Buckeye Spotlight – Jan. 10
1/10/2023 3:49:55 PM | General
COLUMBUS, Ohio – This week’s six “Buckeye Spotlight” honorees include a men’s hockey player on a prodigious goal-scoring streak, a freshman women’s gymnast nearing perfection, and a women’s golfer who is starring after reuniting with her first collegiate coach.
Throughout the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Ohio State Athletics continues to celebrate exceptional female student-athletes and women’s teams throughout history, highlighting a new moment or person every week. This week’s feature is Katie Smith, three-time Olympic gold medalist and one of the best women’s basketball players in conference history. For more Title IX stories, visit: OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
This Week’s Spotlights:
Joe Dunlap | Men’s Hockey | Jr. | Windham, N.H.
- Forward Joe Dunlap, has a team-best seven goals and nine points in the hockey team’s current five-game winning streak, including goals in five consecutive games for the longest streak since Mason Jobst tallied in five in a row in 2016-17.
- In the Buckeyes’ sweep of Michigan State last weekend, Dunlap had a team-best three goals and 12 shots, tying for the team best with a +3 mark.
- Friday, he sealed a 3-1 win with an empty net goal. Saturday, he scored twice, with a goal late in the first period and a second-period tally as the Buckeyes won, 6-0.
- Dunlap has 10 goals and six assists for 16 points this season, sharing the team goal lead and ranking fourth in points. His goal and point totals are career bests and he is one assist away from a career-best in that stat, as well.
Payton Harris | Women’s Gymnastics | Fr. | Franklin, Wis.
- In her Buckeye debut on Sunday in front of a sold-out Covelli Center crowd, freshman Payton Harris scored two consecutive 9.900 scores to help Ohio State to a program record season-opening score of 196.775.
- Harris earned the beam title with a 9.900 for her first event title of her career.
- She followed that up with a 9.900 on floor for the Buckeyes’ first of two 9.9’s of the rotation.
- After a trip to face Georgia, Harris and the Buckeyes compete at home next on Sunday, Jan. 22 vs. Iowa starting at 2 p.m.
Rikki Harris | Women’s Basketball | RS-Jr. | Indianapolis, Ind.
- Rikki Harris has stepped into the starting point guard position for the past five games and has played really well after injuries sidelined the first two players at that position.
- Harris started her first game of the season on less-than-24 hours notice and totaled a career-high eight assists in that game.
- Through her first five starts, Harris has scored in double figures twice, including a career-high 19 points in last Thursday’s win at Minnesota, and is averaging 4.8 assists per game.
- The Buckeyes are off to the program’s best start in history at 17-0 and registered the largest second-half comeback in program history on Sunday against Illinois (from 17 points down).
Caley McGinty | Women’s Golf | RS-Jr. | Bristol, England
- Caley McGinty won the 2023 South American Amateur Open, which was held in Quito, Ecuador Jan. 5-8.
- McGinty finished the four-round tournament with a five-under 283, earning a three-stroke victory over the second-place finisher.
- She shot 72 (E) and 74 (+2) in rounds one and two, respectively. McGinty then fired a 67 (-5) in the third round and a 70 (-2) in the fourth and final round.
- McGinty, a transfer, played for Ohio State coach Lisa Strom for two seasons at Kent State (2019-21).
Sammy Sasso | Wrestling | RS-Sr. | 149 | Nazareth, Pennsylvania
- Sammy Sasso helped the No. 9 Buckeyes improve to 7-1 on the season with a 26-13 win at Indiana in the Big Ten Conference opener.
- He recorded a pin just 53 seconds into his bout to give the Buckeyes six team points.
- The pin was his eighth of the season and was the fastest in his career.
Kyle Teune | Men’s Volleyball | So., OH | Downers Grove, Illinois
- Kyle Teune was a standout on the court as Ohio State split two matches during the opening weekend of the season.
- Teune had 11 kills along with four aces and two assists.
- He also added three digs, a block and 15.5 points in seven sets played against Central State and Penn State.
