Women’s Basketball’s Jacy Sheldon wins Ohio State Athlete of the Year honor
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Although the former Buckeye is now a pro, it didn’t stop her from winning one more collegiate award.
Each season, the
Ohio State University awards an Athlete of the Year award — one from the men and one from the women’s ranks. This year, the honor went to five-year Ohio State women’s basketball guard Jacy Sheldon.
The honor went to Sheldon following a Second Team All-American season, leading the Buckeyes to sole ownership of the Big Ten Regular Season championship. Following a 2023-24 season cut short due to a foot injury, Sheldon led the Buckeyes in all 32 games for head coach Kevin McGuff.
Sheldon’s 17.8 points and 3.8 assists per game led Ohio State’s roster, with her scoring numbers putting her in third place in the Big Ten. Overall, the guard’s season ended with a laundry list of accolades. Including First Team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media, although only the coaches voted Sheldon as a unanimous selection.
Known as a selfless player and on-court leader, Sheldon shied away from ever talking about the individual honors bestowed upon her work on the court. Instead, it was a focus on the team.
As a team, Ohio State peaked during a 15-game winning streak to start the 2024 calendar. That stretch included a blockbuster win over the No. 2
Iowa Hawkeyes in Columbus and lifting the conference title on home court, following a win over the
Michigan Wolverines.
Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, the season ended on a down note, losing in its lone
Big Ten Tournament game and in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, on home court. It ended a two-season run of making it at least the Sweet Sixteen, with Sheldon leading the Scarlet and Gray to the Elite Eight in the 23-24 season.
Joining Sheldon with the Ohio State Athlete of the Year honor is men’s tennis player JJ Tracy, who earned the honor following an NCAA Doubles National Championship.
Both athletes now enter the running for Big Ten Athlete of the Year. In the history of the award, only one Ohio State women’s basketball player won that honor. In 2007, center Jessica Davenport won the honor in her final season as a Buckeye.
After graduating from Dublin Coffman High School, outside of Columbus in Dublin, Ohio, Sheldon stayed close to home and made a name for herself in scarlet and gray. In five seasons, Sheldon became only the third player in program history to amass a stat sheet of at least 1,900 points, 400 rebounds, 350 assists, 200 steals, and 150 made three-point shots.
It wasn’t that Sheldon dominated one specific area of the court. The speedy shooting guard turned point guard excelled from one end of the court to the other. Sheldon ended her career in the top ten in program history across both offensive and defensive statistics.
Like the aforementioned Davenport, Sheldon left Central Ohio for the
WNBA. On April 15, 2024, the Dallas Wings selected the guard with the fifth pick of the first round. In 13 games played this season, the guard averages 2.7 points in 13.5 minutes. However, those minutes are increasing, with Sheldon playing at least 17 minutes in each of the past four games for the Wings.
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