Coach of the Year: Dan Morris
It was supposed to be a rebuilding year.
Instead, coach Dan Morris led his young team to the Central States Collegiate Hockey League Playoff Championship. That was enough to make him The Post's Coach of the Year.
After finishing the season 11-7-3 in the CSCHL, the team defeated Kent State 2-1 in the opening round and No. 1 Lindenwood 3-2 in the semifinals. After falling behind 3-1 to No. 2 Iowa State in the championship, Morris' Bobcats roared back, scoring three unanswered goals to win Ohio's sixth CSCHL Championship.
Morris was able to rally his team after an inauspicious start to the season in which the Bobcats went 3-6. But Ohio then ripped off six straight at home and showed what they were capable of at their best.
Morris, a former Ohio hockey player himself, has led the Bobcats to two CSCHL Championships, three CSCHL regular season Championships and an American Collegiate Hockey League Championship. He has been named CSCHL Coach of the Year three times and has been named the ACHA Coach of the Year once.
-Joe Ragazzo
Team of the Year: Volleyball
In their first season under the direction of coach Ryan Theis, Ohio's volleyball team did not miss a beat after five straight seasons of Mid-American Conference dominance. After a tough non-conference and early season tournament schedule, the Bobcats found another gear in conference play, vaulting into the East Division lead in the season's final weeks.
With a high-powered offense fueled by outside hitter Ellen Herman and blockers Jane Sytsma and Meghan Simons, the Bobcats became one of the MAC's most physical teams down the stretch and The Post's Team of the Year. They won another MAC East Division title. They went on to win their fifth MAC Tournament title, and clinched their sixth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Theis will return all of his starters from the MAC Championship team next season.
-Rob Mixer
Best Male Athlete: Marc Krauss
The Post has named Ohio outfielder Marc Krauss its 2008-2009 Male Athlete of the Year.
Krauss, a junior, was recently named to the 2009 Louisville Slugger All America First-Team by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. That award made him the first Ohio player to be named to the team since Scott Kuvinka in 1979.
Ohio coach Joe Carbone said he expects Krauss to be a first or second-round pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday.
Krauss led the Bobcats to a 29-24 record while reaching the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
He has received a number of honors this off-season. He was named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes award and became the first Bobcat to win Mid-American Conference Player of the Year.
Krauss hit .402 with 27 home runs, which ranked third nationally, and 71 RBI in 53 games. The 27 homers also broke the Ohio single-season mark.
-Steve Gartner
Best Female Athletes: Kari Summers and Ellen Herman
Kari Summers, a distance runner, and Ellen Herman, a volleyball player, are The Post's Co-Female Athletes of the Year.
Summers finished second in the Mid-American Conference Championships and 111th in the NCAA Indoor Nationals. She was also named to the Academic All-MAC team and the most outstanding female at the MAC Championships, winning the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs. She set the school record in the 5,000-meter run indoors in 16:32.73 and outdoors in 16:35.97.
In 2008, Herman won the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year award, as she led the team with 526 kills. She led the team to its sixth-consecutive birth in the NCAA Championship. She was selected to the 2009 U.S. National A2 team. She was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Mideast Region Team and was an honorable mention to the AVCA All-American Team. She was named to the Academic All-MAC team.
-Vince Nairn
Best Female Freshman: Alexis Zambrana
Softball player Alexis Zambrana snagged The Post's Female Freshman of the Year award like a hard-hit ball up the middle.
Zambrana made her impact both on the field and at the plate. She was the captain of the defense as the shortstop. She cut off numerous balls headed to the outfield, made diving plays left and right, and showed off her cannon arm by gunning down runners at every base.
The freshman showed her versatility hitting anywhere that coach Jodi Hermanek needed her to. Whether she was hitting third in the order, clean up or leading off, Zambrana came through in key situations for the Bobcats.
She finished second on the team in average and runs scored while finishing fourth in RBI and first in on-base percentage.
The awards came flowing in after the season for the woman known as Cheetah Girl by her teammates.
Zambrana was named to the All-Mid-American Conference First and Freshman Teams and became only the fourth Bobcat ever to be named to the All-Mideast Region First Team.
-Michael R. Lewis
Best Male Freshman: Zack Barbis
The Post's Male Freshman Athlete of the Year is Ohio hockey defenseman Zack Barbis. The Mentor, Ohio, native came to the Bobcats after a successful high school and junior hockey career, and only recently converted to defense.
In his first season with the Bobcats, he quickly became coach Dan Morris' go-to player on the back end and logged a ton of power-play minutes. His ability to move the puck up the ice quickly made him a reliable option on defense.
Barbis registered nine goals and nine assists this season for 18 points, and was among defense's leaders in power-play goals (3).
-Rob Mixer
2 Sports
Matt O'Donnell
