Around The Oval: Kyle Snyder is a World Champion, Women's Volleyball on a Win Streak, and Women's Soccer Suffers First Loss

By Kevin Harrish on September 14, 2015 at 2:15 pm
via @FloWrestling
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Ohio State excellence is not exclusive to the football field or the basketball court. Around the Oval is our way of keeping you informed of the amazing things happening with the other 34 varsity sports on campus.


Kyle snyder wins gold

Kyle Snyder is the best in the world at what he does. Not many can say that — especially 19-year-old college students.

This weekend, Snyder earned the title World Champion by defeating the defending champ Abdusalam Gadisov of Russia 5-5 (prevailing by criteria). With the win, Snyder becomes the youngest World Champion in USA Wresting history — an honor that formerly belonged to then 21-year-old 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Henry Cejudo.

The championship match in its entirety can be watched here:

Since finishing second in both the Big Ten Conference Championships and the NCAA Championships, Kyle Snyder has been on quite a roll, winning gold in the U.S. Open Championships, the Pan American Games, and the World Championships. 

"I took second at Big Tens and second at NCAAs. I wasn't going to take silver at Worlds," Snyder said.

Snyder will redshirt the 2015 season as he trains for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro Brazil, but will rejoin the Buckeyes for the 2016 season.

volleyball wins eight straight

After dropping their season opener to Wyoming, Ohio State has won eight straight matches (three  against ranked opponents), and two tournament titles.

This weekend, the Buckeyes took home the Blackbird Invitational title after beating LIU Brooklyn, Syracuse, and previously unbeaten and 13th-ranked Arizona. Buckeye libero Valeria León was named the tournament's most valuable player for her efforts which included an average of 6.45 digs per set throughout the tournament, and 35 total in the final match against Arizona.

The Buckeyes have one more tournament this weekend, the Golden Grizzlies Invitational, before they begin their grueling Big Ten slate which includes 10 matches against current top 25 teams and back-to-back matches against the current top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions.

women's soccer suffers first loss

The Buckeyes entered the weekend ranked 15th in the country boasting an undefeated record. That record got its first blemish Friday night at the hands of No. 8 West Virginia, who beat the Buckeyes 2-0 in Columbus. 

“I have to give West Virginia credit because we’ve been playing them for 19 years and that is one of the best teams they’ve had,” said Head Coach Lori Walker in an Ohio State release. “They’re very strong in every spot. This was a fantastic opportunity for us to play a team that I think will go far this year and we learned a lot. We had multiple players have terrific games tonight and that is the bar they have to be reaching for every day.”

The Buckeyes responded with a 2-0 shutout win of Bucknell. The two goals were scored by junior Bridget Skinner (her first career goal) and sophomore Nikki Walts.

Ohio State begins their Big Ten slate this week when they play host to Minnesota Thursday and Wisconsin Sunday.

Other Scores and News

  • Men's Soccer: Dropped Big Ten opener against Northwestern 2-1
  • Field Hockey: Defeated Ball State 3-2
  • Men's Cross Country: Finished second in Dayton Flyer 5K Challenge (Sept. 5th)
  • Women's Cross Country: Finished first in Dayton Flyer 5K Challenge (Sept. 5th)

What's Happening This Week?

  • Women's Golf: Opens season with the Dick McGuire Invitational today and tomorrow
  • Women's Volleyball: Competes in the Golden Grizzlies Invitational
  • Men's Soccer: Visits Akron Wednesday and hosts Penn State Sunday
  • Women's Soccer: Hosts Minnesota Thursday and Wisconsin Sunday
  • Field Hockey: Takes on Michigan State Friday and Ohio University Sunday
  • Men's Cross Country: Competes in the Commodore Classic Saturday
  • Women's Cross Country: Competes in the Commodore Classic Saturday
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