Fla.
