July 7, 2006

Photo Gallery

COLUMBUS, Ohio ­- The Ohio State Varsity "O" Association will induct 12 members into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame the weekend of Sept. 15-16. The class will be officially inducted in two separate ceremonies Sept. 15 and introduced to the public at halftime of the Cincinnati-Ohio State football in Ohio Stadium the following day.

In all, 69 women have been inducted since 1993 and 224 men have been honored since 1977.

The 2006 class includes: Men - Kevin Akins (track and field), Adam DiSabato (wrestling), Alex Eckelman (baseball), Eddie George (football), Ron Nischwitz (baseball), Ted Provost (football) and Kip Simons (gymnastics); Women - Kate Hedman (swimming), Annette Kraml (rifle), Donica Merriman (track), Patricia Szelle (fencing) and Lindsey Vagades (gymnastics).

In addition, the Varsity O awarded former Ohio State cross country head coach and track and field distance coach Jim McDonough an honorary letter. He served as cross country head coach and assisted with the track team from 1976 until his death Jan. 21, 1984. A former professional baseball player in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, McDonough produced seven cross country All-Americans in his eight seasons with Ohio State.

Ohio State Men
Kevin Akins - Track (1979-82)
Four-time letterwinner ... indoor All-America in 1982 ... named Big Ten Athlete of the Championship (outdoor) in 1982 ... set Ohio State outdoor shot put record 68-8.5 in 1982 ... won Big Ten Conference outdoor individual shot put championships in both 1981 and '82.

Adam DiSabato - Wrestling (1989-91, 1993)
Three-time All-American with three Top 6 finishes at the NCAA championships ... placed third at the national meet in 1993, fourth in 1991 and sixth in 1990 ... four-time letterwinner ... team captain in 1990, '91 and '93 ... third in career wins with 138 ... second in career takedowns with 646 ... fourth in career team points with 419.75 ... 1989-90 had the most wins on the team with 30 ... 10th in season wins with 41 ... second in takedowns in a season with 223 (1991) ... 15th in team points in a season with 131.75 (1991).

Alex Eckelman - Baseball (1994-97)
Four-time letterwinner ... two-time first team All-Big Ten selection (1996, '97) ... member of two Big Ten regular-season championship teams (1994, '95) and three Big Ten playoff winners (1994, '95, '97) ... served as team co-captain in 1997 ... ended career in the Top 10 in program history in career batting average (.367), runs batted in (156), at-bats (657), hits (241), doubles (43), home runs (34) and runs scored (172) ... led the Buckeyes in batting average, hits, at-bats and runs scored in 1996 ... batted .439 in 1996, the highest OSU batting average in 36 years, to rank second in program history.

Eddie George - Football (1992-95)
1995 Heisman Trophy winner ... also won the Doak Walker Award, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year honor and Big Ten MVP accolades ... named team MVP as a senior while serving as team co-captain... first team All-American and All-Big Ten in 1995 ... ended career as second-leading rusher in OSU history (3,668 yards) ... set Ohio State single-game rushing record with 314 yards vs. Illinois in 1995 ... program-record 1,927 rushing yards in 1995 ... second in rushing attempts in a single game (39 vs. Northwestern in 1994) and in a career (683) ... 24 rushing touchdowns in 1995 ranks second in program history and ended his career third in career rushing TDs (44) ... played in East-West Shrine Bowl all-star game ... first-round draft choice of the Houston Oilers and named 1996 NFL Rookie of the Year.

Ron Nischwitz - Baseball (1957-58)
Second team All-American as a pitcher in 1958 ... earned All-Big Ten accolades in 1958 ... two-time letterwinner (1957-58) for the Buckeyes ... led Ohio State in strikeouts in both 1957 (57) and 1958 (82) ... also had a team-high innings pitched in 1957 (47.0) and 1958 (81.1) ... ranks in the Top 15 for wins in a season and season earned-run average.

Ted Provost - Football (1967-69)
Three-time starter and letterwinner as a defensive back (1967-69) ... earned first team All-America accolades in 1969 ... first team All-Big Ten selection in 1968 and '69 ... played in 1969 East-West Shrine Bowl ... member of 1968 national championship team and winning Rose Bowl team, with come-from-behind victory over Southern California ... returned an interception for a touchdown and the Buckeyes' first score in 13-0 win over Purdue in 1968, helping to keep the squad undefeated.

Kip Simons - Gymnastics (1991-94)
Winner of the 1994 Nissen-Emery Award, presented to the top senior male gymnast in the nation ... four-time All-Big Ten honoree (1991-94) ... earned All-America honors in the all-around in both 1993 and '94 ... 1991 Big Ten Freshman of the Year ... won Big Ten titles on both parallel bars and still rings in 1992 ... claimed conference high bar title in both 1993 (co) and 1994 (co) ... member of Big Ten championship squads in 1993 and '94 ... participated in Olympic Games in 1996 in Atlanta ...two-time member of the U.S. World Championships team (1994, '95).

Ohio State Women
Kate Hedman - Swimming (1992-95)
Earned five All-America honors ... named a first team All-American in 1995 ... two-time All-Big Ten selection ... four-year letterwinner ... Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor winner in 1995 ... four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete ... set Ohio State record in the 100-breaststroke in 1992 ... served as team co-captain ... represented the United States in the 1991 World University Games, winning both gold and bronze medals.

Annette Kraml - Rifle (1984-87)
Three-time recipient of the Lake Erie Intercollegiate Rifle Conference (LEIRC) Nancy Worsencroft High Woman Award (1985-87) ... served as team captain in both 1986 and '87 ... competed in NCAA air rifle championships in 1986 and 1987 ... claimed LEIRC air rifle titles in 1984 and '85, conference smallbore and air rifle championships in 1986 and earned first-place individual honors in 1987 ... earned All-Western Intercollegiate Rifle Conference (WIRC) accolades ... WIRC air rifle winner in 1985 ... member of four WIRC "Big Ten championship" squads ... won 1985 Walsh International rifle match title, 1987 air rifle and smallbore crowns and was 1987 high standing score winner.

Donica Merriman - Track (1998-01)
Three-time All-Big Ten selection (1998-00) ... two-time NCAA Indoor All-American (2000-01) ... four-time NCAA Outdoor All-American (1998-01) ... Ohio State's only women's outdoor national champion (100-meter hurdles/2001) ... indoor national champion (60-meter hurdles/2001) ... 2000 Big Ten Outdoor Athlete of the Year ... 2000 and '01 Big Ten Indoor Athlete of the Year ... Big Ten athlete of the championship at 2000 outdoor meet and 2000 and '01 indoor meet ... individual conference champion in outdoor 200-meter dash (1999), 100 hurdles, 100- and 200-meter dashes (2000) and 4x400-meter relay (2000) ... indoor individual champion in 60-meter hurdles (1999-01) and 200-meter dash (2000-01).

Patricia Szelle - Fencing (1995-98)
Four-time All-American in foil, earning first team honors three times (1995, '96, '97) and a second-team nod in 1998 ... member of Midwestern Collegiate Conference Champion foil team in 1998 ... won conference individual title in 1997 ... three-time Academic All-Big Ten (1996-99) and four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete ...remained involved with the sport as a referee ... ranked as one of the Top 3 female referees in the nation and was voted Midwest Referee of the Year.

Lindsey Vagedes - Gymnastics (1998-01)
Earned All-America honors on both vault and all-around in 1999 ... first Buckeye gymnast to earn the distinction on two events ... won Big Ten titles on vault in both 1998 and '99 and claimed the balance beam title in 1999 ... four-time All-Big Ten selection ... three-time NCAA championships qualifier ... tied Ohio State record on balance beam with a 9.975 vs. Pittsburgh in 1999 ... four-time letterwinner.

Press Conference Quotes
Ted Provost
"I was hoping it would happen. It's one of those things that's been talked about for the past couple years and then I got a phone call from my teammate to tell me the good news."

Patricia Szelle
"I started fencing when I was 8 because it was fun and then I was recruited by Ohio State when I was home in Hungry. It's the biggest honor I have ever received and I am very glad fencing has finally gotten some attention."

Adam DiSabato
"I'm real excited about it, not only for me but my family. My son is excited to be there with me and to see Eddie George. It's quite an honor, growing up in Columbus and being named with Eddie George."