Ohio
Ohio picks up much-needed MAC win over Buffalo – WOUB Public Media
ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — In a desperate push for a coveted spot in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, Ohio (13-13, 9-6 MAC) was able to push aside Buffalo (14-14, 10-5 MAC) for one of the most important wins of the season to this point.
Ohio got off to a very fast start in the match. An ace by Bryn Janke served as a precursor for the high-powered offense that Ohio would put on display in the opening set. Ohio took an early 5-0 lead in the blink of an eye with kills by Anna Kharchynska and Kam Hunt highlighting the run. Unlike some other runs for Ohio, it was able to keep up the pressure on Buffalo, extending the lead to 10-1 and, eventually, 21-6 before winning the first set, 25-10.
The dominance from the Bobcats in the opening set was something to behold as the team outhit the Bulls by an astounding 0.364 to -0.045. The massive difference in energy was something that was welcome for Ohio head coach Geoff Carlston who admits that his team are usually “terrible starters.” Despite that characterization from her coach, Janke attributes the hot start to something else.
“I think just staying with what we know, focusing on those skills and running the offense cleanly,” Janke said. “(We were) just making sure that we’re taking control of the game and not letting them take everything.”
The second set was a lot closer than the first. Buffalo was able to take an early, albeit one that was wrestled away by Ohio. The teams traded the lead back and forth until, when the score was tied at six apiece, Ohio went on an 8-2 run to make it 14-8. The rally was not over for Ohio as it continued to mount a lead, getting up by as many as six points and eventually getting to a set point with a 24-20 lead. Buffalo would not blink, going on an improbable 5-0 run to take the second set and any hopes of a dominant, quick victory for Ohio.
The deflating ending to the second set for Ohio would be enough to sap some teams of any semblance of synergy and composure. For a moment, it appeared as if that might be the case. Buffalo continued to force Ohio into making errors early in the third set. However, that all changed when Ohio got a break in the form of a kill from Kharchynska. That catapulted Ohio back into the set. The teams would continue to trade points. Down 21-19, Ohio flipped the script from the previous set, blowing past Buffalo to take the third set.
The third set, as pivotal as any, was a huge moment for the Bobcats. They very easily could have folded under the deteriorating confidence stemming from a deflating loss in the second set. Instead, they found a way to rise above the adversity and respond by dishing out some adversity to their opponent.
“Third sets are always the big ones,” Carlston said. “We played a really good third set. It was not a pretty third set but it was a grinder and we were able to pull that one off. That was huge… we showed some guts.”
The fourth set was more like the previous two sets, not the first one. The teams, again, traded points with the Bobcats taking the lead only for the Bulls to tie the score. After a short run for the Bobcats, the score stood at 8-4 before the advantage got to 12-5 in favor of the home team. Like the Bobcats could have after the second set, it would have been easy for the Bulls to throw in the towel; it was a good comeback in the second set, but ultimately not their night. That was not the case as they stormed back to make it a one-point set with the score at 19-18, Bobcats.
Seemingly, Buffalo used up all of its gas to get even with Ohio. After the score tightened, Ohio was able to pull away for good, winning the fourth and final set, 25-21 on a kill by Olivia Gardener.
The match was truly a showcase of the talent on the roster for Ohio. Kharchynska and Hunt, the leaders of the offensive attack, ended the match with 15 and 14 kills, respectively. Janke had 37 assists while Kendall Hickey had 26 digs. Each of the starters for Ohio hit over 0.200 over the course of the match. That being said, these numbers mean nothing without the team continuing to play at this level with this sense of urgency.
“We’re treating it like the MAC Tournament,” Carlston said. “This is a dry run for two weeks from now when you have to win to move on.”
With the MAC Tournament nearing and the pendulum swinging with every point, set and match across the conference, teams like Ohio that find itself in the cluster of teams hovering in contention for the final couple of spots are looking for one thing: a chance.
“We have a good group and we’re playing really well right now,” Carlston said. “I want this group to have the opportunity to get in the tournament because we’re going to be a gnarly team to play if we can do it. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but tonight was a good start.”
The NWSL is once again expanding, this time the league is heading to Ohio where Columbus NWSL 2028 will take the field. Of course, Columbus NWSL 2028 is a placeholder for now and the the new team will unveil its name, crest, and uniform to build an identity around as it approaches its first season.
News of the club was announced yesterday, though this has been in the works for some time, in a press conference. Team owners, the Haslam Sports Group (HSG), Nationwide and Drs. Christine and Pete Edwards, spoke about what they hope the club will bring to Columbus and women’s soccer more broadly.
“Our family is thrilled to help bring an NWSL team to Columbus and further invest in Ohio, with the honor of bringing the 18th team into the league,” said Haslam Sports Group Managing Partner Whitney Haslam Johnson. “We believe in the power of women’s sports and are humbled to be part of the number one women’s soccer league in the world.”
Nationwide insurance has been a corporate partner in both NWSL and MLS for years and now joins an ownership group deepening those ties. “Today’s announcement is about inspiring young athletes across Central Ohio, elevating women’s professional sports and reminding the world that Columbus is a first-class sports city,” said Kirt Walker, Nationwide Chief Executive Officer. “As Nationwide marks 100 years, this is a powerful way to celebrate our milestone with the community that has been our home from the very beginning.”
The Edwards family has deep roots in the Columbus soccer scene with Dr. Pete Edwards serving as team doctor for the Crew in 1996 and the family joining the team’s ownership in 2019 during the Save The Crew effort. “Columbus is very important to our family. For over 30 years, we’ve supported the Columbus Crew and MLS. We’ve seen how a men’s professional soccer team has brought people together and created a positive impact in our community. It’s truly special to now welcome an NWSL club and the incredible women athletes who will also uplift our city on and off the pitch,” said Dr. Christine Edwards. “We’re very excited to partner with Haslam Sports Group and Nationwide for NWSL Columbus 2028, and we can’t wait to share even more memorable moments with fans, especially during the Club’s first game at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.”
The NWSL has continued its expansion with the announcement and the team will join Atlanta in its inaugural season in two years.
Ohio
Ex-Ohio State president Ted Carter’s girlfriend would sneak through campus garage to get to his office, report reveals
Disgraced ex-Ohio State President Ted Carter repeatedly snuck his alleged failing podcaster lover through a campus garage for secret visits to his office as he funneled university resources into her business ventures, a shocking new report claims.
The report into the circumstances behind Carter’s abrupt exit from his cushy $1.5 million-a-year role last month detailed his secret office rendezvous with Krisanthe Vlachos, host of “The Callout Podcast,” and at least five trips he took with her.
The duo jetted off to Richmond, Virginia; Orlando, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Las Vegas – with the married 66-year-old allegedly cooking up a fake business excuse for one trip, the report released Tuesday by the college found.
One social media post showed the pair at a Colorado Springs conference in January, with the ex-prez smiling next to Vlachos, who is clad in an all-black leather getup.
Carter – married to Lynda Carter for nearly 45 years – admitted giving Vlachos “inappropriate access” to university leadership and public resources to boost her private business when he voluntarily resigned.
The probe found he tapped at least 14 staffers to help his purported paramour, who hosted a veteran-focused podcast, including efforts to score her a university job, campus space, support staff, and financial backing from the school and outside agencies like JobsOhio for different business ventures.
“Carter’s actions betrayed Ohio State’s shared values and violated university policy,” the 47-page report said, adding his “wide-ranging” efforts dragged on for almost two years.
“Carter had a close personal and business relationship with Vlachos and he allowed that relationship to improperly influence his actions and impair his judgement.”
JobsOhio shelled out $60,000 to the prexy’s reported flame to produce four podcast episodes about veteran issues – though only one was completed, the agency said last month.
The company, which said its decision to invest was driven by Carter’s recommendation, is now trying to “clawback” the funds after all of Vlacho’s poorly performing podcast episodes were hastily removed from YouTube and other streamers when the scandal erupted.
Carter – who served as a Top Gun pilot and instructor during 38 years in the Navy – admitted in one episode he was a “frequent flyer” on the floundering show, appearing as a guest at least nine times since 2024.
JobsOhio also dished out $10,000 to sponsor a January 2025 event for vets and military families at Ohio State, calling it an “opportunity that Ms. Vlachos brought our attention.”
The agency’s handouts for Vlachos came to an end after she requested a $2.9 million investment in her proposed mobile app, which aimed to help Ohio veterans get jobs.
An Ohio State spokesman previously confirmed officials were investigating an LLC registered to Vlachos at a university-owned building, in connection with the ex-leader’s departure.
Carter and Vlachos have not responded publicly to the relationship allegations.
With Post wires.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Step aside, Bigfoot.
A new bill introduced to the Ohio House on April 13 wants to make the Loveland Frogman Ohio’s official state cryptid.
This very real bill is being sponsored by Ohio Representative Tristan Rader, who represents district 13 in Cleveland, and Representative Jean Schmidt, who represents district 62 in Loveland.
“This bill is about showcasing our communities,” said Rader in a press release. “The Loveland Frog is uniquely Ohio. It reflects the stories we tell, the places we’re proud of and the creativity that makes our state worth celebrating.”
The bill makes note that Loveland’s beloved legend has inspired books, documentaries, local festivals, artwork, merchandise and local tourism — all contributing to the local economy.
The Loveland Frogman is, as described by House Bill 821, “a frog-like, bipedal creature standing approximately four feet fall.”
The legend also inspired a found footage horror movie released in 2023.
But what is the Loveland Frogman?
The legend of the Loveland Frogman started with the story that, on two different nights in March of 1972, two different police officers spotted the Frogman.
The creature went unseen for decades, until in 2016, when a couple playing Pokemon Go said they spotted something weird between Loveland Madeira Road and Lake Isabella.
“We saw a huge frog near the water,” Sam Jacobs wrote in an email. “Not in the game, this was an actual giant frog.”
Jacobs said he stopped playing Pokemon Go so he could document what he was seeing, snapping some photos and shooting a short video.
“Then the thing stood up and walked on its hind legs. I realize this sounds crazy, but I swear on my grandmother’s grave this is the truth,” he wrote. “The frog stood about 4 feet tall.”
When they returned to Jacobs’ girlfriend’s home, her parents told them about the legend of the Frogman.
So was it the legendary Frogman? Or just a big frog? Jacobs wasn’t sure.
Around a day after WCPO’s story about Jacobs was published, we got a phone call from a man who claimed to be one of the original police officers who first saw the cryptid.
Mark Mathews told us the creature was not a frog at all.
Mathews explained that the first officer to encounter the purported Frogman, Ray Shockey, called him one night in the March of 1972 after spotting something strange on Riverside Drive/Kemper Road near the Totes boot factory and the Little Miami River.
“Naturally, I didn’t believe him … but I could somehow tell from his demeanor that he did see something,” Mathews said.
Later that month, Mathews was driving on Kemper Road near the boot factory when he saw something run across the road. However, it wasn’t walking upright and didn’t climb over the guardrail as the urban legend of the Frogman goes. The creature crawled under the guardrail. Matthews said he “had no clue what it was.”
“I know no one would believe me, so I shot it,” he said.
Mathews recovered the creature’s body and put it in his trunk to show Shockey. He said Shockey said it was the creature he had seen, too.
It was a large iguana about 3 or 3.5 feet long, Mathews said. The animal was missing its tail, which is why he didn’t immediately recognize it.
Mathews said he figured the iguana had been someone’s pet and then either got loose or was released when it grew too large. He also theorized that the cold-blooded animal had been living near the pipes that released water that was used for cooling the ovens in the boot factory as a way to stay warm in the cold March weather.
“It’s a big hoax,” he said. “There’s a logical explanation for everything.”
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