For the fourth year in a row, the Ohio State women’s swimming and diving team topped the Big Ten, scoring 1,425 points in the four-day competition at Canham Natatorium on Michigan’s campus. The team took its initial lead on day two Feb. 16 and never looked back.
At the conclusion of the championships Feb. 18 the Buckeyes held a lead of more than 100 points over second-place Indiana (1,291.5 points) and more than 300 points over third-place Michigan (1,108).
Between relays and individual races, OSU collected 11 individual conference titles. Three Ohio State program records were broken, with one in the 200-meter freestyle relay and one in the 400-meter freestyle relay. Junior Katherine Zenick, sophomore Teresa Ivan and senior Amy Fulmer served as the first, third and anchor legs, respectively, in both races. The only difference in team construction between the two events was who raced in the second leg, with sophomore Nyah Funderburke filling in for the 200 while junior Catherine Russo took the position in the 400.
The lone individual Ohio State record that was broken belonged to Fulmer, who captured a conference championship in the 100 freestyle with a time of 47.02 seconds. Throw in her anchor leg in the 400 medley relay and Fulmer collected four Big Ten titles throughout the event.
She wasn’t even the swimmer who captured the most individual golds. That accolade belongs to Zenick, who won a combined six individual events and relays. Added to her 200- and 400-meter freestyle relay wins were the top spots in the 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay.
Funderburke also collected four crowns, winning the 100 backstroke in addition to three relay victories. Senior Josie Panitz carried the day for Ohio State in the 200 medley while graduate Felicia Pasadyn did the same in the 400 medley, both setting pool records.
Wrestling Team Takes Down Cornell
The No. 6 Ohio State wrestling team toppled No. 4 Cornell by a 22-14 final at the Spartan Combat Dual in Tampa, Fla. Saturday.
There weren’t any individual upsets rankings-wise on either side, with the higher-rated grappler taking each of the matches in the meet. Redshirt freshman Paddy Gallagher, the No. 24 wrestler at 157 pounds, earned bonus points for the Buckeyes by beating Cornell’s Cole Handlovic by major decision 14-6.
Redshirt senior Sammy Sasso, No. 3 at 149 pounds, did the same via medical forfeit against Sal Jones. Sasso was ahead 11-2 before the medical default.
Ohio State redshirt sophomore Gavin Bell beat Cornell’s Ethan Hatcher in an air-tight bout 10-9 after grabbing a 9-5 lead and holding on for the victory.
The Buckeyes head to the Big Ten Championships March 4, beginning the postseason run that typically comes to define each wrestling season.
Men’s Lacrosse Earns First Ranked Victory
It may be ranked 10th in the country and boast a 3-0 record, but it was only the most recent of those wins in which Ohio State men’s lacrosse got to prove itself against a ranked opponent.
The Buckeyes defeated No. 19 North Carolina by an 8-5 scoreline Sunday at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium. Senior goalkeeper Skylar Wahlund was the star of the match, stopping 12 Tar Heel shots while allowing just five goals.
“We knew it was going to take all seven of us to get stops in the second half,” Wahlund told The Lantern after the game. “I tried to get as locked in as I possibly could. It’s a credit to the guys who played in front of me. They made my job easy today.”
Of the five goals allowed by Wahlund, only one came in that second half. It seemed necessary, too, as OSU entered intermission trailing UNC by a 4-2 tally.
Then the Buckeyes embarked on a five-goal run in the second half. The Tar Heels, at the time cutting their deficit from three goals to two, didn’t score in said half until there were less than four minutes remaining in the game. In total, they went 31:19 without a goal.
Ohio State graduate midfielder Kyle Borda was the only player for either team that scored more than one goal, netting back-to-back scores in the fourth quarter to break a 4-4 tie and put the Buckeyes ahead 6-4.
In perhaps their biggest regular season test, the Buckeyes head to No. 1 Virginia Saturday.