2019 Season Recap

The 2019 season was the inaugural season for the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Division of the CWPA. After eight successful seasons in the Great Lakes division, a move to the Big Ten was decided upon by the team and approved by the CWPA.

As they’ve done the past few seasons, the Buckeyes began the year hosting the Labor Day Tournament at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. This tournament brought masters and junior teams from Columbus, Big Ten competitor Michigan State, and D3 Club powerhouse Washington University in St. Louis. In order to work on team chemistry on a team of 40+ members, the Buckeyes split into two even teams to face the competition. The Buckeyes went 3-4-1 between the two teams against all of the competition.

Next up was a preseason tournament at Michigan State, where the Buckeyes would play a slew of Michigan teams. First up was that Team Up North, and the Buckeyes came away with a 12-9 win. The second game of the day was MSU Alumni, and the Buckeyes eked out a 13-12 win. In the third game of the day, the Buckeyes ran out of steam against the host Spartans and fell 6-13. The next morning, the Buckeyes dispatched the Ann Arbor masters team 18-9 to round out the weekend.

To end the first half of the season, the Buckeyes traveled to the University of Tennessee for their annual Hillbilly Invite. After a more grueling start to the season, the Buckeyes defeated the host Volunteers, Bluff City Masters, University of Kentuckey, the Nashville Waves, and the Charlotte Sharks by a combined margin of 62-7 to win the tournament.

The second half of the season means Big Ten competition has begun. The Buckeyes returned to Michigan State for the first conference weekend. The weekend started with an overtime loss against the Spartans(12-13), followed by wins over MSU B(8-3), Purdue(16-6), and Northwestern(12-3). The following weekend, the Buckeyes headed to Indiana for the crossover tournament. Four games ended in four wins for the Buckeyes with victories over Indiana (17-5), Iowa (forfeit), Wisconsin (10-8), and Illinois (12-7) to end the regular season with a 7-1 record in Big Ten competition.

Heading into Big Ten Championships at Purdue, the Buckeyes were the #2 seed. The Buckeyes opened up the weekend with a 14-6 win over Indiana to set up a semifinal matchup with the Badgers of Wisconsin. In a high scoring affair, the Buckeyes emerged victorious with a 17-13 win to earn a spot in the Big Ten title game against Michigan State. In a back and forth game filled with physicality and high-level water polo, the Buckeyes ultimately fell 10-13 to finish second in their first year in the Big Ten. The Spartans went on to finish 5th at the Collegiate Club National Championships.

In the post season conference awards, the Buckeyes filled the list. Junior Drew Wilson was awarded MVP as well as first team all-Big Ten and was joined on first team with senior Alex Puthoff and junior Lance Bockbrader. The Buckeyes also earned a nomination on the second team, with junior goalie Alex Rabe nabbing the award.

Overall, it was a very successful year for the Buckeyes with a 2nd place finish in the Big Ten and a 20-7-1 record for the season.

Six Buckeyes Named to 2018 All-Conference Teams; Wilson named MVP

There are fourteen spots in the All-Conference teams, and the Buckeyes claimed six of them in the Great Lakes division for the 2018 season. Sophomore Drew Wilson claimed the Most Valuable Player award for the Great Lakes division.

Along with his MVP award, Wilson was named 1st Team All-Conference for the second straight season. Joining him on the 1st Team is senior Ryan Shepard, senior Youssef Azzazy, and junior captain Alex Puthoff. This is Shepard’s third selection to an All-Conference team (1st team & MVP in 2017, 2nd team in 2016), Puthoff’s second (1st team in 2017), and Azzazy’s first selection.

On 2nd Team is senior Nick Hallett and junior Rob DiSalle. This is the first selection to an All-Conference team for both of them.

The Buckeyes won their fourth Great Lakes division championship and finished 7th at the Collegiate Club National Championship in Tucson, AZ.

All-Conference Awards Announced; 5 Buckeyes Honored

COLUMBUS – All-Conference selections were announced for the 2017 season and five Buckeyes were awarded with selections.

Coach James Dauphinee was awarded 2017 Coach of the Year for the Great Lakes division, his fourth time earning the award. Since the Buckeyes joined the Great Lakes division in 2011, Coach James has compiled a 58-15 record in CWPA play, led the team to three conference championships (2013, 2014, and 2017), and had three successful trips to the Collegiate Club National Championship: 11th in 2013, 5th in 2014, and 6th in 2017. Under his tutelage, there have been 7 All-Americans, 11 first team All-Conference selections, 9 second team, and two conference MVPs.

Ryan Shepard was named MVP of the Great Lakes division for 2017 season. Along with the award, he was also 1st team All-Conference. The senior out of Mission Viejo, CA led the Buckeyes to an undefeated season in the conference, allowing an average of just 4 goals per game. At the Collegiate Club National Championship, Shepard helped the team to a 6th place finish where he averaged 13 blocks per game. In 2016, Shepard earned second team All-Conference.

Freshman Drew Wilson and sophomore Alex Puthoff were named 1st team All-Conference selections while sophomore Jake Good was named 2nd team for the 2017 season. Earning the team's first championship since 2014, Wilson, Puthoff, and Good led an offense that averaged almost 11 goals per game. At the Collegiate Club National Championship, Puthoff scored 4 goals and Wilson scored to 2 goals in the Buckeyes' 6th place finish.

Buckeyes Abound in All-Conference Awards

Four Buckeyes were honored with All-Conference Awards for the 2013 season, more than any other team, and head coach James Dauphinee also earned Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Ben McClurg and Orion Swanson both earned First Team All-Great Lakes Division, while Jon Gruseck and Michael Smith earned Second Team.

The Buckeyes won the Great Lakes division for the first time in 2013, finishing 7-1 in division play and earning a bid to the Collegiate Club National Championship at the University of California - San Diego where they finished 11th in the nation.

Official release can be found here.