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ATHENS, Ohio – Classes are back in session and that means that the Bobcats are in full force with football kicks off the 2024 season at Syracuse and volleyball set to open the season with the Bobcat Invitational here in Athens. Check out everything that's ahead for Ohio Athletics in this week's Paw Prints. 

FOOTBALL
Aug. 31 / at Syracuse / Syracuse, N.Y. / JMA Wireless Dome / 3:30 p.m. ET  / ACCN / Watch / Listen / Live State / Digital Guide / Tickets 

The Ohio football team (0-0) opens the 2024 season on Saturday, Aug. 30 when they head to Syracuse, N.Y. to take on Syracuse (0-0). Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. inside the JMA Wireless Dome and can be seen on ACC Network where Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlichand Coley Harvey will have the call. 

The Bobcats were selected to finish fifth in the 2024 MAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Last season, after starting MAC play 2-0, Ohio finished with a 6-2 conference record that propelled it to bowl eligibility. Ohio defeated Georgia Southern in the Myrtle Beach Bowl for its fifth-straight bowl victory, which made it the first MAC team to do so since Marshall from 1998 to 2002. 

Ohio's Myrtle Beach Bowl victory marked the first time in program history the team recorded consecutive 10-win seasons. Freshman Rickey Hunt tied the NCAA record for touchdowns scored in a game while he set the program record for most touchdowns scored in a game with his five trips to the endzone during the bowl game. Hunt earned the 2023 Myrtle Beach Bowl MVP for his accomplishments. As a team, Ohio also set a new record for most turnovers forced in a bowl game with its five against Georgia Southern. The previous record of four stood since the 1962 Sun Bowl.

VOLLEYBALL
Aug. 30 / Bobcat Invitational Presented By Athens Visitors and Convention Bureau / Xavier vs App State / Athens, Ohio / Convocation Center / 10:30 a.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Digital Guide 
Aug. 30 / Bobcat Invitational Presented By Athens Visitors and Convention Bureau / App State vs Wright State / Athens, Ohio / Convocation Center / 4:30 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Digital Guide  
Aug. 30 / Bobcat Invitational Presented By Athens Visitors and Convention Bureau / vs Xavier / Athens, Ohio / Convocation Center / 6:30 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Digital Guide  / Tickets
Aug. 31 / Bobcat Invitational Presented By Athens Visitors and Convention Bureau / Wright State vs Xavier / Athens, Ohio / Convocation Center / 10:30 a.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Digital Guide 
Aug. 31 / Bobcat Invitational Presented By Athens Visitors and Convention Bureau / vs App State / Athens, Ohio / Convocation Center / 1 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Digital Guide  / Tickets
Aug. 31 / Bobcat Invitational Presented By Athens Visitors and Convention Bureau / vs Wright State / Athens, Ohio / Convocation Center / 7 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Digital Guide  / Tickets

The Ohio volleyball team (0-0) opens the 2024 season this weekend in Athens for the 2024 Bobcat Invitational Presented by Athens Visitors and Convention Bureau. Ohio, Xavier (0-0), Wright State (0-0) and App State (0-0) will compete in this weekend's tournament what will take place Aug. 30-31 inside the Convocation Center. The weekend will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 30 with Xavier and App State. The next match will begin at 4:30 p.m. with App State vs. Wright State, while Ohio and Xavier will battle it out at 6:30 p.m. The tournament resumes on Saturday, Aug. 31 with Wright State and Xavier kicking the day off at 10:30 a.m. Match two will see Ohio take on App State at 1 p.m., while the Bobcats and Wright State will face off at 7 p.m. to conclude the weekend. All six matches van be seen on ESPN+. 

The Bobcats were selected to finish fifth overall and received 84 points in the 2024 Mid-American Conference Volleyball Preseason Poll, while junior Anna Kharchynska (Kyiv, Ukraine) was named to the 2024 Preseason All-MAC Team.

The Bobcats finished last season 18-13 overall and 13-5 in MAC play. Xavier returns eight contributors from last season's squad that finished fourth in the regular season standings and were picked sixth in this years BIG EAST Preseason Poll after finishing last year 18-12 and 11-7 in conference play. Wright State enters the weekend after finishing 2023 with a 21-11 overall record and a 15-3 mark in Horizon League play. The Raiders was the 2023 Horizon League Championship and faced Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. App State finished last season 14-15 overall and a 4-12 mark in SBC play. In the SBC Preseason Volleyball Coaches Poll, App State was picked fifth in the East Division with 45 votes.

FIELD HOCKEY
Aug. 30 / vs Stanford / Muncie, Ind. / Briner Sports Complex / 3:30 p.m. ET  / Watch / Live Stats
Sept. 1 / vs UAlbany / Columbus, Ohio / Buckeye Varsity Field / 11:30 a.m. / Watch / Live Stats 

The Ohio field hockey (0-0) teams opens the 2024 season this weekend for two matchups on neutral sites. The Bobcats begin the season on Friday, Aug. 30 when they take on Big Ten opponent Stanford (0-0) in Muncie, Ind. The match will take place at 3:30 p.m. at the Briner Sports Complex on the campus of Ball State. Ohio is back in action on Sunday, Sept. 1 when they take on UAlbany (0-0). First touch is set for 11:30 a.m. at Buckeye Varsity Field on the campus of Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio. 

Ohio finished last season with a 6-10 overall record and a 4-3 mark in MAC play and secured the fourth seed in the MAC Tournament. head coach Ali Johnstone was named MAC Co-Coach of the season. Stanford enters the season after finishing last year 4-11. UAlbany finished last season 13-6 overall and 8-1 in conference play. 

CROSS COUNTRY
Aug. 30 / at Tommy Evans Invitational / Norton, Ohio / 6 p.m. ET  / Live Results 

The Ohio men's and women's cross country teams both kick off the 2024 season this Friday, Aug. 30 at the 2024 Tommy Evans Invitational. The events is set to take place at 6 p.m. on Norton, Ohio. 

The women's squad finished in third at last year's MAC Championships and seventh at the Great Lake's Regional, while the men's team placed seventh at MAC's and 22nd in the Great Lakes Regional. 

SOCCER
Sept. 1 / vs Valpo / Athens, Ohio / Chessa Field / 1 p.m. ET /  ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Digital Guide

The Ohio soccer team (1-1-1) finally opens their home slate on Sunday, Sept. 1 when the Bobcats host Valpo (2-1). First touch is set for 1 p.m. at Chessa Field and can be seen on ESPN+. 

Ohio is coming off a 1-1 week that saw Ohio take down Northern Kentucky, 4-0, last Tuesday on the road at NKU. Ohio then wrapped up the weekend at No. 8 Michigan State. Meanwhile, Valpo has picked up wins against Chicago State and Milwaukee. 

WOMEN'S GOLF
Sept. 1-2 / at 2024 A-Ga-Ming Invitational / Kewadin, Mich. / A-Ga-Ming Golf Resort / 9 a.m. ET  / Live Results 

The Ohio women's golf teams opens the 2024-25 season this weekend at the 2024 A-Ga-Ming Invitational Sept. 1-2. The two-day event is hosted by Central Michigan at the A-Ga-Ming Golf Resort in Kewadin, Mich., with both days set to start at 9 a.m. The Bobcats will play 36 holes on Sunday and conclude the weekend with 18 holes on Monday. 

14 teams will head to Michigan to compete in this years event. Along with Ohio and host CMU, Oakland, Purdue Fort Wayne, Loyola Chicago, Niagara, Detroit Mercy, Western Michigan, Bellarmine, Northern Kentucky, Green Bay, Bowling Green, Bradley and Chicago State will all compete in the tournament. 

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