Around the Oval: Spring Athletic Season Preview

The Ohio State athletic program took home five national titles last year – four of them came during the spring athletic season.

With the 2016 spring athletic season fast approaching, we take a look at where some of the highlights may come from.

Women's Basketball

The Ohio State women's basketball team enters the 2016 spring athletic season with just three losses – all coming against the nation's top three teams in Connecticut, South Carolina and Notre Dame.

With their grueling non-conference slate the Buckeyes have done everything they could to insure they're prepared come tournament time, and unlike last season they'll now have depth.

Led by prolific scorers Kelsey Mitchell and Ameryst Alston with Shayla Cooper and Alexa Hart dominating down low, Ohio State is a legitimate Final Four contender in 2016, and that may just be the beginning for Kevin McGuff's young squad with the success he's had on the recruiting front.

Fencing

The Ohio State fencing team finished fifth in the country last season, extending its streak of consecutive top-5 finishes to 14 years. Six different Buckeyes turned in Top 8 finishes at the 2015 Championships – all of whom are returning in 2016.

Led by Alanna Goldie, who finished with a bronze medal last season, the Buckeyes are poised to extend their top-5 finish streak, and possibly more. With all 10 NCAA qualifiers returning, they have the talent to be a dangerous team.

Pistol

The Buckeye pistol team won its second straight national title last season, and despite being under new leadership with new head coach Donna Knisley taking the reigns, they are once again title favorites this season.

Led by sophomores Glenn Zimmerman and Irina Andrianova, who were both individual national champions last season, the Buckeyes will look to three-peat in 2016.

Women's Rowing

Last season, the Buckeyes won an unprecedented third consecutive national championship. With another title this season, the 2012 freshman class will have won a national championship every season they competed.

This season, they're again poised for a title run in an attempt to make it a four-peat.

Synchronized Swimming

The Ohio State synchronized swimming team is as dominant as they come. Last season, the Buckeyes won their 29th national championship since the program's inception in 1976.

To put it in perspective, the percentage of seasons they have won a national championship (.725) is higher than the football team's game winning percentage (.722). This means the synchronized swimming team wins national titles more consistently than the football team wins games.

As always, this team will be competitive again this season, going for its 30th national title in 41 seasons.

Men and Women's Tennis

The women's tennis team already made noise last November as freshman Francesca Di Lorenzo claimed the program's first ever national title by winning the winning the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship.

On the men's side, four Buckeyes including freshman newcomer Hugo Di Feo advanced to men's indoor championship. Three of the four advanced to the Sweet 16, where they were defeated.

Both teams are poised for tournament runs in the spring when the men's team will look to extend its consecutive Sweet 16 appearance streak to 11 seasons.

Wrestling

Last season was full of history for the Buckeyes. The team won its first ever Big Ten title and NCAA Championship while Logan Stieber became the fourth grappler ever to become a four-time national champion.

This season, the team looks a little different. The Buckeyes are without the star combo of Stieber and Kyle Snyder, but led by defending national champion Nathan Tomasello, the Ohio State is still in good shape to defend its national title.

Other Spring Sports

• Baseball
• Men's Golf
• Women's Golf
• Men's Gymnastics
• Women's Gymnastics
• Men's Hockey
• Women's Hockey
• Men's Lacrosse
• Women's Lacrosse
• Rifle
• Men's Swimming
• Women's Swimming