The People Make the Place: 2026 Seniors Reflect on Their Time as Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- As their time in the Scarlet and Gray winds down, the 2026 Buckeye seniors reflected on the people and relationships that made their time at Ohio State special.

The three graduating seniors spent their entire collegiate career at Ohio State and credited their team and the connections they built during their time at OSU.

Choosing to become a Buckeye was easy because of the unique friendships and connections the players built, as well as the academic opportunities available to them, the seniors said.

"I chose to come to Ohio State because of the guys on the team before me, and seeing the connections they had and the friendships they had, they made me eager and it made me want to come here even more," Shane Wetzel, one of Ohio State's captains, said.

Daniel Hurley came to Ohio State from Virginia Beach, Virginia, as an opposite and outside hitter.

"It was really just the people, the coaching staff and the players that I met when I was there," Hurley, said.

Jack O'Riordan, an outside hitter from Barrington, Illinois, said Ohio State provided opportunities both academically and on the volleyball court.

"I chose Ohio State because it offered the best combination of academics and athletics support," he said. "I'm a pretty academic-heavy guy and I just felt like the aspect of being a part of an elite athletic program, as well as being able to get an exceptional education, was one hundred percent the place for me."

Wetzel, Hurley and O'Riordan created countless memories throughout their time as Buckeyes, but their favorites involved lasting friendships and achieving the goals they created together.

"My favorite part, I would say, was just the people, the relationships. You could walk into this facility and say 'this is super awesome,' I get to come here every day," O'Riordan said. "But ultimately, it's all about the people that make the place. My favorite part has just been building relationships with all my teammates, and then of course, the staff as well."

Wetzel and Hurley had similar feelings about their Ohio State experiences,

"I'd say winning the MIVA championship my freshman and sophomore year," Wetzel said. "My freshman year was awesome. We were on a hot streak. It was just the icing on the cake."

"Getting to watch those two MIVA championships my first years, and seeing some really good competition," Hurley concurred.

The three seniors took time to recognize their teammates, because they are who Wetzel, Hurley and O'Riordan deem made their experience as a Buckeye truly special.

"I can't pinpoint one person," O'Riordan said. "The aspect of coming into an environment where you know no one and then two weeks later it feels like a family is definitely a beautiful thing. It's all about the guys."

"I would say (former teammate) Ben Putnam," Wetzel said. "He's like my best friend, we've been friends since we got here. He's not on the team anymore but he's still like my brother, my teammate. We still hang out all the time."

Various injuries and hardships unfortunately found the seniors at some point in their collegiate volleyball careers. The lessons they learned through them were vital to their individual growth and will be taken with them into every aspect of their futures.

"One thing that stands out is just my ability to build relationships with people," O'Riordan said. "You work with all sorts of different people in this environment. The aspect of knowing what's in your control and what isn't and still showing up every day and being the best person or the best version of yourself."

Wetzel said keeping in touch with former players also has been a positive to his experience.

"I still talk to a lot of the guys that have graduated," Wetzel said. "They're all still my teammates. It's just those connections. I just can't see myself losing them after I leave."

The future is bright for the 2026 Buckeye seniors. They are each looking to take a unique path after graduation.

"I'm trying to figure out where I'm going to go play professionally," Wetzel said. "I'm looking forward to that, figuring out where I'm actually going to play. Starting up a new life, that's going to be fun."

Hurley plans to continue his academic pursuits.

"I got admitted to the sports management graduate program next year," Hurley said. I want to work in professional sports."

O'Riordan is eager to enter the work force.

"I'm looking forward to just getting out there and putting all this academic strength to work," O'Riordan said. "I'll be at Ernst & Young after I graduate. I've got a lot of big future plans as far as getting my CPA and moving forward in the corporate world."

This was a standout class of seniors for Kevin Burch, head coach of the Buckeyes, who watched them grow with the program from their freshman to senior seasons.

He observed the impact upperclassmen had on Wetzel, Hurley and O'Riordan when they were freshmen.

"They're a battle-tested group that has worked really, really hard over four years," Burch said. "It was a pretty highly-talented recruiting class, and they came in with a group of seniors when they were freshmen that were really good leaders, and they knew how to really establish great culture."

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