“Kelsey Mitchell (women’s basketball) and Kyle Snyder (wrestling) are the 2017-18 Ohio State Female and Male Athlete of the Year, respectively.”
-Ohio State Athletics
It seems fitting that the 2017-18 Ohio State Female and Male Athlete of the Year winners are two Buckeyes that not epitomized what it means to compete for the Scarlet and Gray, but who have also gone on to crush it at the next level in each of their respective sports.
Kelsey Mitchell won just about every award you could during her senior season in Columbus as part of the NCAA Tournament women’s basketball team, and with this honor, becomes the first Buckeye in program history to be a three-time OSU Athlete of the Year.
Despite falling short of a national title, Mitchell notched dozens of program and conference records, and was drafted No. 2 overall by the Indiana Fever, and has already been breaking ankles and scoreboards in the WNBA.
Over on the men’s side, wrestler Kyle Snyder earned the Athlete of the Year designation after a senior season that once again solidified his name in the Ohio State history books. Snyder is the only American to finish his collegiate career as a three-time NCAA title holder, and helped the Buckeyes claim three Big Ten titles and the 2015 NCAA team championship.
This is all without even mentioning his contributions to the 2016 Rio Olympics team, and what should be a long future competing on the World’s stage.
A big congrats to Zack Bazile for winning silver in the long jump at #USATFoutdoors with a mark of 8.08m (26-6.25) and to @FlightHartfield for finishing sixth with a mark of 7.96m (26-1.50). #GoBucks
— Ohio State T&F/XC (@OhioStateTFXC) June 25, 2018
At Drake University in Des Moine, Iowa, current and former Buckeyes competed in the 2018 USATF Outdoor Championships, and less than a week after claiming the NCAA title in long jump, Zach Bazile — who recently graduated from Ohio State — took home a silver medal.
With his title-winning run at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Bazile also set a new program record, with a mark of 8.37m (27-7.5). His silver medal at the USATF Outdoor Championships is a nice cap to a senior season that also included sweeping the indoor and outdoor Big Ten titles and being names the Big Ten Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year.
Buckeye Nick Demaline also earned a spot in the shot put competition with his eighth place finish in the NCAA Championship. He didn’t make it to the podium, but finished the event No. 12. It might not have been as high as he wanted, but it was a solid end to a season that included winning gold at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, and silver at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
She might not be a current Buckeye, but alum Christina Manning also crushed it over the weekend in the 100m hurdles.
Christina Manning finishes second overall with a time of 12.65! Congrats, @SheTheMann_ing !!
— Ohio State T&F/XC (@OhioStateTFXC) June 23, 2018
Buckeye Bits from the NFL
Kevin Nogle on LB Raekwon McMillan, The Phinsider
“This season might be a little too quick to assume McMillan could become a Pro Bowl selection, but if he is able to live up to the hype, there is no reason to not think he will be a consideration.”
Chris Blystone on Malik Hooker, Stampede Blue
“While the Colts are optimistic that he will return for the season, he’ll be less than a year removed from a significant knee injury. Combine that with learning a new defensive system and it is tough to know how much to expect from the second year player.”
Cole Patterson on Noah Brown, Blogging for the Boys
“While the former Buckeye hasn’t been given many opportunities to show off his hands (four catches, 33 yards), Brown has made a name for himself with his downfield blocking. His blocking help Zeke pull off a highlight-reel play against the 49ers last season. For that, he certainly has the opportunity to get back on the 53.”
Jason Marcum on Sam Hubbard, Cincy Jungle
“For the Bengals, Hubbard will add depth and security behind Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson, both of whom hit free agency in 2019. He’s a little undersized to be a full-time defensive end right away in a 4-3 defense, but with a year in an NFL weight room and on-field experience, Hubbard could be ready for a starting role in 2019.”
Josh Alper on Jack Mewhort, ProFootballTalk
“Mewhort said that it is “an unreal feeling” to get that show of support from the Colts despite his injury issues, although the team hasn’t held a starting spot at guard open for him.”
New Buckeye Carson Meyer, a #CBJ draft pick, will be at the @BlueJacketsNHL camp this week. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/Kb3NJuccbl
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) June 24, 2018
STICK TO SPORTS
- Over 80 OSU student-athletes will participate in this year’s Summer Bridge Program this week.
- Thanks to a story about Buckeye Nick Swisher, a member of the Ohio State Athletics Communications staff — Alex Morando — was recognized in the 2017-18 CoSIDA Fred Stabley Writing Contest.
- Mario Tennis Aces is out, and apparently it only takes about two minutes into game play before Luigi messes everything up.