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.
Ohio State's historic athletes go far beyond the football field and the basketball court. Ohio State has some of the best athletes in the nation, sometimes the world, competing in all 36 varsity sports. Here is our list of the Top 10 Student Athletes going into the 2016-17 season.
10. Alec Yoder (Men's Gymnastics)
Alec Yoder dominated at Ohio State his freshman season. He won Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was named to the 2016 Big Ten First Team, and won a Big Ten Championship on the pommel horse. He took home fifth in the All-Around at the NCAA Championships. Yoder has loads of potential and three years left to excel as a Buckeye. Expect to see records broken and more championships won by Yoder in the near future.
9. eleanor harvey (women's Fencing)
Eleanor Harvey, Ohio State women's fencer, is coming off a very successful season that ended with her first National Championship title. After finishing in ninth place at NCAAs her sophomore season, Harvey set out to take home the gold her junior year, and that she did. She came from behind to defeat the No. 1 seed in the finals. Harvey is currently set to compete with Team Canada in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. She will return to Columbus to compete for the Buckeyes her senior season.
8. mikael torpegaard (men's tennis)
Mikael Torpegaard, Danish tennis player, completed his sophomore season at Ohio State with an impressive record of 34-5. He advanced to the NCAA finals where he unfortunately did not take home first place, but came in second which is still impressive. Torpegaard competes for Denmark in the off season and just led the team to a Davis Cup victory. He has two years left to compete at The Ohio State University in which his quest for the title of National Champion will continue.
7. stephanie williams (Rowing)
Ohio State rowing has become a power house over the last few years in which rising senior, Stephanie Williams, has played an important role. Williams is a three time Big Ten and NCAA Champion, which means she has been a part of a National Championship win each year she has competed for the Buckeyes. She rowed as part of the First Varsity Eight in every race her junior season. Williams has one year left to row at Ohio State and a four-peat is definitely possible.
6. TAYLOR SANDBOTHE (WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL)
Taylor Sandbothe is an unstoppable blocker and rising senior of the Ohio State women's volleyball team. She is currently ranked second in school history for solo blocks with 89, and is bound to break the record this coming season. Her junior year she was an unanimous choice for the All Big-Ten First Team and was named Ohio State's Offensive Player of the Year. Sandbothe is an electric player who will do great things her senior year at Ohio State.
5. Nicolas szerszen (men's Volleyball)
Nicolas Szerszen, a key member of the 2016 men's volleyball National Championship team, is only going into his sophomore season as a Buckeye. During his freshman season he became a record holder for the highest service aces per set average, which comes as no surprise. The student section chants, "Click, Click, Boom", whenever he serves if that tells you just how powerful of a player he is. Szerszen was a vital part in Ohio State's championship sweep over BYU and was named National Player of the Year.
4. J.T. Barrett (Football)
J.T. Barrett is definitely the standout on Ohio State's young football team. The quarterback has been tossed around the depth chart and had to fight for his spot as the starting quarterback in the past, but this year the weight of leading the Buckeyes is on his shoulders. Barrett is a two-time team captain, Big Ten Quarterback of the Year, and has put Ohio State in many positions to succeed. Before suffering his season ending ankle injury his sophomore year, Barrett secured Ohio State a spot the Big Ten Championship game and made the historic National Championship win possible. He is a play maker, a great leader, and will propel the Buckeyes to great things this season.
3. Sean Melton (Men's Gymnastics)
Sean Melton is going into his junior season on the Ohio State men's gymnastics team and currently holds the school record of best All-Around score at 91.600. He also holds a NCAA record for Parallel Bars with a score of 16.175. Melton is a talented gymnast who competes in all seven events for the Buckeyes. He is the owner of five Big Ten Championships and was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Year last season. This summer Melton placed 12 at the Olympic Qualifiers. The gymnast is returning to a Buckeye team that is talented, full of potential, and that has their eyes on a national title.
2. Kelsey Mitchell (Women's basketball)
Kelsey Mitchell is a machine. After only her sophomore season on the Ohio State women's basketball team, Mitchell has sealed herself in school history. Her freshman season with the Buckeyes she set a total of 29 single season records. She was named unanimous Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Co-Player of the Year, only the second freshman in history to do so. As a sophomore she broke her own single season points record with 889 points and became the fastest player in Big Ten history to 1,000 points. An entire article could be dedicated to Mitchell's achievements on the court. Look for more records to be broken and hundreds of more points to be scored by Mitchell next season.
1. kyle snyder (wrestling)
It is no surprise that Kyle Snyder landed atop our list. Prior to his sophomore season at Ohio State, Snyder became the youngest wrestler in United States history to win a World Championship. He went on to an undefeated (11-0) season at Ohio State that led to a Big Ten and a National Championship. He defeated two-time defending champion, Nick Gwiazdowski to take home the title of National Champion in the 285 weight class. Snyder is set to compete for Team USA at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and he has his eyes on the podium.
With so much talent at The Ohio State University, picking just 10 athletes to feature is challenging. We're interested in what you think of our list and who you would put in your top 10, so let us know!
Go Bucks!
