Trio of Buckeyes Named B1G Preseason Players to Watch
2/10/2021 4:04:36 PM | Women's Lacrosse
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Three members of the Ohio State women’s lacrosse team – Liza Hernandez, Kelsey Reed and Jillian Rizzo – have been named Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch, the conference announced Wednesday.
Rizzo, a goalie, was tabbed a 2021 Inside Lacrosse Honorable Mention Preseason All-American. She enters the 2021 season as Ohio State’s all-time leader in career saves. A native of Queensbury, N.Y., Rizzo is a four-time captain for the Buckeyes. In the shortened 2020 campaign she ranked in the Top 10 nationally and second in the Big Ten with 11.00 saves per game. In her career, she has notched 661 saves and 181 groundballs, starting all 41 games for the Buckeyes over the last three seasons (and 57 of 58 over four years) and ranking in the Top 10 in the NCAA in saves and saves per game throughout her career. Rizzo earned her Ohio State degree in business administration in Spring 2020 and is enrolled in graduate school for sport management. She is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, a four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and was a 2020 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
Hernandez, who plays attack, is a two-time captain for the Buckeyes. In 2020 she led the Buckeyes with 20 goals and 24 points while playing in eight games. In her career, she has 99 goals, 47 assists and 146 points while appearing in 44 games in the Scarlet and Gray. The native of New Albany, Ohio, earned her bachelor’s degree in human resources in the spring and is enrolled in the sport administration graduate program. Hernandez has earned Academic All-Big Ten accolades three times and is a four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete.
Reed, a midfielder from Stirling, N.J., is in her first year as a Buckeye after playing four years at James Madison, where she earned her degree in kinesiology in the spring. She was a 2019 Second Team All-CAA choice and part of JMU’s 2018 NCAA championship team. In six games in 2020 Reed had six goals and seven points for the Dukes, with 14 draw controls and 14 groundballs. She has appeared in 49 collegiate games, with 29 goals, nine assists and 38 points, picking up 49 groundballs and recording 48 draw controls. She was named to the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll three times.
The Buckeyes open the 2021 season at 1 p.m. ET Sunday at Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., with the game streamed through BTN Plus. The home slate kicks off against Michigan at 1 p.m. Feb. 21.
