Finals week is upon us and summer is nigh. Championship season is just around the corner, and some of the Buckeyes teams are peaking at the right time. The lacrosse teams, the women's rowing team and the men's tennis team are all playing well, with championships in their sights.
Lacrosse
Both lacrosse teams had phenomenal weeks, as the men's team clinched at least a share of the ECAC title and the women's team knocked off a pair of top-10 opponents.
Goalie Scott Spencer led the men's team with an outstanding performance. Spencer stopped a career-high 14 shots and allowed only six goals in an 8-6 win over Air Force. The strong showing earned Spencer ECAC defensive player of the week honors for the second consecutive week.
The men travel to Fairfield for the regular season finale this Saturday, where a win would give Ohio State the outright league title. After that, the Buckeyes return to Columbus next weekend to host the ECAC Tournament. They will compete with Air Force, Fairfield and Michigan for a berth to the NCAA tournament.
In women's action, Ohio State knocked off No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 Notre Dame in a pair of home games. The wins marked the first time in school history that the Buckeyes defeated two straight top-10 opponents. Junior goalie Tori DeScenza carried the defense and was recognized as the ALC defensive player of the week.
The Lady Buckeyes improved to No. 10 in the nation with the wins, setting up a showdown with Johns Hopkins on Saturday for the regular season finale. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
Rowing
Another weekend, another dominating performance for the third-ranked women's rowing team. The Lady Buckeyes traveled to Ann Arbor where they picked up six wins over No. 9 Notre Dame and two wins over No. 4 Virginia.
Ohio State's first varsity eight team of Aina Cid Centelles, Elodie Ravera, Eelkje Miedema, Ashley Bauer, Meghan Birkbeck, Catherine Shields, Holly Norton, Claire Louise-Bode and Victoria Lazur went 2-0 on the weekend. They improved to a perfect 6-0 on the season, which The Big Ten recognized by naming the them the conference's Boat of the Week.
Next up is a return trip to Ann Arbor in two weeks, when they will take on Michigan, Michigan State and Louisville in the regular season finale.
Tennis
It was a week of milestones for the men's tennis team. On Friday, they clinched their ninth straight Big Ten regular-season championship with a 7-0 win over Iowa. On Sunday the Buckeyes finished their ninth-consecutive undefeated Big Ten campaign, defeating No. 63 Nebraska 6-1.
After sweeping the doubles action, the Buckeyes took five of the six singles matches. Peter Kobelt, Chris Diaz, Ralf Steinbach, Kevin Metka and Hunter Callahan all picked up wins, while Herkko Pollanen suffered Ohio State's lone defeat.
For senior Peter Kobelt, his 6-1, 6-1 victory was the 250th of his decorated career and his final regular season match. Head coach Ty Tucker expressed the value of Kobelt to the program:
We are not only going to miss the leadership and the wins but also the support around the community when a guy like Peter Kobelt plays for your team.
- Ty Tucker
Despite an indoor national championship, a B1G regular season championship and maintaining the No. 1 ranking for much of the year, the Buckeyes still aren't satisfied. In their sights is the ever-elusive NCAA Outdoor championships, and this could be the year Ty Tucker's team finally brings home the hardware.
Tomorrow, the Buckeyes travel to East Lansing for the Big Ten championships, an event they have won eight of the past nine years.
