Kyle Snyder named Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year
Snyder, Shields Named Ohio State Athletes of the Year; Duo now on ballot for Big Ten Athlete of the Year awards
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Kyle Snyder of the Buckeye wrestling squad and Catherine Shields of the Ohio State rowing team were named the 2015-16 Ohio State Male and Female Athletes of the Year, respectively. The duo will be placed on the ballots for the Big Ten Female and Male Athlete of the Year awards.
A sophomore from Woodbine, Md., Snyder (11-0) was the 2016 Big Ten and NCAA champion at heavyweight, helping Ohio State to a third-place finish at both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. Along the way, he was dominant, picking up eight of his 11 wins by either fall, technical fall or major decision. He scored 20 points on seven occasions, averaged 18.6 points/match and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAA Championships. Snyder was also a finalist for the Dan Hodge Trophy, considered the Heisman Trophy of college wrestling.
In the NCAA finals, Snyder knocked off two-time defending champion Nick Gwiazdowski of N.C. State in overtime, ending his 88-match winning streak. Last fall, he became the youngest World champion in U.S. wrestling history and originally intended to redshirt the 2015-16 campaign before deciding at midseason to return to take a shot at winning a NCAA title. Just three weeks after his college season ended, Snyder defeated 2012 Olympic goal medalist Jake Varner twice at the Olympic Team Trials to earn a spot at this summer’s Olympic Games on Rio.
It is the third straight year a wrestler has been named the Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year, joining Logan Stieber (2014, 2015). Current assistant coach J Jaggers also earned the honor in 2009.
Shields, a two-time Big Ten Rowing Athlete of the Year and the 2014 Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year, is the sixth two-time winner of the award in school history. A native of Rangiora, New Zealand, Shields won four individual national titles and four Big Ten titles as a Buckeye while compiling a glistening 172-2 overall record over four seasons. This season, she led the First Varsity Eight to a Big Ten title, history-making third-consecutive NCAA title and an overall record of 46-2 (12-2 races). A three-time NCAA team champion and four-time Big Ten team champion with the Buckeyes, she is the first three-time First Team All-America selection in school history, as a well as a three-time All-Central Region and All-Big Ten selection. In April, she received the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor for her work in both athletics and academics.
The women’s rowing team has now claimed Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year honors in each of the last four seasons. Claire-Louise Bode was a winner in 2013, followed by Shields, Ashley Bauer and Shields once again.
Past Ohio State Male Athletes of the Year
(Wrestlers in bold)
1982 Art Schlichter Football
1983 Chris Perry Golf
1984 John Frank Football
1985 Robert Playter Gymnastics
1986 Mike Lanese Football
1987 Butch Reynolds Track & Field
1988 Chris Spielman Football
1989 Joe Greene Track & Field
1990 Mike Rancanelli Gymnastics
1991 Jim Jackson Basketball
1992 Jim Jackson Basketball
1993 Chris Nelloms Track & Field
1994 Chris Sanders Track & Field
1995 Blaine Wilson Gymnastics
1996 Eddie George Football
1997 Blaine Wilson Gymnastics
1998 Hugo Boisvert Hockey
1999 Scoonie Penn Basketball
2000 Jamie Natalie Gymnastics
2001 Jamie Natalie Gymnastics
2002 Raj Bhavsar Gymnastics
2003 Craig Krenzel Football
2004 Dan Taylor Track & Field
2005 Mike Nugent Football
2006 A.J. Hawk Football
2007 Troy Smith Football
2008 Andras Horanyi Fencing
2009 J Jaggers Wrestling
2010 Evan Turner Basketball
2011 Steven Kehoe Volleyball
2012 Zain Shaito Fencing
2013 Blaz Rola Tennis
2014 Logan Stieber Wrestling
2015 Logan Stieber Wrestling
2016 Kyle Snyder Wrestling
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