Ten Ohio State student-athletes have the potential to win $5,000 in scholarship money next week.
The Big Ten Medal of Honor will be presented Monday at the 2013 OSU Scholar-Athlete Dinner at the Ohio Union. The award is given annually to the most accomplished male and female athlete in the realms of school and sports who are also in the graduating class, and includes a $5,000 postgraduate scholarship.
The dinner will be the 46th edition of the evening to honor OSU student-athletes’ academic achievements.
This year’s female candidates are soccer forward Tiffany Cameron, fencing epee Katarzyna Dabrowa, softball shortstop Alicia Herron, volleyball outside hitter Mari Hole and synchronized swimmer Caitlin Stewart. The male candidates are punter Ben Buchanan, wrestler C.J. Magrum, tennis player Devin McCarthy, fencing sabre Max Stearns and volleyball middle blocker John Tholen.
Cameron, a women’s soccer forward, was a 2012 NSCAA second team All-American and two-time first team All-Big Ten selection, as well as a four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. She left OSU as the all-time leading goal scorer with 40 goals and the most career points in OSU history at 96. Cameron also set a new school record of goals in a season with 21 in 2012, far more than the previous record of 13. She scored nine game-winning goals in 2012, the most in the country. She also has 19 career game-winners, the fourth-most in Big Ten history. Cameron set an OSU record for the most assists in 2012 as well, with five assists to tally 47 points. In China in January, she earned her first three caps with the Canadian National team and went on to sign a free agent contract with the Seattle Reign of the National Women’s Soccer League.
Dabrowa, a fencing epee, was a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and a two-time first team All-American, and she was named twice to the Academic All-Big Ten team. She earned a first place individual title in epee at the 2012 NCAA Championships to help win the team title for the Buckeyes. A native of Poland, Dabrowa has finished in the top three of the 2011 Midwest Conference Championships, the 2011 European Championships U23 and the 2011 NCAA Championships. In 2012, she earned first place at all three of the competitions. Dabrowa was a three-time recipient of the Primetime Performer honor from CollegeFencing360.com. She was also a member of the Polish National Fencing Team.
Herron, a softball shortstop, was the first Buckeye in program history to be named a first team Academic All-American. She finished her career as the OSU record holder in career runs scored with 168 and is second in home runs with 49 and RBI with 176. She was also third in hits with 226, fourth in triples with 11 and doubles with 40 and fifth in walks with 113 and batting average with .367. Herron was a four-time All-Big Ten and All-Region selection. During her last season as a Buckeye in 2012, she had a .378 average, 51 hits, 14 home runs and scored 48 runs. When she was a freshman in 2009, Herron helped the Buckeyes make it to their first Super Regional in program history when she made 14 home runs to break the OSU freshman record. She was also a three-time Academic All-District, an Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete.
Hole, a women’s volleyball outside hitter, earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Third Team honors and was named to the AVCA All-Mideast Region Team in 2012. She was also a unanimous All-Big Ten selection and was named National Player of the Week in November, as well as being named Big Ten Player of the Week twice. Hole was also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. She was named an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and All-Big Ten First Team honoree in 2011 as well. In her two seasons at OSU, Hole completed her career as third ever at OSU in kills per set with 4.11 and fifth in points per set with 4.60. In late 2012, Hole became the 20th Buckeye to make more than 1,000 career kills. She was also the third-fastest to reach the milestone. During her final season, Hole had 18 double-doubles and had 33 double-digit kill performances in 34 matches.
The final female candidate is Stewart, a synchronized swimmer who was a four-time U.S. Collegiate All-American and led the Buckeyes to two consecutive U.S. Collegiate championships in 2009 and 2010. Stewart was on the Scarlet Team for four years as the team won four consecutive North Regional titles from 2007-10. As a four-time letterwinner, she earned two duet regional titles and then a U.S. collegiate title in the trio event. Stewart also helped the Buckeyes win the U.S. Senior National Championships title for the first time in OSU history behind the Scarlet Team’s second-place finish in the team routine. A team captain in 2010, Stewart finished her OSU career as a North Regional champion in the team event. Stewart was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten winner and a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete. She was the U.S. duet alternate at the 2012 Olympic Games held in London.
Buchanan, a punter, finished his OSU football career as the fourth all-time in school history in punts with 177 and yards with 7,286. His 41.2 career average was eighth in OSU history. Buchanan also had 58 punts downed inside in the 20-yard line. In 2011 as a junior, he was sixth in the nation with 27 punts downed inside the 20 and third in the nation with 13 punts downed inside the 10. Buchanan was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and OSU Scholar-Athlete, and he was a two-time finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy that is given to the college football player who best combines community service with athletic and academic achievements. Buchanan was also on the student-athlete advisory board and went on three medical missions to Honduras, among other community service project trips.
Magrum, a wrestler in the 184-pound weight class, was a three-time wrestling team captain and letterwinner with more than 80 career wins. He was a four-time NCAA championships qualifier. Magrum made the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team, earned Academic All-Big Ten laurels and was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar three times. He was also a four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete.
McCarthy, a men’s tennis player, was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient and a four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete. He was a two-time second team All-Big Ten recipient and a three-time letterwinner. During his time at OSU, the tennis team has won four consecutive Big Ten regular-season titles and three consecutive Big Ten tournament championships. The Buckeyes have also reached the NCAA championships final, semifinals and twice the quarterfinals with McCarthy. In his 2012 season, he had a perfect Big Ten singles record with a 10-0.
Stearns, a fencing sabre, was a 2012 First Team All-American, a three-time OSU Scholar-Athlete, a 2010 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a two-time member of the Big Ten All-Academic Team. He has also been on the Dean’s List seven times. Stearns helped win Canada its first ever team medal at a World Championship wh
en he was on the silver medal-winning team at the Junior World Championships in 2010. As a member of the Canadian Senior National Team in 2010, he competed at the 2011 Pan-American Championships. The team won a silver medal. Stearns earned a third place individual title at the NCAA Championships in 2012 as the Buckeyes won the National Champion title.
Tholen, a men’s volleyball middle blocker and two-time team captain, was on four MIVA regular season championship teams, as well as OSU’s first national championship team in 2011. He earned All-MIVA Second Team honors and a place on the MIVA All-Tournament team last season, playing a role in earning OSU’s sixth consecutive MIVA regular season title. Tholen has also garnered three Academic All-MIVA honors, three Academic All-Big Ten honors and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar award.
The Big Ten Medal of Honor was established in 1914 for men and in 1982 for women.
