Buckeye 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.
B1G Champs
The No. 5 Ohio State women's tennis team earned its first-ever Big Ten Tournament title this weekend, downing rival No. 11 Michigan 4-2 in the championship match.
.@OhioState_WTEN Congrats 2016 B1G Champs! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/n7Hivt64xB
— Brutus Buckeye (@Brutus_Buckeye) May 1, 2016
“This is such a good feeling right now,” said head coach Melissa Schaub in an Ohio State release. “I am so proud of the team and what they have accomplished. Today is the reason why you put in all of the long hours. For them to get to run out and celebrate is a feeling they will never forget. They deserve this.”
The Buckeyes won the pivotal doubles point and the first two matches to hop out to a quick 3-0 lead. The Wolverines battled back, however, claiming the next two matches to cut the lead to just one. Fittingly, it was freshman phenom Francesca Di Lorenzo who clinched the victory for Ohio State, winning her match on court 1 6-2, 7-6 (7-2).
Di Lorenzo has been the star for the Buckeyes all season. As just a true freshman, she's currently ranked No. 5 in the country and has already won the program's first-ever national title in the fall, winning the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship.
The No. 5 Buckeyes now head to the NCAA Tournament after dominating Big Ten conference play. The Scarlet and Gray went undefeated in Big Ten play, both in the regular season and the post season, outscoring their opponents by a total score of 74 to 3.
Ohio State will learn its NCAA Tournament seed at 5 p.m., Tuesday.
Back At it Again
For the ninth time in the past 11 years, and the 11th time in school history, the Ohio State men's tennis team is the Big Ten Tournament Champion. The Buckeyes downed No. 17 Illinois 4-1, Sunday afternoon to clinch the title and avenge last year's championship loss.
Congratulations to @OhioState_MTEN, your 2016 #B1GMTEN Tournament champs! pic.twitter.com/dPrqZn9mUt
— Big Ten Champs (@bigtenchamps) May 1, 2016
“We are feeling pretty good. It feels pretty amazing,” said Director of Tennis Ty Tucker in an Ohio State release. “It never gets easier, and I am proud of the guys. Most of the season they played with a target on their back by being the highest ranked team in the Big Ten and everybody comes out with nothing to lose."
The team may have played all season with a target on its back, but it clearly didn't phase them. The Buckeyes did not so much as surrender a point in conference play, sweeping every match 4-0 and outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 44-0. Ohio State became the first team in Big Ten conference history to accomplish this feat.
The dominance continued in the Big Ten Tournament, as Ohio State swept both Nebraska and No. 24 Michigan, but the streak ended in the title game as Illinois became the first Big Ten team to score a point on the Buckeyes this season when Aron Hiltzik downed Hugo Di Feo on court three 6-2, 6-4.
The leader for the Buckeyes this season has been sophomore Mikael Torpegaard. The Denmark-native is the nation's top player, and he's shown it. On the season, Torpegaard has 15 wins against top-50 opponents. This weekend he dominated Illinois' No. 4 ranked Aleks Vukic 7-6 (7-1), 6-1. Torpegaard was also named the Big Ten Player of the Year earlier this week.
Ohio State swept the remainder of the conferences yearly awards as well, as Ty Tucker was named the Coach of the Year and Hugo Di Feo was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
The Buckeyes now head into the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 4 in the country boasting a 30-2 record. The team has surrendered only 23 points in 32 matches this season.
Here's hoping the next trophy they lift is an NCAA title.
Other Scores and News
- No. 1 Men's Volleyball: A school record four Buckeyes were named AVCA All-Americans – Miles Johnson (first team), Nicolas Szerszen (first team), Christy Blough (second team), and Gabriel Domecus (honorable mention).
- No. 17 Women's Lacrosse: Fell to No. 15 Northwestern 22-13 in regular season finale.
- Baseball: Swept Purdue in three games, winning 3-1, 3-2 and 5-1.
- Softball: Lost two of three game to Indiana.
2015-'16 Title Count
- Pistol
