Women’s ice hockey posted an impressive weekend, taking the two-game series against No. 10 Minnesota Duluth 1-0-1. The seventh-ranked Buckeyes took home the series opener 3-1 Friday night behind goals from junior forward Tatum Skaggs, junior forward Emma Maltais and sophomore forward Gabby Rosenthal.
Things were a little tighter Saturday as Ohio State emerged with a 1-1 tie versus the Bulldogs, but earned a crucial league point after taking the shootout on a goal from freshman forward Jennifer Gardiner. Sophomore defenseman Sophie Jaques scored the tying goal for the Buckeyes in the second period which sent the teams to two scoreless overtime periods ahead of the shootout.
With the weekend’s games in the books, the Buckeyes improve to 8-3-3 on the season, including 6-3-3 in conference play. Next up, the team heads to Hamilton, New York to take on Colgate in a two-game series Friday and Saturday.
Women’s basketball, wrestling post mixed weekend performances
Ohio State women’s basketball is 2-1 on the young season, with a decisive win over Valparaiso in the season opener, a little more of a nailbiter on the road against Cincinnati last week and, Sunday, a loss to Ohio in the Buckeyes’ home opener.
Against Cincinnati, the Buckeyes fought for a tough, 78-73 overtime victory against the Bearcats. For such a young team, the Buckeyes also demonstrated an ability to spread the ball, with four players scoring in double digits. Leading the way was Braxtin Miller, a transfer from Oklahoma State whose eligibility was cleared just this month. Miller, a Dayton native, had 18 points against the Bearcats on 7-of-11 shooting.
Unfortunately, the Buckeyes couldn’t keep it going through the weekend, as Ohio State fell 74-68 to Ohio Sunday. In that matchup, four players, once again, scored in double figures, including freshmen Kiersten Bell and Aixa Wone Aranaz who both had a dozen points on the day. Sophomore forward Dorka Juhasz also contributed nine points and 16 rebounds in the effort.
The Buckeyes will have a chance to bounce back Thursday when they head to Kent State ahead of their first true test of the season in No. 4 UConn next Sunday.
The No. 3 Ohio State wrestling team, meanwhile, had a challenging weekend, facing No. 15 Pitt on the road Friday before returning home to take on No. 11 Virginia Tech in the Covelli Center Sunday. Against the Panthers Friday, the Buckeyes posted a 23-12 win behind victories from redshirt senior Kollin Moore (197 lbs), redshirt sophomore Chase Singletary (285 lbs), sophomore Malik Heinselman (125 lbs), senior Luke Pletcher (141 lbs), redshirt freshman Sammy Sasso (149 lbs) and redshirt sophomore Kaleb Romero (174 lbs).
Unfortunately, things didn’t continue so well Sunday with the Buckeyes falling 21-15 to the Hokies. However, the news wasn’t all bad. Pletcher, Moore and Singletary continued their runs, while redshirt sophomore Ethan Smith posted a win at 165 lbs.
The Buckeyes have a break to recover before facing Cornell in the Covelli Center Dec. 1.
Recruiting never stops
With the early signing period opening this week, many Ohio State programs signed elite recruits from across the country, though Ohio State remains the top destination for athletes from Ohio.
- Ohio State women’s golf gained an elite prospect with the signing of Jillian Bourdage, one of the top golf prospects in Florida. Bourdage is the 2019 Florida State Golf Association Girls Junior champion and Player of the Year.
- Men’s golf had a similarly exciting signing class, featuring Maxwell Moldovan and Adam Wallin. Moldovan is among the nation’s elite recruits, having recently been named the 2019 Rolex Junior Player of the Year. Meanwhile, Wallin, a native of Sweden, is one of the top junior golfers in Europe.
- Softball signed four members to its 2020 recruiting class ahead of the 2021 season. Three of the athletes, including pitcher Allison Smith, pitcher Emily Ruck and outfielder Taylor Heckman, are Ohio products, while infielder Destinee Noury hails from California.
- Baseball also had a big weekend, signing 10 recruits to the class of 2020, including nine from Ohio.
- Men’s soccer, whose season wrapped up last week with a loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament, added five recruits to the young roster, including four from Ohio.
- Men’s gymnastics added another five recruits of their own, including junior Olympians, USA National Championship competitors and Ohio state champions.
- Finally, men’s volleyball added five to their 2020-21 roster, including two athletes from Ohio.
In other news...
- After a fourth-place finish in the NCAA Regionals in Madison, Wisconsin, women’s cross country qualified for the NCAA Championships for the third time in program history. The men’s squad, meanwhile, finished ninth in the regional. For their performances, seniors Abby Nichols, Lainey Studebaker and Julia Rizk earned All-Region honors. The trip finished ninth, 21st and 22nd, respectively. Next up, the women’s squad heads to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana Saturday.
- Men’s and women’s swimming and diving posted a sweep over Denison Friday night, with the 16th-ranked men winning 215-80.5 and the No. 14 women 214.5-78. The teams are back at it this week when they host the Ohio State Invitational, scheduled for Thursday through Sunday.
- After falling to No. 16 Purdue Friday in West Lafayette, women’s volleyball bounced back with a 3-1 victory over Indiana in Bloomington. Senior middle blocker Madison Smeathers led the way with 16.5 points, 13 kills and five blocks in the matchup. With the win, Ohio State improves to 14-14 overall, including a 7-9 conference record. Next up, Ohio State faces Northwestern back in Columbus Friday night.
- In an elite matchup at the Elite Invitational Duals, men’s and women’s fencing both raced to 3-2 records against top-20 competition. The duals were hosted by Penn in Philadelphia, and featured the likes of Penn State, last year’s NCAA runner-up, among others. The team will be back in action this weekend on the road against Penn State.
- The pistol and rifle teams paired up this weekend for a rare matchup against Coast Guard in Columbus, with both teams coming away with victories. Next up, rifle heads to Colorado Springs to take on the Air Force Academy while Pistol travels to College Station to face Texas A&M.