Ohio’s Top 3 Female Athletes Of 2022

Ohio’s Top 3 Female Athletes Of 2022 : Sports have been dominated by males for a very long time. Up until the late 1800s, women were only allowed to participate in non-competitive, informal, and ruleless activities. Around the early 1900s, women sought to form their own informal sports clubs, and several men’s clubs allowed them to participate as associates, but they still weren’t granted full status.

As the years progressed, women began to prove that they were just as ably endowed as their male counterparts as they joined the workforce and military. This spurred the world to take notice and by 1922, Paris hosted the first-ever Women’s Olympic Games. Today, Many females hold equally prestigious titles to men and continue to demonstrate just how skilled and talented they can be in any given sport. Ergo, let’s take a look at the top 3 ladies dominating Ohio’s sports stage in 2022.

Sophie Jaques

Ohio State won its first national championship last year thanks to the skills of its star female hockey player, Sophie Jaques. She had one of her best seasons (and the best season of any female hockey player) in the history of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Ohio State by extension. Betting on college teams like Ohio State is now possible with the launch of Ohio’s sportsbooks. There, users can take advantage of the various DraftKings Ohio promo codes made available and place wagers on their favorite teams.

Even while being a defender, Jaques managed to score a season record of 59 points, the third-best in the country. She also recorded the second-highest points of a defenseman in a single season in the NCAA, doubling her own personal record. In the game against the Minnesota Gophers for the 2022 Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Final Faceoff Championship title, Jaques scored first the game-tying point, then the victory goal consecutively, to secure the title for Ohio State.

Her stellar performance earned her MVP of the tournament and a place in the Frozen Four All-Tournament Team. She concluded the season with a team-best of 11 goals, 44 blocked shots, and a plus-minus rating of 51. She was also named Ohio State’s first-ever top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, and although she didn’t win, she was still able to obtain the title of national player of the year by USCHO (U.S. College Hockey Online), and she earned Ohio States’ Female Athlete of the Year title.
Adelaide Aquilla

This track-and-field shot put star defended her national title this year and broke an NCAA record too. Adelaide Aquila surpassed the league’s previous record of 18.58m – previously held by Arizona State’s Jorinde Van Klinken – by 1.6m, setting the bar at a whopping 19.64m. This makes it the farthest that any collegiate woman has thrown a shot put thus far. Her record throw earned her a place as Ohio State’s track-and-field superstar, winning both indoor and outdoor NCAA shot put championships.

Aquilla is also an Olympian. She qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for team USA after a 3rd place finish in the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. She also holds a 2022 Big Ten Outdoor and Indoor Championship. She finished off her collegiate career as a three-time national champion.
Nikki Dzurko

Last, but not least, is synchronized swimmer Nikki Dzurko. This amazing aquatic dancer led Ohio State through every single category at the U.S. Collegiate National Championship on March 27th, sweeping the solo, duet, and trio titles in the process. This makes their 33rd national title – their first synchronized swimming championship title since 2019 – and the eighth under Holly Vargo-Brown’s (head coach) leadership since 2013.

For Dzurko’s second win at her second attempt at a synchronized swimming championship, the 22-year-old’s career is off to a great start. She most certainly deserves a spot on this list for her dominance and grace in the pool. And, as her career progresses, she is sure to accumulate many more championship titles.

Conclusion

Women’s sports have undoubtedly changed the face of the sports world. For those who engage whether competitively or otherwise, it not only enhances physical and mental health but inspires other women and girls to get involved.

Michelle Milford Morse, UN Foundation Vice President for Girls and Women Strategy affirms that “it is in the field of competition that I think we have one of the best chances to change perceptions of what girls and women can do and what they should get to do.”

As the popularity of women’s sports continues to flourish, the hope is that it will motivate other women to believe in their own abilities, and push past discrimination and stereotyping.