Around the Oval: Rowing Finishes Second, Track and Field Qualifies 11 & Tee-K Kelly Finishes 30th

By Kevin Harrish on May 30, 2016 at 3:15 pm
SoSo Walker qualifies for the NCAA Championships in the 400-Meter Dash.
via Ohio State Athletics
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Buckeye 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.


Row-H-I-O

It wasn't quite the weekend the Ohio State women's rowing team wanted, but it was one to be celebrated nonetheless.

The Buckeyes were unable to defend their team title as they posted a runner-up finish behind top-ranked California, ending their national championship streak at three consecutive years.

However, the fastest collegiate boat still belongs to the Buckeyes, as the First Varsity Eight won its third-consecutive NCAA title, Sunday. The squad becomes the first in NCAA history to win three-consecutive 1V8 championships.

The event title adds to Ohio State's already impressive tally of seven all-time – all of which have come in the last five years and is good for fourth in NCAA history behind Brown (14), Washington (9) and Virginia (9).

The Buckeyes will be back next year where they'll fight to bring the team title back to Columbus.

National Qualifiers

Thanks to a fine showing in the 2016 NCAA East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Fla., the Ohio State track teams qualified nine individuals and two relay teams to next month's 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships.

Here is the list of qualifiers.

Name Event
Zach Bazile Men's Long Jump
Antonio Blanks Men's 400-Meter Hurdles
Aisha Cavin Women's 200-Meter Dash
Alexis Franklin Women's 400-Meter Hurdles
Alyssa Gary Women's Shot Put
Nick Gray Men's 100-Meter Dash and 200-Meter Dash
J.C. Murasky Men's Shot Put
SoSo Walker Women's 400-Meter Dash

Antonio Blanks, Nick Gray,

Jerry Jackson, Champ Page

Men's 4x400-Meter Relay

Karrington Winters, SoSo Walker,

Aisha Cavin, Alexis Franklin

Women's 4x400-Meter Relay

The 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships will take place June 8 through 11 in Eugene, Ore.

Out With a Bang

Ohio State senior men's golfer Tee-k Kelly ended his Buckeye career with a fine performance in the 2016 NCAA Championships. The senior finished in a tie for 30th, falling just one stroke shy of the cut.

Kelly outplayed 50 golfers ranked inside the Golfstat Top-100, 16 of which were ranked inside the Top-50. His performance came a just over a week after outplaying 74 competitors at the NCAA Kohler Regional to claim the lone spot at the NCAA Championships.

This, Kelly's 47th and final tournament as a Buckeye, closes the door on his superb career.

Runner up

Ohio State men's tennis team's Mikael Torpegaard fell to UCLA’s Mackenzie McDonald in Monday's NCAA Singles Championship Final. The nation's No. 1 player will have to settle for a runner up finish. 

Torpegaard's run through the singles bracket was quite a bounce back performance. After going undefeated during the regular season including 14 wins over top-50 players and holding the nation's No. 1 ranking for over a month, Torpegaard fell in back-to-back matches in the NCAA Tournament, including the match-deciding contest against California's Florian Lakat.

His run in the singles tournament included four wins over top-40 players including a straight sets sweep of the nation's No. 5 player in TCU's Cameron Norrie in the semi-finals.

The Denmark-native was also honored as the 2016 ITA National Player to Watch, which is a distinction given every year to the nation's top non-senior player who will be returning next season. Torpegaard becomes the third Buckeye to earn the honor.

Torpegaard ends the season with an astounding 34 wins and is expected to return next season for the Buckeyes as they will again be favorites to compete for their first-ever team national title.

Other Scores and News


2015-'16 Title Count: 2

  • Pistol
  • Men's Volleyball
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