Several current and former Ohio State athletes participated in Olympic trials this past weekend. It was a mixed bag of success, but there will be a Buckeye presence in London. Thus far, 10 Buckeyes have qualified to represent their respective countries. The most recent batch represent swimming and diving while a few track athletes fell just short of their Olympic dreams.

Swimmer George Markovic will be representing Serbia in the 400 meter freestyle. Markovic will also be a part of the first-ever Serbian relay team, participating in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay. Markovic might be just one of many Buckeye swimmers when all is said and done as 36 swimmers will be participating in US Olympic trials from June 25th through July 2nd. The 36 representatives ties Stanford for the most swimmers from one squad.

Former Ohio State diver Katie Bell will be representing the United States after securing a spot on the 11-member squad with a second-place finish in the women’s 10-meter platform on Sunday afternoon. Bell is a Columbus native and finished with a score of 1024.40 at the Trials.

Christina Manning fell just short on her bid to be a member of Team USA. She finished fifth in the 100m hurdle finals, two spots below the required 3rd place finish. In an unfortunate twist, her time of 12.72 in the semi-finals was actually faster than the eventual first place time of 12.73. In the finals, however, she ran a 12.92. Manning, the 2012 Suzy Favor Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year, had one of the best seasons in OSU women’s track history.

On the men’s side, Michael Hartfield finished in 6th place in the long jump, missing Team USA by three spots. Matt DeChant finished 18th in the shot put on the tail of a fifth place finish in the NCAA championships. Current Buckeye Cory Leslie and former Buckeye Brian Olinger will race in the steeplechase prelims tonight.

Ohio State has named their male and female athletes of the year this week. One is not a surprise, while the other is probably not a name familiar to the majority of Buckeye Nation.

Track star Christina Manning has been named the 2011-12 Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year. Manning, the 2012 Great Lakes Region Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, claimed a whopping six B1G championships in 2012. She brought home gold medals in the 60m hurdles and the 60 and 200m dashes. She set a B1G championship meet record time of 7.95 in the 60m hurdles along the way. She also claimed the NCAA national titles in the 60m hurdles.

Manning’s contributions didn’t end indoors. She had a major hand in the Buckeye’s second consecutive B1G Outdoor Title. Manning accounted for 28 points for the Buckeyes, winning the 100m hurdles, 100m dash and 4x100m relay and placing second in the 200m dash. She also brought home a National Title in the 100m hurdles.

Manning will compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100m hurdles in Eugene, Ore., later this month. She now moves on to the ballot for the Suzy Favor Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year award.

Zain Shaito, a member of the national champion Ohio State fencing team, has been named the 2011-12 Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year. As a Sophomore this year, he captured his first NCAA individual championship, which aided the Buckeyes in winning their third team NCAA championship in the past nine years.

Shaito had a team-leading 35 victories this past season and earned bronze at the 2012 Midwest Fencing Conference Championships. He is a resident of Texas, but holds dual citizenship in Lebanon, and will represent them at the 2012 London Olympics. He is now representing OSU on the ballot for the Big Ten Jesse Owens Athlete of the Year award.

Congrats to both of these athletes on their outstanding seasons!

Ohio State racked up 93 points and 3 golds on the final day of the B1G championship. This effort was enough for the Lady Bucks to successfully defend their title in Madison.

Christina Manning brought in 28 points on her own. Manning brought home the title in the 100m hurdles and 100m dash. She placed second in the 200m dash. She was also a part of the gold medal winning 4x100m relay team.

The championship is the second women’s outdoor title in school history and they have both come back-to-back. The Buckeye women have claimed three of the last four track championships when looking at both the indoor and outdoor teams.

Illinois and Nebraska tied for second place at 110 points.

Final Team Standings
1. Ohio State – 117 points
2. Illinois – 110
2. Nebraska – 110
4. Penn State – 87
5. Wisconsin – 78
6. Michigan State – 72
7. Michigan – 67
8. Iowa – 53
9. Minnesota – 45
10. Indiana – 40