ATH: Athletics Good Stuff – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | General
Ohio State Athletes of the Year
Wrestler J Jaggers was named the 2008-09 Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year, the department of athletics announced June 16. Jaggers, a Northfield, Ohio, native who won his second-consecutive NCAA title as a senior in 2009, is the first wrestler to earn the honor in the 28-year history of the award.
Jantel Lavender, a sophomore center on the women’s basketball team, has been named the 2008-09 Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year, the department of athletics announced June 15. Lavender’s honor marks the ninth time a women’s basketball player has earned the accolade and the third time in the last four years.
Ohio State Athletics Good Stuff
Athletics
Senior gymnast Jake Bateman moved up to the first-team and swimmer Sean Moore was the only sophomore named to the second team of the 2009 ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All-America At-Large selections, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced June 9. Senior goalie Liana Bonanno was a third-team selection announced June 11, becoming the first women’s hockey player to earn Academic All-America honors.
More than 100 current and former Ohio State student-athletes received their degrees at The Ohio State University spring quarter commencement ceremonies in Ohio Stadium June 14.
Baseball
Head coach: Bob Todd
Alex Wimmers and Jake Hale were named 2009 PING! All-Americans June 10. Wimmers was a first-team selection and Hale was a second-team honoree. Two weeks ago Wimmers was named a second-team Louisville Slugger All-American while Hale made the third team. There have now been 38 Ohio State players to be honored as an All-American, for a total of 50 times.
Hale, who was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 27th round (816th pick) of the MLB Draft, earned his own first-team All-America honor June 10 as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released its All-American teams. Wimmers was named third-team All-American by the NCBWA.
Junior left fielder Zach Hurley, from Springboro, Ohio, was drafted in the 45th round of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft June 11 by the Florida Marlins.
Men’s Golf
Head coach: Jim Brown
Sophomore Bo Hoag was named a 2009 PING All-America Honorable Mention selection June 8. The Upper Arlington native was one of 33 golfers to receive the honorable mention nod and the first Buckeye to earn any All-America honors since Zach Doran in 2003, also an honorable mention. Hoag’s honor is the 54th time a Buckeye golfer has earned All-America recognition under retiring head coach Jim Brown, who is ending his reign this spring after 36 years at the helm of the program. Also announced by the GCAA were the PING All-Region awardwinners, with Hoag and senior Vaughn Snyder named to the Midwest list.
Ohio State hired Donnie Darr as the head coach of the men’s golf team announced June 13. Darr will be just the 10th men’s golf coach in the 88-year history of the program. He most recently served three years as assistant coach of national powerhouse Oklahoma State. Darr, an Ohio native, also was previously head coach at Akron and an assistant coach at Oklahoma and Kent State.
Women’s Golf
Head coach: Therese Hession
Allie White, a Buckeye transfer from Lancaster, Ohio, has advanced past the sectional qualifying round to earn a spot in the 156-player field at the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open Championship, held July 9-12 at Saucon Valley Country Club’s Old Course in Bethlehem, Pa. White will be a sophomore at Ohio State next season.
Men’s Lacrosse
Head coach: Nick Myers
Former Ohio State All-American Kevin Buchanan was one of 40 players who have qualified for the 2010 U.S. men’s national training team, US Lacrosse announced June 10. The 40 players were selected from a group of 84 who participated in a three-day tryout at Bryant University in Rhode Island. The players on the training team advance with an opportunity to compete in the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championship in Manchester, England, July 10-24, 2010. Team USA will compete in three training weekends during the fall of 2009. Following those weekends, the roster will be cut to the FIL-mandated size of 23 players for the tournament.
Men’s Track and Field
Head coach: Robert Gary
All-Americans Thomas Murdaugh and Jeff See closed out an excellent season for Ohio State June 13 at the NCAA Track and Field Championships.
Murdaugh, a freshman from Dublin, Ohio, finished seventh in the 400m dash finals in a time of 45.90.
See finished eighth in the finals of the 1500m in a time of 3:41.18. See, the fifth-place finisher in the 1500m at the 2008 NCAA Championships, set a personal record of 3:40.46 during Thursday’s semifinal action, the second-best time in school history.
Up Next: at USATF Track and Field Championships, TBA June 25-28 in Eugene, Ore.
Women’s Track and Field
Head coach: Karen Dennis
Letecia Wright finished 16th in the semifinals of the 100m hurdles June 12 at the NCAA Championships, capping the 2009 season for the Ohio State women’s track and field team. The sophomore ran a time of 13.55, falling short of qualifying for Saturday’s finals.
Ohio State’s Big Ten Champion 4x400m relay team wrapped its season June 11, finishing 11th in the preliminary round with a time of 3:35.04.
Wrestling
Head coach: Tom Ryan
Lou Rosselli, associate head coach of the Ohio State wrestling team, was introduced as one of 10 members inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame June 10. The 2009 class will be officially enshrined in October on a date to be announced at HSBC Arena in Buffalo.
Athletics Weekly Calendar (June 25-28)
June 25-28
MTRK at USATF Track and Field Championships, TBA in Eugene, Ore.
