A full list of Ohio State student-athlete graduates can be found by clicking here.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A current NFL quarterback, two Olympians, and several national champions are among 12,000-plus Ohio State University students and 191 student-athletes who received their degrees during the school’s commencement Sunday.
Current Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields graduated with a degree in consumer and family financial services. After being drafted to the NFL in 2021, Fields continued his coursework through the Department of Athletics’ degree completion program. As starting quarterback, Fields led the Buckeyes to two College Football Playoffs and was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2020.
Additionally, Olympians Alessandra Montesano and Julieta Toledo were among Sunday’s graduates.
Montesano competed as a member of the 2021 Italian Olympic rowing team, which finished 4th in Tokyo. She’s also an Olympic State Big Ten Medal of Honor finalist and helped the Buckeyes snag the 2022 Big Ten Championship with a win rowing in the First Varsity Eight boat.
Toledo, a sabre fencer, competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics. She ends her college career as a three-time All-American, scoring top seven finished in the 2022 and 2023 NCAA Championships.
In addition to Fields, Montesano, and Toledo, other student-athletes who graduated Sunday include:
- A pair of starting linebackers– Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg – headline a group of eight football graduates this semester. Chambers is graduating with his degree in finance and Eichenberg’s degree is in real estate.
- Diver Lyle Yost was the 2023 NCAA Champion on the 1-meter board. He was the only diver at the NCAA Championships to advance to the finals and earn All-America status in all three dives. Yost was the NCAA Diver of the Year and the 2023 Arthur Ashe Male Sports Scholar of the Year.
- Lexi Edwards became the first Ohio State women’s gymnast to earn All-America honors in over a decade after finishing sixth overall on floor at the 2023 NCAA Championships. Edwards, a two-time All-Big Ten honoree, qualified for her second straight national championship appearance after earning a spot last year on vault.
- Wrestler Sammy Sasso was the 2023 Big Ten Champion at 149 pounds, his second league title. The 2023 All-Big Ten honoree then helped the Buckeyes finish fourth at the NCAA Championships with an individual second-place finish at 149. That effort made him a four-time All-American.
- Jenn Gardiner led the women’s hockey Buckeyes in points in 2022-23 and was named a Patty Kazmaier Top 10 Finalist. She helped the team to its second national championship game appearance in as many years and was named Second Team All-America.
- Jack Myers capped off a successful career for the men’s lacrosse team as the third Buckeye to surpass 100 career assists and sixth to hit 200 career points. The two-time All-American and three-time All-Big Ten honoree has recorded the second-most career assists in program history with 115.
- Synchronized swimmer Nikki Dzurko is a three-time solo champion who most recently won the title this year at the 2023 U.S. Collegiate Championships, helping Ohio State to its second consecutive national title and the 34th in program history. Overall, she won seven routine national titles during her Buckeye career.
- Cannon Kingsley is a three-time All-American on the men’s tennis team. He has been a First Team All-Big Ten honoree all four of his seasons and was a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year. The sport industry graduate has led the tennis team to three Big Ten titles and a tournament title this season.
- Katelyn Abeln won multiple pistol individual national championships and was part of three consecutive team titles. This past season, she took first in the three-event aggregate and air pistol events.
- Allie Guagenti earned All-America honors in the mile at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships. She also holds two school records and is a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Athlete.
- Donovan Hewitt most recently earned All-America honors at the 2023 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships after finishing third on rings. He was named a 2022 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Athlete following an impressive junior season. In 2021, he was named CGA Scholar All-American First Team.
- Nya Bussey is a two-time USTFCCCA Outdoor All-American, earning a spot on the first team in the 4x100m relay in 2022 and on the second team in the 100m in 2022.
- Luke Bendick won the 2022 indoor Big Ten pole vault championship and went on to earn a spot on the 2022 Indoor USTFCCCA All-American Second Team.
- Jaimie Robinson is a two-time USTFCCCA All-American in the triple jump, earning a spot on the second team at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships and 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships. She also holds the program’s outdoor triple jump record.
- Chloe Johnson ended her Buckeye career as the program’s all-time leader in career (243) and single-season (124) draw controls. In 2022 she earned IL Women and USA Lacrosse Magazine Honorable Mention All-America accolades, IWLCA First Team All-Region honors and Second Team All-Big Ten recognition.
- Mac Podraza became the first player in program history to be named Big Ten Women’s Volleyball Setter of the Year in 2022. She is a three-time All-American, receiving honorable mention accolades in 2020, a spot on the third team in 2021 and a place on the second team in 2022. Podraza is also a three-time AVCA All-Region First Team selection.
- Isabelle Boulais is a three-time All-Big Ten selection for the Buckeye women’s tennis team. The 2019 conference and region rookie of the year, she was a two-time NCAA singles championship qualifier, as well as a doubles qualifier in 2021.
- Clarence Foote-Talley is a three-time USTFCCCA All-American in the triple jump (2020, 2021, 2023) and captured the Big Ten triple jump championship in 2023.
- Kylie Murr became the first player in program history to be named Big Ten Women’s Volleyball Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 and went on to receive AVCA All-America Honorable Mention laurels. She is also a two-time AVCA All-Region First Team selection and was the 2019 AVCA Regional Freshman of the Year.