The Ohio Bobcats had a year full of memories, milestones and victories in 2023-24. Several programs took the Mid-American Conference by storm and reached the postseason. Along the way, the Bobcats also learned more about themselves, their sports and their fields of study.
Take a trip back in time to winter with Ohio:
Women’s Swim and Dive
Ohio went a perfect 7-0, including a 4-0 record in the MAC, during the 2023-24 season. Highlight victories included a 219-81 routing of Ball State on senior day in January and 173-126 defeat of eventual MAC Champions Akron in the Aquatic Center.
The Bobcats hosted the 2024 MAC Championships, where they placed third as a team after several strong performances. Ohio’s freestyle relays consisting of freshman Zita Szoke, senior Meg Voigt, graduate student McKenzie Grau and senior Caroline Dunigan took third place in the 400-yard event and second place in the 200-yard event. The group’s time of 3:37.02 in the 400-yard relay set a new school record.
Ohio broke quite a few records en route to the podium at the MAC Championships. The 800-yard freestyle relay of Szoke, Voigt, Grau and junior Gabrielle McKee earned third place with a program-best 7:11.43. The 200-yard medley relay of Dunigan, senior Peyton Farrell, sophomore Casadie DiBetta and senior Gabrielle Brust took home third place with a record time of 1:38.97.
Individually, Szoke became Ohio’s first champion in the 200-yard freestyle since 2004. Dibetta’s win in the 100-yard backstroke marked the first time since the 1996-97 season that Ohio won back-to-back championships in the event. Other individual podium finishers for Ohio included Brust, Voigt, Grau, McKee junior Julia Strine, sophomore Emily Ellsworth, sophomore Anna McGrath, senior Morgan Croaning and junior Edie Sawyer. Freshman Astrid Pichardo placed in the 1-meter dive event.
The Bobcats had four All-MAC First Team nominees — DiBetta, Szoke, McKee and Brust — and two Second Team nominees, Strine and Grau. Szoke also earned Freshman of the Year and a trip to the NCAA championships, where she rebroke the school record for the 200-yard and 50-yard freestyles. The Bobcats had 21 student-athletes on the Academic All-MAC team.
Men’s Basketball
Ohio finished the 2023-24 season with a 20-13 overall record. It participated in the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship, where it went 2-1, and the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge, where it went 1-1.
The Bobcats finished third in the MAC with a 13-5 record, which improved on its fifth place finish with a 10-8 record in 2022-23. They had the second-best points per game average in the conference at 77.3 points per game.
Ohio also went back to the MAC Tournament this past season. It defeated Western Michigan 82-55 in the first round to continue its seven-game win streak, but ultimately fell to Akron 65-62 in the semifinals.
Senior Jaylin Hunter led the MAC in assists, which helped him earn an All-MAC Second Team nomination. He also led the Bobcats with 14 points and 4.9 assists per game. Hunter was also Academic All-MAC. Junior AJ Clayton joined Hunter on the All-MAC third team after he was second in the league in blocks per game and blocks, as well as fourth in 3-point field goal percentage and sixth in field goal percentage.
Women’s Basketball
Ohio finished its season with an 11-19 record and a 8-10 mark in the MAC. It swept Akron with 67-58 and 72-63 victories and defeated the likes of Dayton, IUPUI and Kent State. Ohio also returned to the MAC Tournament for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
Sophomore Jaya McClure led the Bobcats with 74 assists en route to an Honorable Mention All-MAC nod. Junior Kennedi Watkins joined her after she recorded the most points, 285, and blocks, 12, for the Bobcats. Also, freshman Bailey Tabeling earned a slot on the All-Freshman team.
McClure was joined by senior Peyton Guice, redshirt junior Madi Mace and junior Kate Dennis on the Academic All-MAC Team. Dennis and Watkins were also named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.
Wrestling
Ohio tallied a 7-6 record last season, including a 5-1 mark at home. Over the course of the season, it won duels against Drexel, Gardner Webb, George Mason, Kent State and SIUE. Ohio also participated in the Navy Classic, where it tied for seventh, and Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, where it placed 15th out of 36 teams.
The Bobcats had a host of success at the 2024 MAC Championships. Redshirt sophomore Peyten Kellar earned their first individual MAC Championship since 2017 with a 2-0 decision in the 157-pound division. Redshirt sophomore Garrett Thompson placed second in the 165-pound division, junior Sal Perrine placed fourth in the 174-pound division and senior Jordan Greer placed third in the 285-pound division. Redshirt freshman Derek raike placed fifth in his division and junior Zayne Lehman placed seventh in the 184-pound division.
Kellar, Thompson and Greer all earned bids to the NCAA Championships after their stellar performances at the conference championship. Greer earned the No. 33 seed, Thompson the No. 12 and Kellar the No. 7.
Kellar and Thompson became the first Bobcats to win their opening matches since Mario Guillen in 2021. Furthermore, Kellar became the Bobcats’ first All-American since 2016 with his fifth palace finish. Ohio finished 25th as a team.
Off the mat, Perrine and redshirt freshman Mason Brugh earned Academic All-MAC nominations. Brugh and freshman Ryan Meek were named National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-Americans.
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