International competition heats up for Ohio State student athletes

With the Pan American games just around the corner and national team selections underway for several sports, it’s no surprise that current Buckeyes are competing on the rosters of teams from around the world.

Five rowers competed in the 2019 World Rowing U23 Championships in Sarasota, Florida last week, with every one making it to the finals for their respective boats and countries. Jessy Vermeer, rowing for the Netherlands, finished in fifth place in the finals for the women’s pair, while Lexie Nothdurft and her native Australia finished third in the coxed four. Rounding out the Buckeyes, Maddie Perrett and Sierra Tiede finished third for the USA in the women’s eight final, and Leonie Heuer’s German squad placed fifth in the same competition.

Another quintet of Buckeyes -- including current, future and former -- are ready to compete at the USA Championships for gymnastics in Kansas City next weekend. The competition will determine who will head to World Selection Camp, held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, in September. Alec Yoder, an eight-time All-American during his run with Ohio State, and Sean Melton, a current member of the U.S. Senior National Team, represent the alums. Rising junior Max Andryushchenko, as well as incoming freshmen Donovan Hewitt and Justin Ah Chow are also scheduled to compete.

Buckeyes continue to make their marks in professional leagues and tournaments

Lacrosse defenseman Ben Randall competed in the Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game In Annapolis, Maryland Saturday. He entered the game with 11 caused turnovers on the year -- good for second in the league. Last weekend, Randall also scored his first goal since high school as he helped the New York Lizards to a 14-10 win over the Chesapeake Bayhawks.

On the women’s golf front, three former golfers competed in three separate tournaments over the weekend. Jessica Porvasnik finished tied for 23rd at the Tennessee Open at Stonehenge Golf Club, bringing home a Rachel Rohanna finished tied for 52nd in the Symetra Tour’s CDPHP Open in Albany, New York. Rosie Jones also competed in the Corning Legends Invitational at the Corning Country Club in New York for the Legends Tour.

The Carolina Hurricanes, meanwhile, must love their Buckeyes. After signing Ryan Dzingel to a two-year, $6.75 million contract, the organization added fellow Ohio State alum Max McCormick to a one-year two-way deal. McCormick’s contract means his pay will vary depending on time spent in the AHL versus the NHL. The pair have followed parallel careers, playing at Ohio State from 2012-14, being drafted by the Ottawa Senators and getting traded over this past season.

Finally, John McNally, a rising junior on the tennis team, made a solid start in his first professional tournament last week, finishing second-place in an International Tennis Federation event in Iowa City over the weekend. He achieved an ATP ranking of 490 as of July 22.

Missed the latest Outside the Shoe podcast?

On Friday, a new edition of Outside the Shoe was released. This time around, the focus was on OSU wrestling. Geoff Hammersley and I reviewed last season, and previewed what the Buckeyes’ are up against in 2019-20.

To listen to the podcast, you can click here, or click on the embed below.

Current Buckeyes rake in academic honors

The women’s volleyball program brought home a prestigious team honor, earning the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award. To receive the award, the team must maintain a collective cumulative grade point average of 3.3. The award isn’t too much of a shock -- all 13 members of the active roster were named OSU Scholar Athletes this year, and Lauren Witte was recognized as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.

Recently graduated men’s golfers Will Grimmer, Will Voetsch and Daniel Wetterich were named Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars. The trio joins a cohort of 540 golfers who achieved a GPA greater than 3.2 and a stroke average of under 76.