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Ohio State University law student crowned Miss Ohio, Grove City native places

Published

5 months ago

June 22, 2025

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Ohio State University law student crowned Miss Ohio, Grove City native places

Miss Ohio 2025 Olivia Fosson, an Ohio State University law student from southern Ohio, was crowned on June 21 and will represent Ohio in the Miss America competition.
A Grove City native was third runner-up and several other Columbus-area contestants won scholarship awards.

A law student at Ohio State University will represent the Buckeye State in the Miss America competition after being crowned Miss Ohio 2025 on June 21.

Olivia Fosson, 24, of Kitts Hill, was first runner-up last year in the Miss Ohio competition. Now, the opera singer will receive a $10,000 scholarship and head to the Miss America competition in Orlando, Florida, in September.

The Miss Ohio competition was hosted in Mansfield from June 19-21 with 28 contestants from across the state.

While Fosson hails from southern Ohio, here are the central Ohio natives who placed or won awards.

Miss Portsmouth Brittney Putman, of Grove City, was third runner-up and took home a $3,500 scholarship. Her talent is dance and her community service initiative is “You’re Important Too: Advocating for Children and Families Affected by Substance Abuse.”

Miss Franklin County Reagan Petersen, of Gahanna, won a $500 scholarship from the Cheryl J. Oliveri Memorial Fund. Her talent is dance and her community service initiative is “Be the Match, Save a Life.”

Miss Greater Columbus Olivia Jarrell, of Columbus, won the Caroline Grace Williams Spirit Award, a $250 scholarship. Her talent is ballroom dance and her community service initiative is “The J.O.Y. Project.”

Miss Heart of Ohio Lexie Miller, of Newark, won the Laurel Lea Schaefer Award, a $500 scholarship. The prize is named for the Miss America winner of 1972, who came from Bexley.

Miller’s talent is singing and her community service initiative is “Take HEART.” Miller also won a nonfinalist talent award, a $500 scholarship.

Miss Central Ohio Caitlin Seifert, 26, was first runner-up, but she’s not from central Ohio. Seifert is from Niles in Trumbull County. Her talent is baton twirling and her community service initiative is “Turn a Key: Opening the Door to Volunteering.”

Mansfield News Journal reporter Lou Whitmire contributed to this report.

Reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.

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Did changes to Michigan week routine help Ohio State end rivalry skid?

Published

3 hours ago

December 1, 2025

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Did changes to Michigan week routine help Ohio State end rivalry skid?

Before Ohio State snapped a four-game losing streak to archrival Michigan with a 27-9 win on Nov. 29, it made a series of changes to the week of preparation.

It began with moving the marching band’s visit to practice to an idle week in October to taking a flight to Ann Arbor. The Buckeyes had ridden busses to southeast Michigan unlike most of their destinations in the Big Ten.

Buckeyes coach Ryan Day sought for the leadup to The Game to mirror a typical week in the regular season. The stakes of the rivalry had been high enough for his players.

“You want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to keep the routine the routine,” Day said. “There’s enough emotion that goes into that game. I felt like that was important.”

It wasn’t the first time Day had tinkered with the script to Michigan week, which has included the Thanksgiving holiday since 2010. In 2022, he pushed back Senior Tackle, the tradition in practice in which seniors hit a blocking sled for the last time, to the postseason.

But this year’s changes were the most significant as Day weighed the makeup of his team and their recent setbacks in the rivalry.

The stunning upset loss to the Wolverines last season marked a tipping point as they made adjustments off the field to a week that never lacked for festivities.

“There were just a lot of things that were different and may have thrown us off on our routine,” Day said. “We’re a routine-oriented culture, and I felt like it was the best thing to do. Was that the difference in the end? Who knows. But everything matters.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.

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Indiana, Ohio State battle for Big Ten title and top seed in College Football Playoff

Published

16 hours ago

November 30, 2025

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Indiana, Ohio State battle for Big Ten title and top seed in College Football Playoff

Conventional wisdom has top-ranked Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana both earning first-round byes in the College Football Playoff regardless of what happens in Saturday night’s Big Ten Championship Game.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is not buying that for one second.

“The way you play should mean something. It will be the last thing you put on the field. I don’t expect any handouts,” Cignetti said during a Zoom call on Sunday. “We’ve earned everything up to this point and we’ve got to earn it on Saturday.”

If this had been last year, the winner would get the first-round bye and the loser likely the No. 5 seed and a first-round game since the top four ranked conference champions got the top four seeds in the first year of the 12-team field.

However, the rules were adjusted this year where the top four teams — even if they are from the same conference — receive the byes.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day is of the opposite opinion, pointing out that if a team is already seeded highly, it shouldn’t get dinged for playing this Saturday.

“You’re not supposed to be penalized for playing in the conference championship,” he said. “So yeah, both teams deserve to get a first round bye.”

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti looks on during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Purdue, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in West Lafayette, Ind. Credit: AP/Doug McSchooler

Day though also knows that a win on Saturday would lock up the top seed as Ohio State tries to become the first team since Georgia to win two straight national titles.

“I think it’s important to win this game and be the one seed. It’s going to help your chances. Everything matters,” Day said.

Both teams are 12-0 and unbeaten in nine Big Ten games.

Indiana started its preparations after a 56-3 romp of Purdue on Friday night. Ohio State snapped a four-game losing streak to Michigan with a 27-9 victory.

The Buckeyes coaching staff started watching film in Ann Arbor on Saturday night as the plane was delayed from taking off due to a snowstorm.

This will be only the third time there has been a matchup between the top two ranked teams in a conference championship game. The previous times were in the Southeastern Conference when Alabama faced Florida.

Both times the No. 2 team won the matchup. Florida beat Alabama 31-20 in 2008 and the Crimson Tide returned to get revenge the following year with a 32-13 victory.

Cignetti was an assistant at Alabama during those two matchups.

The Buckeyes are 3-2 as the top-ranked team when facing No. 2. The last time was in the 2007 BCS title game when they lost to LSU 38-24.

Indiana comes into the game with the nation’s second-highest scoring offense, averaging 44.3 points per game. Ohio State leads the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 7.8 points per game.

It will also be a chance for both quarterbacks to make their final case for the Heisman Trophy.

Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is considered the favorite with 2,758 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Ohio State’s Julian Sayin leads the nation with a 78.9% completion rate and has thrown for 3,065 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Heisman ballots from voters are due on Dec. 8.

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Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate lift Ohio State in return at Michigan

Published

1 day ago

November 30, 2025

Press Room

Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate lift Ohio State in return at Michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Jeremiah Smith broke away from the coverage.

Smith had made a double move on Michigan cornerback Zeke Berry, leaving him open along the sideline for quarterback Julian Sayin.

As the pass landed in his grasp, Smith tumbled into the south end zone at Michigan Stadium for a 35-yard touchdown.

The early sequence in Ohio State’s 27-9 win at archrival Michigan sparked a moment of controversy. Officials reviewed whether Smith had maintained possession while crossing the goal line before upholding the call.

It instead endured as a turning point, allowing the Buckeyes to take control early in the second quarter of the 121^st edition of The Game. After gaining a 10-6 lead, they never fell behind.

Smith was a vital piece of their offense as he and fellow star wide receiver Carnell Tate returned from unspecified injuries to provide deep threats.

Their chemistry with Sayin was evident. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said the play call that led to Smith’s touchdown catch on fourth-and-5 was one they had hardly practiced in the days leading up to kickoff.

Smith, who sat out last week’s win over Rutgers, had been limited in practices, leaving them to largely rep the play in walkthroughs.

“Some of the things you can practice,” Day said, “but some of them you can’t. That wasn’t a play we had a ton of practice at all. But we talked about it, we walked through it, and we have to give our guys credit.

“We felt like it was an aggressive call that we wanted to make in that moment, so we did, and they put on the field in a big way.”

Tate, who had been sidelined for three straight games, left his mark in the middle of the third quarter when he got over the top to catch a 50-yard touchdown to help put the game away.

During the Buckeyes’ four-game losing streak to Michigan, their vertical passing game had come and gone. The longest touchdown pass in Ohio State’s two most recent losses was 14 yards. Only once in four losses had they completed a pass for a touchdown of at least 30 yards.

It made the return of Smith and Tate, who had been listed as questionable on the pregame availability report, critical for the Buckeyes to end the Wolverines’ recent run of dominance in the series, tapping into an explosive element.

“Just having those guys back is just awesome,” Sayin said, “because they’re such elite receivers.”

Tate led the Buckeyes with five catches for 82 yards and one touchdown, which was his sixth this year to come on a deep ball, as defined by Pro Football Focus of at least 20 yards. Smith finished with three receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown.

Day praised athletic trainers Shaun Barnhouse and Adam Stewart for their roles in helping the receivers in their rehabs, as well the resilience of Smith and Tate.

“If you really know how much work they put in to get on the field, how gutsy they are,” Day said, “I’m sure the fans and everybody would just appreciate what they did going out there and putting it on the line.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.

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