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Will reigning champion Ohio State football land five-star lineman Jackson Cantwell?

Published

11 months ago

April 23, 2025

Will reigning champion Ohio State football land five-star lineman Jackson Cantwell?

Days after winning the College Football Playoff National Championship, Ohio State coach Ryan Day sat in the Nixa High School coaching offices alongside five-star prospect Jackson Cantwell. It was his first recruiting stop after lifting the trophy over his head.

Ohio State is one of four teams hoping the No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class will choose them come April 30. The Buckeyes are the only program that can sell Cantwell on being the reigning champion.

“They’re the best team in the country right now,” Cantwell said. “Ohio State’s a really good situation.”

The 6-foot-8, 300-pound Nixa High offensive tackle will select between the Buckeyes, Georgia, Miami (Florida) and Oregon. He’s made two visits to Columbus in the last five months while trying to gather as much information as possible about the turnover at the offensive line coach position.

Day, who is more hands-on with the quarterbacks, had to hire a new offensive line coach this offseason after Justin Frye left the program to take over the same position for the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. Frye had been with OSU since 2022 and helped make offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. the sixth-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Frye’s departure led to three Ohio State hires who will impact Cantwell’s decision.

Tyler Bowen, formerly the offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech, was brought on as the new offensive line coach. Bowen hasn’t served as an offensive line coach since 2017, when he was at Maryland. Marcus Johnson, who was Purdue’s offensive line coach last year before the Boilermakers’ staff was fired, is the team’s assistant offensive line coach. Charlie Dickey will also serve as an offensive line assistant, having held main roles at Oklahoma State and Kansas State in recent years.

“They’ve hired a lot of great offensive line coaches,” Cantwell said. “They’re putting a lot of emphasis on it and are trying to make sure they develop those guys.”

What Jackson Cantwell has said about Ohio State football, Ryan Day

Cantwell in February: “Ohio State’s an interesting one for me. They have Ryan Day, who has done a fantastic job and is probably the most underrated coach in college football. He’s one of the best coaches in college football. I still sometimes don’t even think Ohio State likes him, and I couldn’t tell you why. I think they have a great offense year in and year out.

“Their offensive line did incredible last year, but I think the interesting thing is that they’ll have a different offensive line coach because he left to go to the Cardinals, and now they have a guy who hasn’t coached O-line since 2016. It’ll be interesting to see how that works out.”

When Ohio State football offered Jackson Cantwell

Ohio State offered Cantwell in October 2023. When announcing his offer, he said he received it from Buckeyes general manager Mark Pantoni.

When did Jackson Cantwell visit Ohio State football?

Cantwell has visited Ohio State twice in the last five months.

The first came in mid-December ahead of the Buckeyes’ first-round College Football Playoff win over Tennessee. He returned to Columbus for a two-day visit in March, where he was able to meet with Bowen, the new OSU offensive line coach, for the first time.

Ohio State football offensive linemen NFL Draft picks since 2020

Ohio State will likely have multiple offensive linemen selected in this week’s NFL Draft.

ESPN ranks Josh Simmons as the fourth-best offensive tackle, Donovan Jackson as the fourth-best guard and Seth McLaughlin as the second-best center.

2023 – Paris Johnson Jr. (Sixth overall pick)
2023 – Daward Jones (Fourth round)
2023 – Luke Wypler (Sixth round)
2022 – Nicholas Petit-Frere (Third round)
2022 – Thayer Munford (Seventh round)
2021 – Josh Myers (Second round)
2021 – Wyatt Davis (Third round)
2020 – Jonah Jackson (Third round)

Ohio State football 2025 offensive line roster makeup

Seniors – 3
Juniors – 4
Sophomores – 5
Freshmen – 4

Ohio State football 2025 offensive line recruiting class

Carter Lowe — Four-star offensive tackle ranked as the No. 72 player in the 2025 class.

Jake Cook — Three-star interior offensive lineman.

Jayvon McFadden — Three-star offensive lineman.

Ethan Onianwa — Offensive tackle transfer from Rice.

Phillip Daniels — Offensive tackle transfer from Minnesota.

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Who are best OHSAA girls swimmers, divers in central Ohio? See our list

Published

2 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Who are best OHSAA girls swimmers, divers in central Ohio? See our list

Three individual state champions, two of whom won two events each, and three anchors of Upper Arlington’s third consecutive Division I team championship squad highlight The Dispatch’s 2025-26 All-Metro girls swimming and diving team.

Eleven of the 12 honorees have appeared in multiple state meets, and the 12th might be poised to join that club.

The Athlete of the Year in each sport – 30 in all – will be announced at the Central Ohio High School Sports Awards on June 22 at Upper Arlington High School.

Maren Berg, Upper Arlington

The junior and North Carolina commit was state runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle (23.09 seconds) and fourth in the 100 free (50.62) – an event in which she repeated as district champion (50.28). Berg, a three-time state qualifier who also won the 50 free at district in a meet-record 22.85, anchored UA’s state-title 200 free (1:33.67) and 400 free (3:25.21) relays.

Alexa Briseno, Gahanna Lincoln

The Division I district champion in the 100 backstroke (54.79) and runner-up in the 100 free by 0.05 of a second, Briseno was third at state in both the 100 back (54.85) and 100 free (50.2). The sophomore also anchored the Lions’ sixth-place 400 free relay (3:32.88) and led off the seventh-place 200 free relay (1:37.06).

Olivia Crock, Watkins Memorial

A senior who has signed with Cleveland State, Crock was Division I district champion in the 200 free (1:52.7) and runner-up in the 500 free (5:01.98) before placing seventh (1:52.55) and fourth (5:02.31), respectively, in those events at state. The three-time state qualifier, who was fifth in the 500 free as a junior and sixth as a sophomore, earned her first top-eight finish in the 200.

Sophie Dankof, Bexley

One of several talented underclassmen for the Lions, who finished third in the Division II state meet for the second year in a row, Dankof won district in the 100 back (58.31) and was second in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.4). At state, the sophomore was fourth in the 100 back (57.92) and ninth in the 100 breast (1:05.45) and led off the second-place 200 medley relay (1:45.67).

Katie Drummond, Bexley

The sophomore enjoyed a stellar season despite coming up 0.26 of a second shy of repeating as Division II state champion in the 50 free. Drummond won the event at district (23.26) and was second at state (23.21), and in the 100 butterfly was first at district (55.98) and third at state (55.83). She also was on the 200 medley relay and third-place 400 free relay (3:35.65).

Riley Hollingsworth, Upper Arlington

A three-time state qualifier, Hollingsworth was on the winning 200 medley (1:42.99) and 400 free relays and finished fifth in the 200 individual medley (2:05.87) and sixth in the 100 fly (55.12). A junior, Hollingsworth was district champion in the 100 fly (55.05) and runner-up in the 200 IM (2:03.38).

Brooke Nagy, Olentangy

A sophomore sprint specialist and two-time Division I state qualifier, Nagy was third in the 50 free (23.43) and fourth in the 100 fly (54.99) on the season’s final weekend after placing third (23.5) and second (55.14), respectively, at district. Nagy, who was fourth in the 50 free and fifth in the 100 free at state as a freshman, also was on the Braves’ third-place 200 free relay (1:35.24) and sixth-place 200 medley relay (1:46.48).

Leah Nebraska, Olentangy Berlin

The Akron signee finished her high school career with two Division I state championship swims, winning the 50 free (22.84) and 100 free (49.98). A three-time state qualifier who was seeded second and fourth, respectively, for those events at state, Nebraska was district runner-up in the 50 free (23.16) and third in the 100 free (53.98). She also was on the Bears’ seventh-place 200 medley at state (1:47.95).

Alexis Peltcs, Hilliard Darby

A senior and three-time state qualifier who has signed with Purdue, Peltcs was Division I district champion in the 100 breast (1:03.28) and fourth in the 200 IM (2:05.03) before finishing third (1:02.04) and fourth (2:03.87) in those events at state. Peltcs was breaststroke state champion and runner-up in the IM as a sophomore.

Sammy Petroff, New Albany

The freshman diver capped a dominant season by sweeping the Division I district and state championships, winning district with 504.15 points and state with 480.4. Petroff was the first big-school diving champion for central Ohio since Olentangy Liberty’s Olivia Lynch in 2020 and first for her program since Nikki Watters in 2016. The top five finishers were all from the Columbus area.

Kiera Powers, Upper Arlington

The sophomore won her first state championships, taking the 200 IM (1:59.79) and 500 free (4:55.92). She also led off the winning 200 free and 400 free relays, securing UA’s third straight team title and 15th all-time. Powers also swept her events at district (2:01.11 and 4:56.49, respectively) and was the No. 1 seed in both at state. She was seventh in the 200 free and eighth in the 500 free at state as a freshman.

Lily Schneider, Jonathan Alder

The Southern Indiana signee and four-time Division II state qualifier dominated the 100 breast in her prep career, winning district (1:03.96) this winter before placing second (1:02.96) at state, 0.27 of a second out of first place. Schneider, who reached state in the breaststroke every year, also excelled in the 200 free, finishing third at district (1:57.43) and eighth (1:57.38) at state.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Ruslan Gaziev, Watterson

A former Ohio State and Canadian national swimmer in his second year as head coach, Gaziev has helped steer a remarkable turnaround for Watterson.

Two years after the Eagles had only one Division I state qualifier and did not score as a team, they had four individual qualifiers, advanced all three relays to state and finished 10th overall – 42 places better than a year ago. That came a week after Watterson placed second in the district meet, its best finish since tying for second in 2012.

A native of Moscow who was raised in Toronto, Gaziev was a four-time first-team All-American in the 100 free and 200 and 400 free relays with the Buckeyes. He also was a two-time first-team all-Big Ten swimmer and eight-time honorable mention All-American. Gaziev participated in the 2021 Olympic Games with Team Canada, helping the 400 free relay to fourth place.

High school sports reporter Dave Purpura can be reached at dpurpura@dispatch.com and at @dp_dispatch on X.

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Wisconsin women’s hockey vs Ohio State for NCAA title; live updates

Published

14 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin women’s hockey vs Ohio State for NCAA title; live updates

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa – Sunday offers a chance for redemption for the Wisconsin women’s hockey team.

The last time the Badgers met Ohio State, the Buckeyes cashed in on a couple of chances and left Minneapolis with a 2-1 win in the championship game of the WCHA’s Final Faceoff March 7.

The loss dropped Wisconsin from No. 1 in the polls for the first time this season. Ohio State assumed that spot.

But who is really the nation’s No. 1 team? We’ll find out this afternoon when No. 2 Wisconsin faces No. 1 Ohio State in the national championship game at Pegula Ice Arena.

This is the fourth straight year the teams have met in the final. Wisconsin (34-4-2) has a chance to capture its third title in four years; Ohio State (36-4) is going for its third championship in five seasons

Check here throughout the game for updates on the action.

Wisconsin has reclaimed the lead and its depth played key role in the score.

Senior Claire Enright, a member of the Badgers’ fourth line, scored off an assist from third line center Marianne Picard to give UW a 3-2 edge with 6 minute 18 seconds to play.

The goal was Enright’s ninth of the season and her first since Feb. 14.

You just knew it wasn’t going to be easy against Ohio State.

The Buckeyes have stormed back with two goals in the span of about 2 minutes early in the third period.

Kassidy Carmichael put Ohio State on the board at the 3 minutes 32 seconds into the third period off a pass from Mira Jungaker.

Jocelyn Amos evened the scored at the 5:34 mark. Ava McNaughton got the initial save, but Amos stuck with the play and back handed the tying goal.

Wisconsin 2, Ohio State 2, 13:33 to play.

The Badgers missed a great chance to add to its 2-0 lead 6 minutes into the second period when Ohio State’s Kassidy Carmichael was called for interference on Cassie Hall.

The 2 minutes produced no goal, and very few opportunities. It’s still a 2-0 game, but the Buckeyes are controlling the action. About 7 minutes have passed in the second period.

Wisconsin leads, 2-0, after one period, but the Buckeyes almost cut that deficit in half when All-American Joy Dunne got a shot opportunity near the crease against Badgers goaltender Ava McNaughton.

In a matchup of two Olympians, McNaughton won the battle with an impressive save.

The play highlight a strong defensive showing for UW during the final half of the first period when it eliminated many of the shot opportunities that Ohio State was able to generate earlier

Ohio State leads the Badgers in shot attempts, but UW is making better use of its chances.

Wisconsin now has two goals in its first four shots. Junior defender Laney Potter did the honors this time at the 7:34 mark of the first period. Gorbatenko, who got UW’s first goal, got the assist as did Adela Sapovalivova.

Gorbatenko and Sapovalivova have two point each and the Badgers are officially off to a hot start.

In the teams’ last meeting, Ohio State set the tone.

Not today.

Kelly Gorbatenko put the Badgers on the board 78 seconds into play off passes from Adela Sapovalivova and Lacey Eden. It was their first shot of the game.

And with 13:46 to play in the first period, UW leads, 1-0.

The championship will feature 10 players who competed in the Olympics Games in Milan, Italy. Here is the run down.

Ohio State Buckeyes

16 – Joy Dunne, jr. F, Team USA: The second-team All-American is averaging a career-best 1.67 points per game. That ranks fifth in the country. Her .90 goals per game average ranks third nationally. She scored the game-winning goal in the Buckeyes’ 1-0 win over Wisconsin in 2024 championship game..

14 – Mira Jungaker, fr., D, Sweden: At the Olympics she ranked second for Sweden in ice time. She has six goals and 18 assists this season.

9 – Jenna Raunio, fr., D, Sweden: She played in seven games at the Olympics and scored four points. She made the WCHA all-Rookie Team.

8 – Hilda Svensson, fr. F, Sweden: The WCHA rookie of the year leads the Buckeyes in points (51) and assists (33) and is third with a plus/minus of 46.

21 – Sanni Vanhagen, fr., F, Finland: In addition to her Olympic experience she has played five World Championships for Finland. She entered the final with 14 goals and 15 assists. She scored in the semifinal win over Northeastern.

4 – Caroline Harvey, sr. D, Team USA: The Olympic MVP was named the winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award March 21. She ranks second in the country with 1.97 points per game and first with 1.41 assists.

10 – Laila Edwards, sr., F, Team USA: She played defense for Olympic team, but has split time between forward and defense for the Badgers. She has played forward the past couple of games and scored two game-tying goals in the semifinals.

27 – Kirsten Simms, sr., F, Team USA: Her overtime goal against Penn State Friday was her fourth game winner in the Frozen Four. Her average of 1.97 points per game is tied for second in the nation.

30 – Ava McNaughton, jr., G, Team USA: The all-WCHA second-team selection didn’t get much playing time in the Olympics. Since her return she has recorded two shutouts and posted a 1.7 goals against average.

26 – Adela Sapovalivova, fr., F, Czechia: Spent a good portion of the season as the Badgers’ No. 1 center, but has played with the second since returning from the Olympics. She ranks seventh on the team with 45 points.

Last year’s national title game between the Badgers and Buckeyes symbolized the slim difference there is between winning and losing in this rivalrly. This will be the 17th straight gamesthe teams have met ranked 1-2 in the country. Seven of those games ended in one goal or a tie.

Here is a look at back at least year’s classic.

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How to watch Ohio State, Wisconsin in NCAA women’s hockey title game

Published

1 day ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

How to watch Ohio State, Wisconsin in NCAA women’s hockey title game

Wisconsin and Ohio State ought to just put the NCAA title game on their schedules.

For the fourth consecutive season, the Badgers and Buckeyes will play for the NCAA title in women’s hockey on Sunday, March 22. Top-seeded Ohio State beat Northeastern in the Frozen Four semifinal while defending champion Wisconsin, the second seed, edged Penn State in overtime.

“It’s special and I’m just really pumped to be able to try and do it again [Sunday] with this group that we have here,” Wisconsin’s Kirsten Simms told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after the Badgers’ Frozen Four win on Friday, March 20.

“It’s a special team, a special group, a special energy, and so I’m really excited that that put us into the game Sunday.”

Here’s how to watch the NCAA title game:

When and where is the NCAA title game?

The NCAA championship game is at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 22. It will be played at Pegula Ice Arena on the Penn State campus.

How to watch the NCAA title game

The NCAA hockey championship game will air on ESPNU.

How to stream the NCAA title game

The Frozen Four games will be streamed on ESPN+.

Who is playing in the NCAA title game?

Ohio State and Wisconsin, and it’s going to be a doozy. The Badgers were the No. 1 team in the country for most of the season until the Buckeyes upset them in the WCHA title game. Now Wisconsin gets a chance to avenge that loss with a national title on the line.

The teams have met in the last three NCAA title games, with Wisconsin winning last year and in 2023 and Ohio State winning in 2024.

Players to watch

Wisconsin is led by Caroline Harvey, who added the Patty Kazmaier Award for college hockey’s best player to her MVP award from the Milano Cortina Olympics. The Badgers also have Olympic gold medalists Laila Edwards, Ava McNaughton and Simms.

In addition to Olympian Joy Dunne, Ohio State has the country’s best freshman, Hilda Svensson.

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