Dow enters second season as Ohio State's captain

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Hillary Dow, a senior on the Ohio State women's gymnastics team, has been named captain of the 2010 squad, head coach Carey Fagan announced Monday. Dow becomes the first solo-captain under Fagan after serving as a co-captain as a junior.

"Hillary is a natural leader and understands the values and expectation of our program," Fagan, who enters her sixth season at the helm of the Buckeyes this year, said. "She leads by example in her work ethic and in her attitude.

"Hillary was selected by her peers to be the captain of the 2010 season and this decision was well-supported by the coaching staff. Her ability to look beyond herself for the good of the team is remarkable and we feel very lucky to have her leading the way again this season."

Dow, a native of Yorktown, Va., finished the 2009 season as one of the Buckeyes' top all-arounders and floor performers. The emotional leader of the team, Dow helped lead the Buckeyes at final Top 15 ranking in the nation - a feat unmatched by Ohio State squads in over a decade.

After missing half of her freshman season to injury in 2007, Dow returned to make an immediate impact and was a key reason for Ohio State's growing success in 2008.

Career highlights:
2009 (Junior season): Served as team captain ... tied for sixth at 2009 Big Ten Championships with a career-high 9.875 on vault ... ranked in Top 3 for Ohio State in the all-around with an RQS average of 38.895 ... earned team's Most Inspirational Award ... named Academic All-Big Ten and OSU Scholar-Athlete.

2008 (Sophomore season): Ranked second for the Buckeyes in the all-around with a 38.600 regional qualifying score ... among Ohio State's Top 3 on beam with a 9.680 RQS ... earned the Best Attitude Award ... named Academic All-Big Ten and OSU Scholar-Athlete.

2007 (Freshman season): Posted a 9.80 on vault March 2 in her first collegiate meet against Denver ... competed on vault in six meets averaging a 9.792 ... named OSU Scholar-Athlete.