Athletics Good Stuff – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
Graduate Spotlight: Off Court Obstacles
Not even cancer could slow down Ohio State volleyball player Brett Versen, who was the first of this week’s graduate spotlight series. Read the full story on Versen’s battle with cancer on OhioStateBuckeyes.com, along with features on rower Patricia Goodeman, rifle’s Sam Ohlinger, throwers Lenny and Veronica Jatsek and golfer Kyle Coconis. The 2008 Ohio State spring commencement is at 1 p.m. Sunday in Ohio Stadium.
Athletes of the Week
The women’s track and field quartet of Jenna Griffin, Chandra Krempel, Ashley Caldwell and Ayrizanna Favours set a new school record in the 4×400-meter relay with a time of 3:32.26 at the 2008 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships May 31 in Fayetteville, Ark. The time, which is the sixth-best time in the country this season, earned the Buckeyes a second-place finish and a trip to the NCAA championships. The entire team also earns second-team All-Region honors for their performance. The team is the same that holds the indoor school record in the event.
The rowing team’s Second Varsity Eight recorded a second-place finish in the Grand Final, crossing the finish line at 6:44.87 at the 2008 NCAA Championships June 1 on Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif. The runner-up finish by the Buckeye 2V8 is the best national finish for the crew in Ohio State history. This year, the boat of Simone Haubner, Carolin Helmholz, Mary Sheehan, Susanne Herbrand, Nora Franzen, Charlott Goldstein, Peta-Leigh Dakyns, Sara Wallace and Erika Benford were just edged by Brown who finished a little more than two seconds ahead of the Buckeyes.
Athletics Good Stuff
Ohio State ranked first in the Big Ten with 134 student-athletes named to the Big Ten Academic All-Conference team for spring and at-large sports, the conference announced May 28. For the sixth-consecutive year, Ohio State ranked first among the 11 Big Ten schools in Academic All-Big Ten selections, totaling 266 in 2007-08.
To be an eligible Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letter winners in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher. For the spring and at-large announcement, Ohio State had 20 eligible sports.
Ohio State moved up to third place in the first spring update of the 2008 Division I U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup standings released Thursday.
Five spring sports contributed points to up Ohio State’s year total to 934.75 points and surpass Penn State for the No. 3 spot. The Nittany Lions trail the Buckeyes with 912 points. Stanford continues to hold on to the overall lead with 1,348 points, followed by Michigan at 958 points. Texas rounds out the Top 5 at 887.5 points.
Men’s volleyball led the way for the Buckeyes, netting a third-place NCAA finish at the Final Four in Irvine, Calif. Men’s lacrosse and men’s tennis contributed big scores with fifth-place NCAA finishes. Women’s golf and women’s tennis also pitched in with NCAA berths in 2008.
Football
Head Coach: Jim Tressel
Ohio State wide receiver Brian Robiskie is one of three male finalists for the 2008 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar of the Year award, announced May 29 by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education magazine. He finished as second runner-up for the male Sports Scholar of the Year award, the first time an Ohio State student-athlete has been a finalist since the national awards program began 15 years ago.
A Biletnikoff Award semifinalist in 2007 for the Big Ten champions, Robiskie led the Buckeyes in receiving with 55 catches for 935 yards and 11 touchdowns. A first team Academic All-American, the junior from Cleveland holds a 3.44 grade-point average in marketing.
Men’s Gymnastics
Head Coach: Miles Avery
Ohio State head coach Miles Avery, personal coach for Paul and Morgan Hamm and Blaine Wilson, was awarded the 2008 USA Gymnastics Coach of the Year honor after a vote by his peers at the 2008 VISA Championships May 24 in Houston.
Aside from coaching the Buckeyes to their 22nd-consecutive Top 3 finish in the Big Ten in 2008, Avery spent the year working to get the Hamm twins back to world-class caliber after they took two and a half years off from the sport to finish their undergraduate degrees at Ohio State.
A native of Philadelphia, Avery served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Team in 1996, 2000 and 2004. Three members of the 2004 Olympic Team, Paul and Morgan Hamm and Wilson, as well as team alternate and former Buckeye Raj Bhavsar (2000-03), trained with Avery in Columbus leading up to the Games. Paul went on to claim the all-around title, the first U.S. male in history to do so.
Men’s Lacrosse
Head Coach: Joe Breschi
Ohio State senior attackman Kevin Buchanan was drafted fifth overall in the Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft held May 28 at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J. Buchanan, a second-team All-American in 2008, was selected by the Los Angeles Riptide, who already have former Buckeyes Greg Bice (2001-04) and Anthony Kelly (2000-03) on their roster.
Buchanan, a native of Cockeysville, Md. (Calvert Hall), and the 2008 Great Western Lacrosse League Player of the Year, ended his career second all-time in scoring at Ohio State with 175 points. He is fourth in OSU history with 78 career assists and ninth with 97 career goals. He led the Buckeyes in goals (44) and points (76) in 2008 as he earned first-team all-conference honors for the third-consecutive season and ranked in the Top 10 in the NCAA in goals, assists and points per game. Buchanan wrapped up his career on a 46-game point streak, including a 26-game goal-scoring streak.
Women’s Lacrosse
Head Coach: Sue Stimmel
Ohio State senior Kristen Slahor, who led the NCAA in assists per game this season, has earned third-team All-America honors from US Lacrosse and the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association and WomensLacrosse.com. Slahor, a native of Ellicott City, Md., posted 61 assists in 2008, averaging 3.53 a game. The senior ranks fourth in the nation in scoring with 93 points, propelling her to the top of Ohio State’s all-time list with 221 career points. Slahor is the only Buckeye in lacrosse history to surpass the 200-point mark. She also holds first place in career assists with 139 career helpers.
Freshman Maghan Beaudrault, who was earlier recognized as 2008 American Lacrosse Conference Rookie of the Year, was named to WomensLacrosse.com’s all-rookie team. The native of Webster, N.Y., scored 35 points and led the Buckeyes with 36 ground balls, 27 draw controls and 19 caused turnovers this season.
Rowing
Head Coach: Andy Teitelbaum
Behind a second-place finish in the Grand Final by the Second Varsity Eight, Ohio State finished seventh overall with 34 points at the 2008 NCAA Championships June 1 on Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif. The runner-up finish by the Buckeye 2V8 is the best national finish for the crew in Ohio State history.
The First Varsity Four won its Petite Final race for an overall seventh-place standing. The First Varsity Eight came in third in the C Final for 15th overall.
The Second Varsity Eight boat of Simone Haubner, Carolin Helmholz, Mary Sheehan, Susanne Herbrand, Nora Franzen, Charlott Goldstein, Peta-Leigh Dakyns, Sara Wallace and Erika Benford were just edged by Brown who finished a little more than two seconds ahead of the Buckeyes. The Scarlet and Gray crossed the finish line at 6:44.87, while the Bears finished in 6:42.42.
The Ohio State crew of Jackie Ruetenik, Ingrid Aasaaren, Johnna Burns, Tess Prescott and Kristin DiJosie, pulled out in front by the 1,000-meter mark and held the position for the rest of the race, beating the Cougars, who finished in 7:38.47, by more than four seconds. The Buckeyes crossed the line at 7:34.33.
The First Varsity Eight of Claudia Wurzel, Andrea Dymalski, Patricia Goodeman, Zuzanna Trzcinska, Gabriele Albertaviciute, Katie Flarida, Anniken Ellingsen, Cleonice Renzetti and Kate Hanseman raced to third-place in a time of 6:45.83.
Softball
Head Coach: Linda Kalafatis
Ohio State senior Brittany Vanderink and sophomore Sam Marder were named third-team All-Americans May 28 by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Vanderink and Marder become the Ohio State softball program’s eighth and ninth All-Americans, respectively, and the first since four Buckeyes were honored following the 2002 season.
Men’s Tennis
Head Coach: Ty Tucker
For the first time in Ohio State men’s tennis history four Buckeyes have been named All-Americans in the same year as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced Drew Eberly, Bryan Koniecko, Justin Kronauge and Steven Moneke to the 2008 All-America Team May 30.
Koniecko, Kronauge and Moneke were named to both the singles and doubles All-America squad, while Eberly garnered the coveted status for the doubles team. This is the second honor for Koniecko and Moneke as the two juniors earned the honor in 2007. Koniecko and Moneke also become Ohio State’s fifth and sixth two-time All-Americans.
Men’s Track and Field
Head Coach: Robert Gary
Ohio State finished competition at the 2008 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships May 31 in Fayetteville, Ark., on the campus of the University of Arkansas.
Sophomore Jeff See earned a trip to the NCAA championships with his third-place finish in the 1,500-meter run. See came in with a time of 3:48.05. He heads to the championships holding the best time posted by a Mideast regional athlete this season. See also holds the ninth-best time in the country this season.
Senior David Ebersole finished his career at Ohio State with a 21st-place finish in the hammer throw with a mark of 185 feet, 10 inches.
Big Ten champion Bryan Bunnell finished 13th in the javelin with a toss of 205 feet, 7 inches. Bunnell was seventh-best among freshman.
Up Next: 2008 NCAA Championships, June 11-14 in Des Moines, Iowa
Women’s Track and Field
Head Coach: Karen Dennis
Ohio State completed competition at the 2008 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships May 31 in Fayetteville, Ark., on the campus of the University of Arkansas. The Buckeyes finished in 10th place with 22 points.
Jenna Griffin inked her name in the Ohio State record book, finishing second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 52.00. The time is a school record for Griffin, who already holds school records in the indoor 400-meter dash, the sprint medley relay, the outdoor 4×100-meter relay and the indoor 4×400-meter relay. The second-place finish will advances Griffin to the NCAA championships June 11-14 in Des Moines, Iowa. The time also is the fifth best in the country.
Senior Veronica Jatsek took third place in the hammer throw with a toss of 198 feet, 11 inches May 30. The finish qualifies Jatsek for her second-consecutive NCAA championships.
Griffin, along with, Chandra Krempel, Ashley Caldwell and Ayrizanna Favours set a new school record in the 4×400-meter relay with a time of 3:32.26. The time earned the Buckeyes a second-place finish and a trip to the NCAA championships as well. The entire team also earns second-team All-Region honors for their performance.
Up Next: 2008 NCAA Championships, June 11-14 in Des Moines, Iowa
Men’s Volleyball
Head Coach: Pete Hanson
Ohio State setter Daniel Mathews, a senior from Shorewood, Wis., has been named an Asics/Volleyball first-team All-American. The announcement was made in the June 2008 issue of Volleyball Magazine. A 2007 first-team selection, Mathews becomes Ohio State’s second two-time Volleyball first-team All-American. He was a second team selection in 2006. Aldis Berzins was a first team selection in 1977 and 1978.
Brett Versen, a fifth-year senior from Centerville, Ohio, was elected as a special mention All-American. He was a first-team MIVA all-conference selection this season and was named to the MIVA All-Tournament Team. Versen averaged 3.69 kills, .28 aces, 1.43 digs, .86 blocks and 4.45 points per game while hitting .269 for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State Athletics Schedule
June 11-14
Men’s Track and Field at 2008 NCAA Championships, All Day
Des Moines, Iowa
Women’s Track and Field at 2008 NCAA Championships, All Day
Des Moines, Iowa
