Ohio State excellence is not exclusive to the football field or the basketball court. Around the Oval is our way of keeping you informed of the amazing things happening with the other 34 varsity sports on campus.
The 2014-15 athletic season was one of the best performances in the history of the Ohio State athletic department across the board. Five Buckeye programs won national championships, and a total of 25 qualified for their respective national post season competitions. What can we expect out of this upcoming season? Which Buckeye teams will be title contenders?
2014-15 national champions
The Ohio State athletic department won a total of five national titles during the 2014-15 athletic season. Do those defending champions have a chance of winning a repeat title this coming season?
Football
As most of you already know, on paper, the football team should actually be even better in the 2015-16 season. They return arguably the top defensive player in the country, a Heisman contender at running back, the two time Big Ten Player of the Year, the most efficient quarterback in Ohio State history, the best NFL Quarterback prospect in program history, and an unprecedented amount of first round talent.
The Buckeyes are loaded, but that does not always equal titles. They still have to play 15 games, including a road match-up against Virginia Tech and Bud Foster, while missing some key weapons. They also have to go through what will likely be a top-5 ranked Michigan State team, a dark horse Michigan team, and three post season games. Winning that will not be easy, despite the riches of talent. However, you still have to like Ohio State's chances — there's a reason why Vegas does.
Wrestling
The Buckeyes have two major losses for the 2015-16 season: four time national champion Logan Stieber, and NCAA runner-up and winner-of-virtually-every-international-gold-medal-since-then Kyle Snyder, who will redshirt his second season to train for the 2016 Olympic Games. Still, the Buckeyes have talent. They return NCAA champion Nathan Tomasello, NCAA third-place finisher Bo Jordan, along with talents like Hunter Stieber, Kenny Courts, Johnni DiJulius, and incoming freshmen Myles Martin and Ke-Shawn Hayes.
Realistically, it will be difficult enough for the Buckeyes to win the conference this upcoming season, much less a back-to-back NCAA title. However, don't count out Tom Ryan and this Buckeye group just yet. They're loaded with fairly young talent and they just might surprise us.
Pistol
The pistol team has already won back-to-back national titles. Winning it this season would be a three-peat, and they are poised to do it. Ohio State's 2014-15 title was due in no small part to two freshmen — Glenn Zimmerman and Irina Andrianova. Another key contributor in the title was Sophomore Seth Bearjar. Fortunately, all three will be returning this season for the Buckeyes giving them, and new head coach Donna Knicely, a very real chance of winning the three-peat.
Synchronized Swimming
Since the program began in 1976, Ohio State has won an unprecedented 29 national titles. The percentage of years they win titles (.725) is higher than the football team's win percentage (.720), meaning they win titles more consistently than the football team wins games. Of course, another key factor is the small number of participating schools. Ohio State only competes against 21 other synchro programs for the national title. In any case, it is reasonable to expect this dominating program to at least challenge for the title every season.
Rowing
The Ohio State rowing team is perhaps the most dominant team in the athletic program currently. They have won the past three NCAA championships, becoming the first team ever to three-peat. This season, they look to win their fourth in a row. This would mean that an entire class of athletes won a national championship every year they competed; this is pure domination.
As far as their chances this season, they look good. The first varsity eight crew, which is a perfect 27-0 the past two seasons, graduates just Big Ten Athlete of the Year Ashley Bauer along with coxswain Sarah Asad. The rest of the team, including 2015 Big Ten Freshmen of the Year Sarah Davis and 2014 Big Ten Athlete of the Year Catherine Shields, will be returning.
Other championship contenders
Outside of the sports Ohio State finished first in last season, here are some other teams that could compete for a national title in the 2015-16 athletic season.
Women's Basketball
After a buzzer beater defeat at the hands of North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament, the Buckeyes return in 2015-16 season with all the talent they had last season, and then some. Ohio State returns all five starters, returns four more from missing the entire 2014-15 season due to injury, and adds the number 26 recruit in the country in Kaylan Pugh.
Ohio State is loaded. However, if you were looking for an area of concern, there is one. This season especially, the Buckeyes will be terribly guard heavy and lacking talent and size on the inside. This hurt them in the NCAA tournament as North Carolina's Stephanie Mavunga dominated the Buckeyes.The good news: that same Stephanie Mavunga announced Saturday that she will be transferring to Ohio State and will be eligible to play starting in the 2016-17 season.
Even despite the lack of size, the Buckeyes are legitimate title contenders this season. They have a player of the year favorite and reigning NCAA scoring leader in Kelsey Mitchell, a talented veteran leader in Ameryst Alston, and an emerging post presence in Alexa Hart. Most importantly, this season they now have the depth they so desperately needed last season. This program is on the rise, and their performance this year will set the tone for following one, when they will likely be even better.
Fencing
Ohio State has finished ranked in the top-5 for 14 consecutive seasons, including a fifth ranked finish last season. In that span, they've won three national titles, and finished as the NCAA runner-up once. Interestingly enough, all three of those titles came exactly four years apart — 2004, 2008, and 2012. Being the 2016 season, it would appear that the Buckeyes are due for another national title. Can they do it?
Yes they can. Ohio State returns all 10 of their NCAA Championship qualifiers including Alanna Goldie, the talented upcoming-junior who finished tied for third at the NCAA Championship. Of those 10, six of them finished in the top-8 in competition. Obviously, the Buckeyes will have to improve to take down powerhouses like Notre Dame and Penn State, but a national title is certainly within grasp.
Men's Tennis
This would be a long shot, but it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility. The Buckeyes lost two key contributors in Kevin Metka and Hunter Callahan, but Head Coach Ty Tucker has recruited wonderfully and younger players like Riley Reist, Matt Mendez, and possibly incoming freshmen Martin Joyce (#5 recruit in the 2015 class) and Kyle Seelig (#17 recruit in the 2015 class) will fill that void nicely. Additionally, the team returns two of the top singles players in the country in Chris Diaz and Mikael Torpegaard, and one of the top doubles players in the country in Ralf Steinbach, along with Herkko Pollanen who played primarily at number 3 singles.
This team may not be the favorite to win it all, but they have the talent, the coaching, and the experience to do it. They will be fun to watch, and I would not count them out quite yet. At the very least, they will look to extend their streak of sweet-sixteen appearances to 11 seasons.
Of course, this is not a complete list. It is more of a guide to help you know what to expect, and what to watch for this upcoming season. As we all know, Cinderella teams can come out of nowhere, and favorites can always fall. That's the beauty of sports. However it turns out, the Ohio State athletic program is arguably more talented across the board now than it has ever been before. We are quite possibly living in the Golden Age of Ohio State athletics. Enjoy it.
