jcollingsworth
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Making The List: Connor Senn
jcollingsworth via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
(photo courtesy of (www.nmnathletics.com)
With the upcoming summer is the promise of so much. There’s baseball games, professional tennis, golf, swimming … and oh yeah – soccer.
The World Cup will be upon us before we know it. Country eliminations will devastate fans. But in America we all stay hopeful, simply waiting for the day when we steal the thunder from the rest of the world and “their” sport.
The Ohio State University’s soccer season is complete. They were 13-7-3 overall. In Conference they were 5-2-1. At Home they were an impressive 10-2 while Away they were less impressive, 3-5-1. They began their Spring Competition in March against the likes of the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer.
Ahh! Soccer.
There are many names that rise to the occasion of mention to Making the List. But today we shall take another path. The one name that surfaces in my mind first was a walk on. He was not a highly recruited star from high school. He isn’t anywhere to be found in the record books for the Buckeyes either.
Connor Senn joined the Buckeye squad, as the above mentioned walk-on. In 2001 he was impressive enough to make the team – earning a spot as a rookie starter on a veteran team that ended the year with a 10-7-2 record, being 1-4-1 in Conference action.
Coach John Bluem would find out just how good his team was in 2001. They would eventually make their second-consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament. They harvested their highest national ranking in program history—No. 10 in the NSCAA poll—and on Oct. 28 handed then-No. 5 St. John’s its first loss of the season, 3-2 in double overtime. Success wasn’t so grand though. On Sept. 26, 2001 following a road match with Akron that ended in Ohio State’s first loss of the season, the Buckeyes suffered something more devastating than a game loss. Lance Connor Senn, died that night after collapsing during the match. He had been suffering from a congenital heart defect. Following a moving memorial service attended by family, friends, members of the athletic department staff and the men’s and women’s soccer teams, the Buckeyes dedicated the remainder of their season to Connor’s memory. Although Ohio State was unable to advance past the first round of NCAA’s, falling 2-1 to American, several Buckeyes received postseason awards. Four earned All-Big Ten honors.
Connor never scored a point for the Buckeyes, but in hindsight, that is irrelevant. He was the spirit of what we Buckeyes propel ourselves to be. And that is the underdog that prevails to greater heights. Connor did precisely that. In his memory his family and OSU have set up The Connor Senn Research and Symposium Fund on Congenital Heart Disease in Athletes.
Connor was a great Buckeye that lived his dream as he wanted. In that alone we are inspired. Here’s looking up at you kid!
The post Making The List: Connor Senn appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
jcollingsworth via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
(photo courtesy of (www.nmnathletics.com)
With the upcoming summer is the promise of so much. There’s baseball games, professional tennis, golf, swimming … and oh yeah – soccer.
The World Cup will be upon us before we know it. Country eliminations will devastate fans. But in America we all stay hopeful, simply waiting for the day when we steal the thunder from the rest of the world and “their” sport.
The Ohio State University’s soccer season is complete. They were 13-7-3 overall. In Conference they were 5-2-1. At Home they were an impressive 10-2 while Away they were less impressive, 3-5-1. They began their Spring Competition in March against the likes of the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer.
Ahh! Soccer.
There are many names that rise to the occasion of mention to Making the List. But today we shall take another path. The one name that surfaces in my mind first was a walk on. He was not a highly recruited star from high school. He isn’t anywhere to be found in the record books for the Buckeyes either.
Connor Senn joined the Buckeye squad, as the above mentioned walk-on. In 2001 he was impressive enough to make the team – earning a spot as a rookie starter on a veteran team that ended the year with a 10-7-2 record, being 1-4-1 in Conference action.
Coach John Bluem would find out just how good his team was in 2001. They would eventually make their second-consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament. They harvested their highest national ranking in program history—No. 10 in the NSCAA poll—and on Oct. 28 handed then-No. 5 St. John’s its first loss of the season, 3-2 in double overtime. Success wasn’t so grand though. On Sept. 26, 2001 following a road match with Akron that ended in Ohio State’s first loss of the season, the Buckeyes suffered something more devastating than a game loss. Lance Connor Senn, died that night after collapsing during the match. He had been suffering from a congenital heart defect. Following a moving memorial service attended by family, friends, members of the athletic department staff and the men’s and women’s soccer teams, the Buckeyes dedicated the remainder of their season to Connor’s memory. Although Ohio State was unable to advance past the first round of NCAA’s, falling 2-1 to American, several Buckeyes received postseason awards. Four earned All-Big Ten honors.
Connor never scored a point for the Buckeyes, but in hindsight, that is irrelevant. He was the spirit of what we Buckeyes propel ourselves to be. And that is the underdog that prevails to greater heights. Connor did precisely that. In his memory his family and OSU have set up The Connor Senn Research and Symposium Fund on Congenital Heart Disease in Athletes.
Connor was a great Buckeye that lived his dream as he wanted. In that alone we are inspired. Here’s looking up at you kid!
The post Making The List: Connor Senn appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...