Athletics Good Stuff – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | General
Athletes of the Week
• Steven Kehoe, the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament Most Outstanding Player, directed the Buckeye offense to 3-1 wins over Lewis and Loyola-Chicago to win a fourth consecutive MIVA Tournament Championship. OSU hit .384 for the two matches while Kehoe averaged 11.88 assists per set. He had 48 assists against Lewis adding two kills, one ace serve, five digs and two assist blocks. OSU was outhit in the first set loss, .321 to .241 but responded in the final three sets to hit .410 to .082 for the Flyers. In the championship match against Loyola-Chicago, he recorded 47 assists adding three kills, eight digs and a season-high and career-tying six assist blocks. Again, OSU was outhit .429 to .267 in the first set loss but responded to win the final three sets hitting .431 to .149 for the Ramblers.
• After playing a huge role in the Ohio State baseball team’s sweep of Michigan over the weekend, Josh Dezse was named Big Ten Co-Player and Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced May 2. It is the second Player of the Week award and fourth Freshman of the Week award for Dezse. The Powell, Ohio, native batted .600 with six RBI and he also struck out all six batters he faced while finishing two of the wins. Dezse hit a game-changing, three-run home run in the first inning of the 7-2 Game 1 win and had four RBI on the day. He struck out the side in the top of the ninth to close out the game. In Game 2, he hit a two-run double in the ninth inning to tie the score at 6-apiece and send the game to extra innings, part of a three-hit, two-run game. He struck out all three batters he faced in the top of the 11th and picked up the victory when the Buckeyes scored in the bottom of the 11th.
Baseball (19-18, 9-6 Big Ten)
Head coach: Greg Beals
• Ohio State topped Michigan, 7-2, in the opener of a three-game set in front of 1,757 fans April 29 at Bill Davis Stadium.
• Ohio State swept a Big Ten Conference series over Michigan for the first time in Bill Davis Stadium and the first time in 15 years with a doubleheader sweep April 30 after the Game 1 win April 29. A season-high crowd of 2,957 was at Bill Davis Stadium to enjoy the fine weather and the fun that comes with a 7-6, 11-inning win in the first game Saturday and a 4-3, 10-inning win in the nightcap.
Football
Head coach: Jim Tressel
• Former Ohio State defensive lineman Cameron Heyward was selected 31st overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers April 28 in the 2011 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
• Four more Buckeyes lived out their dreams of hearing their names called on draft day. Chimdi Chekwa, Jermale Hines, Ross Homan and Brian Rolle all were selected on the final day of the 2011 NFL Draft April 30 in New York City.
Men’s Golf
Head coach: Donnie Darr
• Moving up another spot on the final day, Ohio State closed out action at the 2011 Big Ten Championships in fourth place on May 1 with an even-par 288. The Buckeyes’ four-round total of 1190 (+38) came on the par 72, 7,465-yard Kampen Course in West Lafayette, Ind.
Women’s Golf
Head coach: Therese Hession
• Ohio State earned its 17th-consecutive bid to an NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Regional, the NCAA Women’s Golf Committee announced April 25. The 31st-ranked and 10th-seeded Buckeyes will travel to Notre Dame, Ind., to compete in the 54-hole Central Regional May 5-7.
• Three members of the Ohio State women’s golf team were awarded Big Ten postseason honors, the league office announced April 26. Junior Vicky Villanueva and sophomore co-captain Rachel Rohanna were named Second Team All-Big Ten, while senior co-captain In Hong Lim earned Ohio State’s Sportsmanship Award.
Men’s Lacrosse (8-7, 3-3 ECAC)
Head coach: Nick Myers
• Ohio State wrapped up the regular season with a 13-7 win at Bellarmine April 30. The win gives the Buckeyes a spot in the ECAC tournament, which begins Thursday in Denver.
No. 19 Women’s Lacrosse (9-6, 2-3 ALC)
Head coach: Alexis Venechanos
• Kirsten Donahue scored a career-high five goals as No. 19 Ohio State dominated 20th-ranked Johns Hopkins, 19-12, in a Big Ten Network nationally-televised game April 30 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Buckeyes improved to 9-6 overall and 2-3 in the ALC, nabbing the fourth seed in the upcoming conference tournament, while the Blue Jays drop to 9-7 overall and 1-4 for the sixth seed.
Softball (11-29, 2-10 Big Ten)
Head coach: Linda Kalafatis
• Ohio State swept a doubleheader at home against Morehead State April 29 at Buckeye Field. The Buckeyes won game one, 2-1, in 10 innings and followed the extra-inning contest with a 6-3 victory in game two vs. the Eagles.
No. 3 Men’s Tennis (30-2, 10-0 Big Ten)
Head coach: Ty Tucker
• Chase Buchanan named Big Ten Athlete of the Week the conference announced April 26. It is the fourth honor this season for Buchanan and 10th in his career.
• For the second-consecutive year Buchanan was named Big Ten Athlete of the Year the conference announced April 28 at the annual awards banquet. Blaz Rola was recognized as Freshman of the Year and Buckeye head coach Ty Tucker earned Coach of the Year for the sixth-straight season.
• After capturing its sixth-consecutive outright Big Ten regular-season crown, third-ranked and No. 1-seed Ohio State started the 2011 postseason with a 4-0 decision over No. 8-seed Michigan State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament April 29 at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis. The Buckeyes are vying for their sixth-consecutive conference tournament under head coach Ty Tucker. The victory over the Spartans was Ohio State’s 13th win in a row.
• Third-ranked and No. 1-seed Ohio State advanced to its sixth-consecutive Big Ten tournament final with a 4-0 victory against No. 4-seed Illinois in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament April 30 at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis.
• Third-ranked and No. 1-seed Ohio State won its sixth-consecutive Big Ten tournament title with a 4-0 victory against No. 3-seed Minnesota in the final May 1 at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis. With the win, the Scarlet and Gray earn the Big Ten’s automatic berth to the NCAA championships. The Buckeyes did not give up a point in their three tournament matches as they picked up three consecutive 4-0 wins en route to the crown.
Women’s Tennis (15-11, 7-3 Big Ten)
Head coach: Chuck Merzbacher
• A pair of Buckeyes picked up awards at the 2011 Big Ten Women’s Tennis Banquet inside Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., April 28. Junior Kelsey Haviland earned second-team All-Big Ten honors after helping Ohio State to a 7-3 conference record and third-place finish. The Dayton, Ohio, native played six Big Ten matches at No. 1 singles, earning three wins against nationally ranked players from the conference. Sophomore Fidan Manashirova was chosen as the Sportsmanship Award honoree for the Buckeyes. The sophomore leads the team with 26 singles victories, including an 8-2 record in the Big Ten.
• Ohio State reached the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament with a 4-3 victory against Wisconsin at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., April 29.
• Ohio State’s run at the Big Ten tournament came to an end April 30 after the team lost in the semifinals against No. 10-ranked and top seed Michigan, 4-0.
Women’s Track and Field
Head coach: Karen Dennis
• All-American Christina Manning was named Big Ten track athlete of the week by the conference office after finishing first in two events at last weekend’s Jesse Owens Track Classic.
• Ohio State had an outstanding day of performances April 30 in the 102nd Drake Relays. Several records fell as the Buckeyes finished their regular season in Iowa. All-American Letecia Wright had the top performance for Ohio State. The senior used a personal-best time of 12.87 to not only win the 100m hurdles, but break the 10-year-old Drake Relays record. Wright’s time also is the No. 1 outdoor college time this year, the second-best in the U.S. and the third best in school history.
No. 9 Men’s Volleyball (24-6, 11-1 MIVA)
Head coach: Pete Hanson
• Ninth-ranked and top-seeded Ohio State overcame a first set loss to defeat 13th-ranked and four-seeded Lewis, 3-1 (20-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-18) in one semifinal match of the MIVA Tournament. OSU was outhit .321 to .241 in the first set loss but hit .410 to .082 in the final three sets to secure the victory.
• The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has named Steven Kehoe a first team All-American as part of its 21st Annual AVCA Division I-II Men’s All-America Teams. The awards will be presented at the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship Banquet on the campus of Penn State University on Wednesday, May 4.
• Ohio State has advanced to the NCAA Championship semifinals, May 5, at Penn State with a 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-17) victory over Loyola-Chicago April 30 in St. John Arena.
Ohio State Athletics Schedule
May 2-15
May 3
Baseball vs. North Florida, 6:35 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Bill Davis Stadium
Men’s Soccer Connor Senn Game vs. Dayton Dutch Lions, 7 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium
May 4
Softball at Michigan (DH), 5 p.m.
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Baseball vs. North Florida, 6:35 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Bill Davis Stadium
May 6
Baseball at Illinois, 7:05 p.m.
Champaign, Ill.
May 7
Baseball at Illinois, 4:05 p.m.
Champaign, Ill.
Softball vs. Michigan State, 6 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Buckeye Field
May 8
Softball vs. Michigan State, Noon
Columbus, Ohio, Buckeye Field
Baseball at Illinois, 2:05 p.m.
Champaign, Ill.
May 10
Baseball vs. Oklahoma State, 6:35 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Bill Davis Stadium
May 11
Softball vs. Penn State (DH), 5 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Buckeye Field
Baseball vs. Oklahoma State, 6:35 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Bill Davis Stadium
May 13-15
Men’s and Women’s Track at Big Ten Outdoor Championships, All Day
Iowa City, Iowa
May 13
Softball at Wisconsin, 5 p.m.
Madison, Wis.
Baseball vs. Iowa, 6:35 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Bill Davis Stadium
May 14
Softball at Wisconsin, 1 p.m.
Madison, Wis.
Baseball vs. Iowa, 3:05 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Bill Davis Stadium
May 15
Baseball vs. Iowa, 1:05 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Bill Davis Stadium
