OSU sophomore guard Kelsey Mitchell (3) dribbles the ball during a game against Rutgers on Jan. 10 at the Schottenstein Center. Credit: Samantha Hollingshead | Photo Editor
The Ohio State women’s basketball team’s season might have ended Friday in the Sweet 16, but its star player was honored as one of the nation’s sweet five on Monday.
Sophomore guard Kelsey Mitchell, finishing off a very successful follow-up to her AP second-team All-American rookie season, was named to its first team for the 2015-16 campaign.
The first-team honor makes Mitchell the third Buckeye to receive the award, joining former OSU standouts Jessica Davenport in 2005 and Jantel Lavender in 2010 and 2011.
Notable for her long-range shooting touch and quick crossover, Mitchell broke several program records during the season and is on pace to eclipse many more. Perhaps the most noteworthy among the top spots Mitchell claimed in the OSU record books this season is the mark for points in a game (48 versus Michigan State on Feb. 27). She also broke her own single-season scoring record with 889 points.
The Cincinnati native is fourth in the nation with 26.1 points per game and tied for first with 126 3-pointers, finishing one shy of the NCAA single-season record she set as a freshman.
Joining Mitchell on the first team are four players who OSU squared off against this season: Connecticut’s Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson, A’ja Wilson of South Carolina and Big Ten foe Rachel Banham from Minnesota.
OSU senior guard Ameryst Alston received honorable mention honors after averaging 18.3 points per contest.
While more awards almost assuredly sit in the future of Mitchell’s time at OSU, a few of those could still come this season. Mitchell is a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman award for the nation’s top point guard, Dawn Staley award for the top guard and Wooden Award for the top player in the country.
