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.
Three Women Compete at NCAA Indoor National Championships
Ohio State finished their indoor season on a high note with three Buckeyes competing at the NCAA Championships. Julia Rizk, Sade Olatoye, and Anavia Battle all competed in Birmingham.
Sophomore Anavia Battle ran the 200-meter dash with the best sprinters in the nation, coming in fifth with a time of 23.07. Senior Julia Rizk won the mile, the school's first-ever championship in this event. Her time was 4:37.63. Sade Olatoye finished her spectacular season with a national championship, posting the third-best weight throw mark in collegiate history. Their combined effort gave Ohio State a fourth-place finish at the National Championships.
Ohio State will begin their outdoor season on Saturday, March 23.
Men's Lacrosse Runs Wild on Hofstra
The men's lacrosse team kicked off their spring break with a 14-8 victory over Hofstra. The Bucks, now ranked ninth in the nation, are undefeated on the year.
Tre Leclaire started the day off right, scoring two goals off of assists from sophomore Colby Smith. Ohio State scored four goals in the first period, but Hofstra answered with four of their own, evening the score midway through the second quarter. The Buckeyes then went on a ten-goal run. Freshman Jack Myers was crucial in this streak, scoring three goals and adding three assists.
Ohio State will play No. 8 Denver in Ohio Stadium next Saturday.
Men's Volleyball Takes Two Losses In California
The Buckeyes traveled to Southern California for its annual Big Ten/PAC-12 Challenge this past weekend. Ohio State lost both matches: a three-setter against No. 5 UCLA and a five-set showdown against No. 11 USC.
Against the Bruins, the Bucks managed just an abysmal 0.017 hitting percentage. Despite this, Ohio State kept all three matches close; the Buckeyes ended each set within five points. The Buckeyes were back in action the next night, however, as they competed with another one of the nation's top teams. Ohio State struggled on offense once again, hitting just 0.238. The Bucks only kept pace with the Trojans via their serving, dicing up USC for 14 aces. Martin Lallemand was the lone bright spot for the Bucks this weekend, hitting over 0.300 in each match.
Ohio State will host Lees-McRae on Friday.
