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Athletics Good Stuff
Feb. 13 - Feb. 19, 2012

Feb. 21, 2012

Athletes of the Week

Alayna Markwordt became the leading scorer in Ohio State women's lacrosse history with four goals in a 21-7 win over Louisville Feb. 19. Markwordt now has 247 points (151g, 96a), besting the previous mark of 243 set by Kelly Haggerty during the 2007-10 seasons. The senior captain also extended her goal-scoring streak to 26 games, while her point-scoring streak currently stands at 52-consecutive games, dating back to March 1, 2009, and the fourth game of freshman season. In addition, Markwordt tallied seven points in a 16-2 win over Robert Morris Feb. 17.

Sarah Miller helped the Ohio State women's gymnastics team to a program record 197.625 in a dual meet win against Denver Feb. 18. Miller took first on vault with a career best and Ohio State season-high 9.950, won balance beam while tying her career-best 9.950 and took the floor exercise title with a career-high 9.975.

Diver Bianca Alvarez won both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving titles at the Big Ten championships in Iowa, the first Big Ten titles of her career for the six-time All-American. She also finished 9th in platform diving, scoring points for the Buckeyes in all three events.

Baseball (2-1)
Head coach: Greg Beals

Ohio State dropped its 2012 opener against USF, 5-3, Feb. 17 in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Ohio State earned its first win of the 2012 campaign, a 14-7 victory over Seton Hall, Feb. 18 at Bright House Field in Clearwater.

Ohio State defeated Connecticut 9-5 in a six-inning, travel-shortened contest Feb. 19 at Jack Russell Stadium. The game was the second of the day at the park, started late and was called to a halt after six innings and two hours and 28 minutes because of travel limitations.

No. 6 Men's Basketball (22-5, 10-4 Big Ten)
Head coach: Thad Matta

William Buford scored 24 points to spark No. 6 Ohio State, and Jared Sullinger backed him up inside with 23 points to guide the Buckeyes to a 78-68 victory Feb. 14 over Minnesota that moved them a half-game ahead of Michigan State in the Big Ten standings.

Deshaun Thomas had 25 points and 14 rebounds for Ohio State but No. 17 Michigan beat No. 6 Ohio State 56-51 Feb. 18.

No. 9 Women's Basketball (23-3, 10-3 Big Ten)
Head coach: Jim Foster

Ohio State senior point guard Samantha Prahalis has been named one of eight finalists for the 13th Annual Nancy Lieberman Award, honoring the nation's top collegiate point guard in women's Division I basketball. This is the fourth consecutive year Prahalis has been named a finalist for the award.

No. 9 Ohio State didn't have Prahalis, averaging 21.8 points a game in conference play and seventh in the nation in assists at 6.7 per game, because of the flu. But the Buckeyes got 27 points from Tayler Hill and major contributions from several others, never trailing in handing Indiana a 75-54 loss Feb. 16.

Women's Golf
Head coach: Therese Hession

No. 12 Ohio State concluded the three-day Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge Feb. 15 in sixth with a three-day team total of 901. The 15-team tournament was held at the par 71, 5,912-yard Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes, California.

Men's Gymnastics
Head coach: Rustam Sharipov

Ohio State claimed a 334.200 team total for second place in a tri-meet against No. 7 Michigan and SUNY Brockport Feb. 18 at Cliff Keen Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich. The meet was televised on BTN on tape-delayed basis and will broadcast at 1 p.m. Feb. 25. Michigan won the tri-meet with a 345.700, while the Golden Eagles finished in third place with a 275.700.

No. 11 Women's Gymnastics
Head coach: Carey Fagan

No. 11 Ohio State won a dual meet against No. 20 Denver, 197.625-195.450, to mark a school record team score Feb. 18 in St. John Arena. The Scarlet and Gray posted a season high on all four events and broke the previous school event records on both beam and floor.

No. 17 Men's Ice Hockey (15-11-5, 11-10-5-1 CCHA)
Head coach: Mark Osiecki

Max McCormick has been named the CCHA Gongshow Rookie of the Week, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced Feb. 13.

Women's Ice Hockey (16-14-4, 13-14-1-1 WCHA)
Head coach: Nate Handrahan

Ohio State dropped a 7-1 decision to top-ranked Wisconsin Feb. 17 at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Opening with three goals in the first period, Ohio State closed out the regular season with a 4-2 upset of No. 1 Wisconsin Feb. 18 at the Kohl Center in Madison. The win was the program's first regular season victory over a top-ranked opponent and the first at Wisconsin since the Buckeyes upset the Badgers in the 2010 WCHA tournament.

Men's Lacrosse (3-0, 1-0 ECAC)
Head coach: Nick Myers

Ohio State defenseman Matt Kawamoto is one of 20 candidates for the 2012 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, the organization announced Feb. 15. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.

Ohio State opened its ECAC Lacrosse League slate with a 10-9 victory over No. 5-ranked Denver Feb. 19 in the Moe's Southwest Grill Classic at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.

No. 18 Women's Lacrosse (4-0)
Head coach: Alexis Venechanos

Alayna Markwordt capped off a record-breaking weekend with the honor of being named to the 2012 Tewaaraton Watch List. The list includes the top players across all three divisions of collegiate lacrosse and highlights the early contenders for the 2012 Tewaaraton Award.

Markwordt tallied seven points, while Mary Kate Facchina posted a game-high four goals in No. 18 Ohio State's rout of Robert Morris, 16-2, Feb. 17 in the first women's lacrosse game played in Ohio Stadium.

With her second of four goals, Markwordt became the leading point scorer in Ohio State women's lacrosse history as the No. 18 Buckeyes defeated Louisville 21-7 Feb. 19 in Ohio Stadium.

Softball (6-4)
Head coach: Linda Kalafatis

Ohio State split two games at the 2012 UNLV Louisville Slugger Desert Classic Feb. 17 at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park in Las Vegas, Nev. The Buckeyes fell in game one, 7-4, against Texas Tech, but bounced back with a 6-3 victory over San Jose State in game two.

Ohio State claimed two victories at the UNLV Louisville Slugger Desert Classic Feb. 18 at Eller Media Stadium. The Buckeyes defeated host UNLV, 4-3, in game one and Long Beach State, 10-5, in the nightcap in game two in Las Vegas, Nev.

In the fifth and final game of the UNLV Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, Ohio State defeated Idaho State, 6-2, Feb. 19 at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park in Las Vegas, Nev.

Men's Swimming and Diving
Head coach: Bill Wadley and Vince Panzano

Ohio State senior Steven Springer was named Big Ten swimmer of the week and freshman Sean Johnson was the conference's freshman swimmer of the week, the Big Ten announced Feb. 14.

Women's Swimming and Diving
Head coach: Bill Dorenkott and Vince Panzano

Ohio State placed third overall in the 2012 Big Ten women's swimming and diving championships that finished Feb. 19 at Iowa, 149 points ahead of fourth-place Wisconsin. Bianca Alvarez, who Thursday was the Big Ten champion in the 1-meter competition, won the 3-meter event on Friday with a score of 410.65.

No. 3 Men's Tennis (12-0)
Head coach: Ty Tucker

For the 13th time in his career, Chase Buchanan, a senior on the No. 3 Ohio State men's tennis team, was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week, the conference announced Feb. 14.

Third-ranked Ohio State remained unbeaten on the season after defeating No. 14 Texas 4-0 in the first round of the 2012 National Team Indoor Championship Feb. 17.

Third-ranked Ohio State remained unbeaten on the season after posting an impressive, hard-fought 4-3 victory over No. 6 Kentucky in the quarterfinals of the 2012 National Team Indoor Championship Feb. 18.

Third-ranked Ohio State remained unbeaten on the season after downing No. 2 Virginia 4-1 in the semifinals of the 2012 National Team Indoor Championship Feb. 19.

Women's Tennis (3-5, 0-1 Big Ten)
Head coach: Chuck Merzbacher

Ohio State fell to 10th-ranked Tennessee, 4-3, Feb. 19 at home inside the OSU Varsity Tennis Center.

No. 19 Men's Track and Field
Head coach: Robert Gary

19th-ranked Ohio State entertained the hometown fans at the Buckeye Tune-up Feb. 17 at French Field house in its final warm-up for next weekend's Big Ten championships.

No. 18 Women's Track and Field
Head coach: Karen Dennis

Ohio State sprinter/hurdler Christina Manning was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week Feb. 13 by the conference office for the fifth time this season. Manning picks up the award after a weekend of second-place finishes at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational where Ohio State faced its toughest competition to date.

No. 18 Ohio State finished up its last regular season indoor meet in front of a supportive hometown crowd Feb. 17 at French Field House. The Scarlet and Gray put on a show for fans, setting 12 new personal-best times and marks while also claiming eight first-place finishes.

No. 8 Men's Volleyball (11-4, 2-0 MIVA)
Head coach: Pete Hanson

Eighth-ranked Ohio State swept MIVA rival Ball State, 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-17), Feb. 17 in St. John Arena.

After dropping the first set, No. 8 Ohio State battled back to take the final three sets and defeat Carthage, 3-1 (18-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-16), Feb. 19 in St. John Arena.

Ohio State Athletics Schedule
Feb. 20-March 4

Feb. 19-21
Men's Golf at Puerto Rico Classic, All Day
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

Feb. 20-21
Women's Golf at Central District Invitational, All Day
Parrish, Fla.

Feb. 20
Women's Basketball at Penn State, 7 p.m.
University Park, Pa.

Feb. 21
Men's Basketball vs. Illinois, 7 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Value City Arena

Feb. 22
Women's Tennis at Louisville, 2 p.m.
Louisville, Ky.

Feb. 22-25
Men's Swimming and Diving at Big Ten Championships, All Day
Iowa City, Iowa

Feb. 23
Men's Volleyball at Lewis, 7 p.m.
Romeoville, Ill.

Women's Basketball vs. Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Value City Arena

Feb. 24
Softball vs. Fresno State, 1 p.m.
Cathedral City, Calif.

Women's Tennis vs. DePaul, 2 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Varsity Indoor Tennis Center

Softball vs. Oregon State, 3:30 p.m.
Cathedral City, Calif.

Baseball at Georgia Tech, 4:05 p.m.
Atlanta, Ga.

Men's Ice Hockey at Miami (OH), 6:05 p.m.
Oxford, Ohio

Feb. 24-25
Men's and Women's Track at Big Ten Championships, TBA
Lincoln, Neb.

Feb. 25
Rifle at WIRC Championships, 8 a.m.
East Lansing, Mich.

Pistol vs. Akron, Purdue and Michigan State, 9 a.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Lt. Hugh W. Wylie Range

Women's Lacrosse vs. Brown, 11 a.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Ohio Stadium

Men's Lacrosse vs. Massachusetts, 1 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Ohio Stadium

Baseball at Georgia Tech, 2:05 p.m.
Atlanta, Ga.

Men's Gymnastics vs. Penn State, 4 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, St. John Arena

Women's Gymnastics vs. Penn State, 4 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, St. John Arena

Men's Tennis vs. Kentucky, 4 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Varsity Indoor Tennis Center

Men's Volleyball at Loyola Chicago, 7 p.m.
Chicago, Ill.

Men's Ice Hockey vs. Miami (OH), 7:05 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Value City Arena

Softball vs. Cal State Fullerton, 8:30 p.m.
Cathedral City, Calif.

Feb. 26
Women's Tennis vs. Arkansas, 11 a.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Varsity Indoor Tennis Center

Softball vs. Colorado State, 12 p.m.
Cathedral City, Calif.

Baseball at Georgia Tech, 1:05 p.m.
Atlanta, Ga.

Men's Basketball vs. Wisconsin, 4 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Value City Arena

Women's Basketball at Nebraska, 4 p.m.
Lincoln, Neb.

Men's Tennis vs. North Carolina, 5 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Varsity Indoor Tennis Center

Fencing at US Collegiate Championships, TBA
New York, N.Y.

Women's Swimming Last Chance Meet, All Day
Columbus, Ohio, McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion

Feb. 29
Men's Basketball vs. Northwestern, 8:30 p.m.
Evanston, Ill.

March 1-4
Women's Basketball Big Ten Tournament, TBA
Indianapolis, Ind.

March 2-3
Pistol NRA Air Pistol Sectional, TBA
Columbus, Ohio, Lt. Hugh W. Wylie Range in Converse Hall

Men's Track Last Chance Invitational, All Day
South Bend, Ind.

March 2
Softball vs. Longwood (Citrus Classic), 4:45 p.m.
Orlando, Fla.

Baseball vs. Michigan, 6 p.m.
Port Charlotte, Fla.

Men's Gymnastics at Illinois, 7 p.m.
Champaign, Ill.

Softball vs. Georgetown (Citrus Classic), 7 p.m.
Orlando, FL

Women's Gymnastics vs. Kent State, 7 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, St. John Arena

Men's Volleyball at St. Francis PA, 7 p.m.
Loretto, Pa.

March 3-4
Fencing Conference Championships, TBA
South Bend, Ind.

Wrestling Big Ten Championships, All Day
West Lafayette, Ind.

March 3
Men's Tennis at Notre Dame, 11:30 a.m.
Notre Dame, Ind.

Baseball vs. Western Michigan, 12 p.m.
Port Charlotte, Fla.

Men's Lacrosse vs. Penn State, 1 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Ohio Stadium

Baseball vs. Western Michigan, 3 p.m.
Port Charlotte, Fla.

Softball vs. Notre Dame (Citrus Classic), 4:45 p.m.
Orlando, Fla.

Softball vs. Hofstra (Citrus Classic), 7 p.m.
Orlando, Fla.

Men's Volleyball at Penn State, 7 p.m.
University Park, Pa.

Synchronized Swimming North Regional Championships, TBA
St. Louis, Mo.

March 4
Softball vs. Pittsburgh (Citrus Classic), 9 a.m.
Orlando, Fla.

Women's Tennis vs. Oregon, 11 a.m.
Eugene, Ore.

Baseball vs. Villanova, 12 p.m.
Port Charlotte, Fla.

Women's Lacrosse vs. Notre Dame, 1 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio, Ohio Stadium

Men's Swimming Last Ditch Qualifier, All Day
Columbus, Ohio, McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion

Men's Basketball at Michigan State, TBA
East Lansing, Mich.