Athletics Good Stuff – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | General
Athletes of the Week
• Freshman Jared Sullinger was named Big Ten freshman of the week and player of the week after averaging 28.5 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 64 percent from the field (16-25) and making 25-35 foul shots (.714) against IUPUI and Western Carolina. Against IUPUI, Sullinger poured in 40 points, an Ohio State freshman record and the first 40-point game for a Buckeye since 1986. He connected 12-of-17 shots and set Ohio State freshman records for both made (16) and attempted (23) free throws. Battling illness against Western Carolina, Sullinger scored 17 points in just 22 minutes. He hit 9-of-12 free throws and 4-of-8 field goals in Ohio State’s eighth win of the season.
• Senior wrestler Colt Sponseller at 157 pounds gave the Buckeyes a little breathing room midway through the match. With a four-point lead after the completion of four matches, Sponseller, ranked 14th, posted a 9-0 major decision against Johnny Greisheimer to extend the Buckeye lead to 16-8. The senior captain from Glenmont, Ohio, moves to 11-1 on the season courtesy of three takedowns, a pair of escapes and a riding time advantage.
Athletics
• This December, United States service members will receive a little extra holiday cheer thanks to the Buckeye community. The Ohio State athletic department staff and student-athletes combined to send 3,700 holiday cards to U.S. service members, their families and veterans through the American Red Cross’ “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program.
• Thirty-three current and former Ohio State student-athletes received their degrees at autumn commencement ceremonies Dec. 12 in the Schottenstein Center.
No. 2 Men’s Basketball (8-0)
Head coach: Thad Matta
• Jared Sullinger set an Ohio State freshman record with 40 points, leading the Buckeyes back from a nine-point second-half deficit to beat IUPUI 75-64 on Dec. 9. The 6-foot-9 Columbus native hit 12 of 17 shots from the field and 16 of 23 free throws – both of which were also records – and had 13 rebounds.
• Sullinger scored 17 points as Ohio State came out of the blocks fast to beat Western Carolina 85-60 Dec. 12. Dallas Lauderdale, William Buford and Deshaun Thomas all added 13 points and Jon Diebler had 10 for the Buckeyes.
• Sullinger was named the Big Ten freshman of the week Dec. 6 in recognition of his performance in the win at Florida State.
No. 6 Women’s Basketball (7-1)
Head coach: Jim Foster
• Ohio State dropped its first game of the season in a 75-66 loss to Syracuse in the Carrier Dome Dec. 11. Jantel Lavender scored a team-high 26 points for the Buckeyes.
• Lavender was named the Big Ten Player of the Week Dec. 6 in recognition of her performance last week in wins over Virginia and No. 11 Oklahoma.
Field Hockey
Head coach: Anne Wilkinson
• Anne Wilkinson, in her 15th season with the Buckeyes, was named the 2010 Dita/NFHCA Division I West Region Coach of the Year, the National Field Hockey Coaches Association announced Dec. 7. Wilkinson guided the Buckeyes (18-5) to their top performance in over 40 years of field hockey at Ohio State. She led the Scarlet and Gray to their third Big Ten regular season title, a program-high 18 wins and their first NCAA Final Four appearance in school history.
No. 6 Football (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten)
Head coach: Jim Tressel
• Fourteen Buckeyes were named to the Ohio College Football All-Ohio first team Dec. 6 while quarterback Terrelle Pryor was named offensive player of the year and Brian Rolle earned defensive player of the year. Six Buckeyes were named on the offensive side of the ball while seven defensive standouts and a specialist garnered first team laurels.
• Seniors Justin Boren and Chimdi Chekwa were named to Rivals.com All-America Team as second team selections Dec. 9. Boren was selected as a first team All-Big Ten offensive guard, while Chekwa was recognized as a first team All-Big Ten cornerback on defense this season.
• Chekwa was named to the 2010 Walter Camp All-America Team as a second team selection, the Walter Camp Football Foundation announced Dec. 9.
• Mike Brewster was named one of six finalists for the Rimington Trophy, presented to the most outstanding center.
Men’s Gymnastics
Interim co-head coaches: Doug Stibel and Blaine Wilson
• Doug Stibel and Blaine Wilson announced the signing of three gymnasts to the 2012 squad. Drew Moling of Canal Winchester, Ohio, Robert DiRugeris of Woodbury, N.J., and Alex Nork of Mount Laurel, N.J., will join the Buckeyes next fall.
Men’s Hockey (8-8-1, 5-6-1-1 CCHA)
Head coach: Mark Osiecki
• For the fourth-consecutive series opener, Ohio State went to overtime and for the third time in the stretch the Buckeyes left the ice with a win. Danny Dries was the OT hero at Bowling Green Dec. 10, lifting Ohio State to a 4-3 win.
• Ohio State heads into its December break after a two-game sweep of Bowling Green, downing the Falcons, 4-2, Dec. 11 in BGSU Ice Arena. The Buckeyes have won three of their last four games.
No. 10 Women’s Hockey (8-8-2, 4-8-2-2 WCHA)
Head coach: Jackie Barto
• Coming off a bye week, Ohio State had a difficult time against No. 7 Minnesota Dec. 10 with the Golden Gophers blanking the Buckeyes 6-0 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.
• Lisa Steffes made several outstanding saves and stopped a total of 39 shots, but Ohio State fell in a tough overtime game to No. 7 Minnesota, 2-1, Dec. 12. The teams waited out a snow storm Saturday that shutdown the Minnesota campus and the rest of the Twin Cities area, postponing the second game to Sunday.
No. 8 Men’s Swimming
Head coach: Bill Wadley
• Senior Justin Farra was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week Dec. 7 for his efforts toward Ohio State’s team title last weekend at the AT&T U.S. Short Course National Championships. Swimming against a stacked field of competitors that included Olympians, NCAA champions and other big time competitors from major colleges and top professional teams from around the country, Farra was the second-highest collegiate scorer at the meet with 50 points.
Women’s Volleyball (24-12, 10-10 Big Ten)
Head coach: Geoff Carlson
• The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced Katie Dull and Kelli Barhorst as honorable mention selections to the Mideast All-Region team Dec. 8. The squads were selected by a panel of coaches. Dull is a two-time All-Big Ten selection and leads Ohio State (24-11) in points (4.15) and kills (3.54) per set. She played in all 35 matches this season with 27 starts. Barhorst, an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection, averaged 2.88 points, 2.25 kills and .90 blocks per set. She started all 30 matches she played this season.
• Ohio State closed out the 2010 season with a 3-1 loss (25-21, 24-26, 25-19, 25-18) to third-seed Stanford at the NCAA Regional Semifinal match of the Dayton Regional at the University of Dayton Arena Dec. 10. Dull posted a team-high 21.5 points with 21 kills (.386) and one assist block. Anna Szerszen added 11 points with 11 kills (.273).
No. 22 Wrestling (1-2)
Head coach: Tom Ryan
• Jumping out to a 12-0 lead via two Edinboro forfeits, Ohio State recorded its first dual win of the season after beating the Fighting Scots, 31-14, Dec. 12 at McComb Fieldhouse in Edinboro, Pa.
• A key major decision by senior Colt Sponseller at 157 pounds gave the Buckeyes a little breathing room midway through the match. With a four-point lead after the completion of four matches, Sponseller, ranked 14th, posted a 9-0 major decision against Johnny Greisheimer to extend the Buckeye lead to 16-8. The senior captain from Glenmont, Ohio, moves to 11-1 on the season courtesy of three takedowns, a pair of escapes and a riding time advantage.
Ohio State Athletics Schedule
Dec. 13-26
Dec. 14
Women’s Basketball vs. South Carolina-Upstate, 7 p.m.
Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Dec. 15
Men’s Basketball vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 6:30 p.m.
Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Dec. 18
Men’s Basketball vs. South Carolina, 2 p.m.
Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Dec. 19
Wrestling at Penn State, 2 p.m.
University Park, Pa.
Women’s Basketball vs. Connecticut, 2:30 p.m.
Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.
Dec. 21
Men’s Basketball vs. UNC-Asheville, 8:30 p.m.
Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Dec. 23
Men’s Basketball vs. Oakland, 8 p.m.
Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
