Dear loyal Buckeye friends and family,
We hope you and your family continue to stay safe and healthy as we navigate this "new normal." We're excited to update you on our spring campaign that was both successful and rewarding. We were so grateful to have the opportunity to train and compete. A lot of hard work and adjustments went in to making our season possible. We are thankful to all the people at Ohio State and the Big Ten for making this past season a possibility. Starting up in January with a lot of protocols and policies we found love for the practices, being around our team, and growing as the season went on which was capped off by a memorable run to the Big Ten Tournament championship game. Off the field, our team continued to raise the bar in their academic accomplishments as well as the jobs and internships they were able to secure.
We're looking forward to returning to our normal fall schedule in August and building off the momentum from this past spring. We hope to see you all whether it’s here in Columbus at Buckeye Varsity Field, or on the road if we travel to your hometown. Go Buckeyes!
2021 SPRING SEASON RECAP
The 2021 spring season was unlike any other in the 50-year history of Ohio State field hockey. And not just because it started in February and ended in April. It also consisted of a Big Ten-only schedule, one that challenged us and undoubtedly made us better.
Big Ten Tournament Recap
After a string of close losses to open the season, we found our footing in April and really came together as a team. After winning five of our final six games to finish the regular season, we were able to pull out a pair of wins at the Big Ten Tournament - over No. 15 Penn State and No. 5 Northwestern - to make our first championship game appearance since 2010. The win over Penn State, highlighted by a overtime goal from Sarah Charley, was our second over the Nittany Lions in a five-day span.
The next night against Northwestern, we found ourselves trailing 1-0 entering the fourth quarter. Undeterred, we tied the game at 1-all early in the fourth quarter and then won it in overtime when Tess Maloney was in the right place at the right time to tip in a shot by Leanne Bough.
Although the championship game didn't go the way we envisioned, there's plenty to build on heading into the fall of 2021! Over our final nine games - seven of which we won - we averaged 3.33 goals per game, held opponents to 1.33 goals/game and outshot our opponents 154-64.
Upcoming Schedule
Buckeye Nation
Not only was the 2021 spring season unique because of when it occurred, but it also marked the 50th season of Buckeye field hockey. It gave us an opportunity to celebrate the great teams, athletes and coaches who have come before us!
The Complete Student-Athlete Experience
ACADEMICS
Four student-athletes earned NFHCA Scholar of Distinction honors earlier this spring. The Scholars of Distinction program recognizes student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.9 or higher through the first semester of the 2020-21 academic year.
A total of more than 250 student-athletes were recognized from teams throughout the country. The Ohio State honorees were: Lotte Algra, Abby Danson, Megan McKenna and Sammy Stone.
Twenty members of the Ohio State field hockey team – the most in program history – were named to the 2020 National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I National Academic Squad. The program honors student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.3 or higher through the first semester of the 2020-2021 academic year.
2020 NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad
Lotte Algra // Major: Sports Coaching
Mackenzie Allessie // Major: Psychology
Leanne Bough // Major: Accounting
Sarah Charley // Major: Health Science
Abby Danson // Major: Construction Systems Mgmt
Julia Dickinson // Major: Communication
Kennedy Fertitta // Major: Finance
Louise Fobe // Major: International Studies
Emma Goldean // Major: Biology
Ali Gordon // Major: Exploration
Aaliyah Hernandez // Major: Biology
Jessica Hourihane // Major: Marketing
Mara Hunter* // Major: Public Mangmnt, Ldrshp, & Plcy
Megan McKenna // Major: Health Sciences
Katie Pyle // Major: Human Dvlpmt & Family Science
Sarah Richards // Major: Health Sciences
Sina Schwinn // Major: Psychology
Samantha Stone* // Major: Kinesiology
Julianna Sweeney* // Major: Animal Sciences
Nicole Trzaska // Major: Marketing
*Four-time honorees
CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES
Nikki Trzaska graduated with her degree in marketing in May and is set to begin a job as a client service team associate for AlphaSights. A team captain, Nikki played in 72 games and scored 10 goals to go along with nine assists for 29 points. She was also a standout student, garnering Academic All-Big Ten, OSU Scholar-Athlete and NFHCA National Academic Squad honors.
Buckeyes Off the Field
This summer won't just be about rest and recuperation before the fall season. Our Buckeyes will get a lot of "real world" experience as they have several internships, jobs and job shadowing opportunities lined up. Here's what they had to say about what they'll be doing and why they're excited for what's ahead:
Jess Hourihane // #17
This summer, I have the opportunity to intern with Lettuce Entertain You, one of the largest restaurant enterprises with over 120 restaurants across nine different states. I will be working with executives in the marketing, finance, human resources, and other departments to grow my business skill and understand how the restaurant industry operates. Throughout my internship I will be collaborating with a group of interns to build a concept (a new restaurant) and present to upper-level management at the end of the program for possible selection. I am very grateful for this opportunity and look forward to working and gaining new skill from Lettuce!
Kennedy Fertitta // #28
I am going to be working at JLL which is a commercial real estate company that develops, purchases, and sells various property types all over the world. I will be in the Charlotte office this summer working specifically in the property management and brokerage group of the industry. I will be working alongside other employees and interns on real life projects and assignments that JLL working on.
Sina Schwinn // #7
This summer I’ll continue to work in Dr. Haesemeyer’s research lab as a research assistant. The lab is part of the Department of Neuroscience and is generally interested in how brains represent the environment and how they use computational strategies to transform sensation into adaptive behaviors by using larval zebrafish as a model. Over the course of the last semester, I’ve undergone training for behavioral experiments and fish husbandry. I’ve conducted behavioral experiments involving a circular heat gradient to collect data that we analyzed in regard to thermoregulation by looking at preferred temperature, turning angles, swim frequency, magnitude, displacement and more. Over the summer, I will continue to work on those experiments but might also work on a more open research project related to the lab’s interest of study. In addition, I’m participating in weekly lab meetings where we talk about current translational neuroscience research and the research progress that has been made in our own lab so far.
This summer I'll be interning with Engine Media Inc., a multi-platform media group in the esports, news streaming, and gaming industries. I will be learning about these different markets and exploring the opportunities for growth within them for Engine Media, as well as working on the marketing side of different projects. I'm excited to have the opportunity to work remotely this summer and gain experience in a new field!
Bucks Go Pro
Bucks Go Pro is an eight-week internship that provides real-world work experience and professional development. The program is designed to prepare student-athlete for life after sport through experience in a professional setting and participation in professional development sessions that are crafted to meet their needs.
Delaney Lawler // #9
This summer I will be lucky enough to intern with BucksGoPro 1.0 within the development department. I will be working with the Buckeye Club to help fundraise for scholarships, designing what “Thank You” week will look like for this upcoming year, along with collecting and creating “What it Means to be a Buckeye” stories. This is an amazing opportunity that would not be possible without Ohio State Athletics and the support of our staff to go out and take advantage of this opportunity and I could not be more excited!
Leanne Bough // #1
My internship through Bucks Go Pro this summer is working with the Eugene D. Smith Leadership Institute. I will be working along side Makena Lynch and others organizing the Real Life app and implementing professionalism skills in order to prepare and organize our student-athletes for post-graduation.