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.
Championships in Three Sports
Easter Weekend was kind to Ohio State as the Bucks took home two Big Ten Championships and crowned a new National Champion.
Women's golf won the Big Ten Championship yesterday. It was the program's 18th conference championship in its illustrious history.
Not to be outdone, the men's tennis team has clinched its 14th straight Big Ten Championship. The Bucks dominated Indiana 7-0 to earn the crown.
Last but not least, Alec Yoder of the men's gymnastics team won the gold medal in the Pommel Horse at the 2019 NCAA Championships. Yoder has quietly become one of the most dominant individual athletes in Ohio State history, earning All-American Honors three times, winning two Big Ten titles, and a national championship.
Women's Tennis Drops Final Two Regular Season Bouts
No. 18 Ohio State fell twice to Illinois-teams this weekend, losing to Northwestern and 4-2 to Illinois. The Bucks finished the regular season with a 19-5 record, including a 8-3 record in conference.
In Evanston, Ohio State suffered a 5-2 defeat. The Bucks lost the doubles point for only the seventh time this season. Andrea Ballinger and Kolie Allen were the lone pair to win. In singles, No. 63 Isabelle Boulais upset No. 40 Clarissa Hand in three sets. Beyond that, however, there were few highlights, as the Wildcats took four of the six possible matches.
The Buckeyes could not bounce back the next day, falling to the Fighting Illini 4-2 on Easter Sunday. Ohio State lost the doubles point for the second day in a row and fell in a similar way, losing three of the five possible matches in singles.
The Bucks are the fourth seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They will play their first game on Friday against Northwestern.
Baseball Wins Series in Maryland
Ohio State earned a hard-fought series win over the Terrapins this weekend to improve to 23-18 on the season and 6-6 in the Big Ten.
The two teams faced twice on Saturday and split the games. The first went to Maryland, winning 14-8. The second went to 11 innings with the Bucks coming out on the right side of a 10-9 decision. Maryland's win was all about offense; the Terps had 20 hits compared to Ohio State's 14. In the Buckeyes' Saturday victory, redshirt sophomore Brent Todys recorded four hits in six at-bats, two home runs, including the go-ahead in the top of the eleventh, and four RBIs.
Sunday's game was the complete opposite of Saturday's exciting bouts, giving the Buckeyes a 5-1 win to take the series. Griffan Smith pitched the entire game, allowing just four hits and striking out 10 batters. On offense, Ridge Winand hit four batters in with two home runs, helping Ohio State take control of the game.
Dominic Canzone, the conference's leading batter, continued his stellar season, recording six hits and three RBIs in 13 at-bats this past weekend. Canzone is hitting .375 this season. He also extended his on-base-streak to 37 games and his hit-streak to 14 games.
The Bucks will host Iowa in a three-game series this coming weekend.
