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.
National Champs
Saturday night, the Ohio State men's volleyball team swept heavily favored No. 1 BYU in three sets to earn the 2016 NCAA Title. The championship is OSU's second in school history, coming five years to the day after their first in 2011.
The title win wraps up a dominating season for the Buckeyes. The Scarlet and Gray finished with a national best 31-3 record, and closed the season on a 23 match win streak spanning over three months – the team has not lost a match since February 6th. Over that streak, Ohio State won 69 of 85 sets, sweeping 10 opponents.
Along with the all-important team title came some individual accolades. Ohio State outside hitter Nicholas Szerszen was named the National Player of the Year earlier this week. Szerszen ranks in the top-10 nationally for nearly every statistical category. As just a sophomore, Szerszen already ranks inside the school's top-20 all time in service aces (85; 8th) and kills (810; 17th) with two full years of eligibility remaining.
Ohio State head coach Pete Hanson also given national accolades: the 31 year head coach was named the National Coach of the Year this week – the fourth time in his career he's been given such honors.
The national title could just be the start of something special for this Buckeye squad. With the majority of the team returning next season, including the reigning national player of the year, and a talented recruiting class arriving, Ohio State is in great shape to repeat as champions in 2017.
"We'd love to do this in Columbus next year – we've got pretty much everybody coming back," said Hanson. "We're just going to have to work our ass off to defend it."
More on the Horizon?
The Ohio State athletic program already has national titles from the pistol and men's volleyball teams, but could more be on their way?
No. 4 Women's Tennis
For the first time in program history, the Ohio State women's tennis team has been selected to host the NCAA first and second round matches. The Buckeyes received the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host Youngstown State, Friday.
Ohio State enters the tournament coming off a historic regular season. The Buckeyes finished the season 28-2, suffering close losses only to No. 2 California and No. 7 Miami.
Ohio State dominated conference play, going undefeated in the both the regular season and the Big Ten Tournament en route to the program's first-ever outright Big Ten regular season title, and tournament title.
The Buckeyes are led by freshman phenom Francesca Di Lorenzo, who was named both the Big Ten Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year earlier this week. Di Lorenzo is ranked No. 3 nationally and already won the program's first individual national title in November, taking home the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate title.
Ohio State is looking for its first-ever national title this spring, and it's certainly equipped for a deep tournament run.
No. 5 Men's Tennis
The Ohio State men's tennis team begins NCAA Tournament action, Saturday. The Buckeyes are the tournament's overall No. 5-seed and will play host to Jacksonville State, marking the 11th straight time they'll open the NCAA championships in Columbus.
Ohio State has been dominant this season and is a legitimate contender for the NCAA title. The team is 30-2 on the season, dropping close matches only to No. 2 North Carolina and No. 7 Georgia – both of whom are on the other side of the tournament bracket and could only meet OSU in the finals.
Like the women's team, the men also ran rampant through the Big Ten, not so much as dropping a point in regular season conference play. The team swept every Big Ten opponent until the conference tournament final when Illinois earned a point by defeating freshman Hugo Di Feo. Ohio State outscored conference opponents by an aggregate score of 52-1, securing both the regular season and tournament titles.
The team is led by No. 1 ranked Mikael Torpegaard, who earned the top seed in the singles tournament to be held in Tulsa, Okla. later this month. Torpegaard is a perfect 23-0 in the spring, notching 15 wins over top-50 players.
The Buckeyes are looking for their first-ever NCAA Championship, with their best finish being a runner-up finish in 2009.
No. 3 Rowing
The Ohio State rowing team will compete for its fourth-consecutive NCAA Title this month. The Buckeyes completed the first ever NCAA Championship three-peat last season, and are equipped to defend their title again this year.
Ohio State heads to the Big Ten championships this weekend where they'll look to win their fourth-straight conference title. The Buckeyes will then head to the NCAA Championships in Gold River, Calif., May 27th.
Other Scores and News
- No. 17 Women's Lacrosse: Lost to Rutgers 11-10 in overtime of the Big Ten Tournament
- Baseball: Split two game series with UAB and won series against Iowa 2-1
- Softball: Split series against Penn State and lost series 1-2 against Michigan State.
- Women's Golf: Finished third at NCAA Stanford Regional
2015-'16 Title Count
- Pistol
- Men's Volleyball
