Sophie Jaques (pictured above) and James Trotter named Ohio State’s Athletes of the Year. Credit: Katie Good | Lantern File Photo
Jaques, a graduate defenseman from Toronto, Canada, collected a long list of accolades her final season, including the 2022 Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s Defender of the Year, Outstanding Student Athlete, the Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Sport Scholar of the Year, U.S. College Hockey Online’s Player of the Year and the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award — awarded to the best player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey.
In the 2022-23 season, Jaques led the Buckeyes to a 33-win season (33-6-2) — a program record — and helped make Ohio State WCHA regular season champions for the first time ever.
Jaques was also instrumental in the team’s 2022 National Championship victory over Minnesota Duluth, the first in program history. This past season, she again led the team to the NCAA Championship but was shut out by conference foe, Wisconsin, 1-0.
Throughout Jaques’ Ohio State career, the Buckeyes advanced to the Frozen Four four out of five years, while she tallied 61 goals, 95 assists and 156.
Trotter, the fifth-year player from Hyogo, Japan, earned several accolades in his final season as a Buckeye.
In both singles and doubles, Trotter earned All-American honors, made the All-Big Ten First Team and was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Most Improved Senior, according to the press release. Additionally, he went 29-1 in singles matches and 22-8 in doubles matches over the 2023 season.
With Trotter’s help, the Buckeyes were Big Ten champions and advanced to the NCAA DI tennis championship, but fell short to Virginia 4-0. However, that was not the end of his Ohio State run.
Trotter and doubles partner Andrew Lutschaunig won the 2023 Doubles Championship May 27– only the second NCAA doubles title in program history.
The Big Ten Athlete of the Year honor will be announced in late June, according to the press release. The last Buckeye to win the honor was football’s Chase Young in 2020.
