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ATHENS, Ohio – This week, Ohio football is back on the road, while soccer looks to wrap up the regular season, with men's and women's golf concluding the fall slate. Meanwhile, men's basketball is set for two exhibitions and swim and dive open the 2025-26 season at home. Check out everything that's ahead for Ohio Athletics in this week's Paw Prints, presented by Memorial Health System.
FOOTBALL
Oct. 25 / at Eastern Michigan / Ypsilanti, Mich. / Rynearson Stadium / 12 p.m. ET / CBSSN / Watch / Live Stats / Listen / Ohio Notes / EMU Notes / Digital Guide
The Ohio football team (4-3,2-1 MAC) is back on the road this week for a Mid-American Conference matchup at Eastern Michigan (2-6, 1-3 MAC). Kickoff is set for Noon ET at Rynearson Stadium and can be seen on CBS Sports Network. The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield, presented by Holzer Health System. Veteran Ohio radio personality Marty Bannister is reprising his role as Ohio's play-by-play broadcaster. Bannister will be joined by color analyst Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for more than two decades.
The Bobcats and the Eagles have met 34 times since 1976, boasting a 21-12-1 record. The two teams last met in 2024 when Ohio logged a 35-10 victory on their road to Detroit. Cornerback Tank Pearson snagged two interceptions while defensive end Ben McNaboe was responsible for one pick; quarterback Parker Navarro scored four of Ohio's five touchdowns, earning MAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades.
Ohio is coming off a commanding 48-21 Homecoming victory against Northern Illinois on Saturday in Athens. It was another record-breaking day for the Bobcats on offense, especially in the running game. As a team, Ohio rushed for six touchdowns for the second time this season, as well as accumulating 333 total yards on the ground. For the first time this season, two Ohio rushers had 100-plus yards with redshirt senior running back Sieh Bangura going for 147 yards and sophomore running back Duncan Brune rushing for 126. The rest of the team's rushing yards were filled in by graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro, rushing for 43 yards.
Bangura was the game's leader in rushing touchdowns with three. After today's game, Bangura finishes his Ohio Homecoming career with 10 total touchdowns in Homecoming games. The Bobcats' other three touchdowns were also scored on the ground, two by Brune and one by Navarro.
In the passing game, Navarro tallied 205 yards to become the program's seventh-ever player to record 4,000-plus career passing yards. Navarro's primary target was junior wide receiver Chase Hendricks (St. Louis, Mo.), who tallied ten catches for 108 yards.
On defense, Ohio was led by senior safety Adonis Williams Jr., who tallied six total tackles, including five solo stops. Redshirt sophomore defensive ends Jay Crable and Joseph Marsh each tallied a sack against Northern Illinois. For Marsh, it was his first career sack as a Bobcat. Junior safety Jalen Thomeson had one of the game's most explosive plays when he returned a fumble 91 yards for a touchdown.
EMU is 2-6 overall and 1-3 in MAC play and is coming off a 44-30 loss at Miami on Saturday afternoon. Harold Mack Jr. made his name known as the freshman, who entered the game with no targets and no offensive statistics in his collegiate career, finished the game with six catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Oct. 20 / at CareSource Invitational - Dayton / Dayton, Ohio / UD Arena / 8 p.m. ET / Live Stats / Tickets
Oct. 26 / at Ohio State / Columbus Ohio / Value City Arena / 2 p.m. ET / BIG+ / Watch / Live Stats / Listen / Tickets
The Ohio men's basketball team is set to play two exhibition matchups this week as they prepare for the start of the 2025-26 season. Ohio begins the week on Monday, Oct. 20 when they head to Dayton, Ohio for the 2025 CaseSource Invitational - Dayton to take on Wright State. The Bobcats and Wright State will play the second game of the day following a matchup between Ashland and Northern Kentucky, with tip-off set for around 8:10 p.m. ET. This matchup will not be streamed. The Bobcats then head to Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, Oct. 26 to take on Ohio State. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET and can be seen on BIG+.
Fans looking to attend either came can purchase tickets through specialized Ohio-specific links, ensuring that Ohio will receive the proceeds from any ticket purchase.
Monday's game between Ohio and Wright State is part of the third annual CareSource Invitationals, a series of college basketball games dedicated to raising awareness and funds for adolescent and young adult mental health.
Centered around the powerful message, "it's Ok to Not be Ok," the CareSource Invitationals aim to normalize mental health conversations nationwide, helping create safe, supportive environments where young people feel empowered to seek help and thrive.
CareSource is honored to support communities all over the country by expanding access to mental health resources and support. Remember- It's Ok to Not be Ok.
The 2025-26 Bobcats return four major contributors from last year's team, including seniors Ajay Sheldon, Aidan Hadaway and Jackson Paveletzke and sophomore Elijah Elliott, while adding seven newcomers in transfers Javan Simmons, Dior Conners, Jalen Breath and Carter Reese and freshman JJ Kelly, Jordan Fisher and Zay Mosley.
Wright State finished last year 15-18 overall with an 8-12 mark in conference pla, falling in the Horizon League quarterfinals. Wright State returns six players from a season ago. Logan Woods started 25 games in 2024-25 while shooting 48 percent overall, while Michael Imariagbe (18 starts, 64 percent shooting) and Solomon Callaghan also had double-digit starts and shot over 40 percent from the floor and Andrea Holden connected at a 65 percent shooting clip with five starts. Meanwhile, Wright State added eight newcomers (four transfers, four freshmen) to its 2025-26 roster.
Ohio State finished last season 17-15 overall and 9-11 in conference play, falling to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament.
MEN'S GOLF
Oct. 20-21 / at 2025 Dayton Flyer Invitational / Dayton, Ohio / NCR Country Club / All Day / Live Results
The Ohio men's golf team concludes the fall portion of their schedule Oct. 20-21 at the 2025 Dayton Flyer Invitational. The two-day event is hosted by Dayton at the NCR Country Club in Dayton, Ohio. The event begins on Monday, Oct. 20 with 36 holes, before wrapping up the week on Tuesday, Oct. 21 with the final 18.
Teams competing at this year's event are; Illinois State, Dayton, Ball State, Illinois, Marshall, Loyola Chicago, Oakland, Toledo, Miami, Cleveland State, Ohio, Wright State, DePaul and Butler.
Competing for Ohio at this years event are seniors Carson Trafford, Jack O'Donnell, Nathaniel Gray Lamont and Will Kates, and freshman Jack Flores, while graduate student Sam Hall will compete as an individual.
Ohio is coming off a 12th-place finish at the 2025 Purdue Fall Invitational Oct. 13-14 in West Lafayette, Ind. The Bobcats wrapped up the tournament with an overall score of 893 (+29). Individually, senior Carson Trafford (Dublin, Ohio) led the way for the Bobcats, finishing T-11 with a score of 215 (-1). Trafford opened with a 74 (+2) in Monday morning's first round, before finding red numbers in the afternoon, carding a 68 (-4). Trafford closed out the tournament with a 73 (+1) in Tuesday's third and final round, good for his second consecutive individual top 15 finish.
SOCCER
Oct. 23 / vs Miami / Athens, Ohio / Chessa Field / 3 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Digital Guide
Oct. 26 / at UMass / Amherst, Mass. / Rudd Field / 1 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats
The Ohio soccer team (4-8-5, 2-4-4 MAC) wraps up the 2025 regular season this week with their final two matches. Ohio wraps up the homes schedule on Thursday, Oct. 23 when Ohio hosts Miami (8-5-2, 5-2-2 MAC) for the 'Battle of the Bricks'. First touch is set for 3 p.m. ET at Chessa Field and can be seen on ESPN+. Ohio then travels to Amherst, Mass. for the final contest of 2025 on Sunday, Oct. 26 to take on UMass (5-6-4, 3-4-2 MAC). First touch is set for 1 p.m. ET at Rudd Field and can be seen on ESPN+.
Miami comes to Athens with an 8-5-2 overall record with a 5-2-2 MAC record. The RedHawks are coming off a 3-0 win at home against Central Michigan on Sunday. Meanwhile, UMass is currently 5-6-4 overall and 3-4-2 in MAC play and are coming off a 1-0 loss at Toledo on Sunday.
Ohio is coming off a 1-1 week that saw the Bobcats pick up a 3-0 victory over Northern Illinois on Sunday in Athens. Graduate student Quintin Tostevin scored two goals for Ohio, while junior Jaimason Brooker added another. Senior keeper Celeste Sloma recorded the shutout on Sunday, making one save on five shots faced in 90 minutes in goal.
WOMEN'S GOLF
Oct. 24-26 / at 2025 White Sands Bahamas Invitational / Nassau, Bahamas / The Ocean Golf Club - Paradise Island / All Day / Live Results
The Ohio women's gold team concludes their fall schedule this weekend when they head to Nassau, Bahamas for the 2025 White Sands Bahamas Invitational. The three-day event is hosted by Northern Illinois at The Ocean Golf Club - Paradise Island. The event begins on Friday, Oct. 24 with 18 holes, followed by the second round on Saturday, Oct. 25, before concluding the tournament on Sunday, Oct. 26 with the final 28 holes.
Competing at this year's event are Miami University, Northern Illinois, Prairie View A&M, Middle Tennessee, South Florida, Ohio and High Point.
Ohio is coming off a seventh-place finish at the 2025 Dayton Flyer Invitational Oct. 13-14 in Kettering, Ohio. As a team, Ohio opened up day one, shooting a 308 (+24), finishing the round tied for fifth place. In the second round, Ohio shot a 306 (+22), finishing the day in sixth place. The Bobcats finished the third round shooting a 313 (+29), finishing the invitational in seventh place.Individually, McRee led the Bobcats in the Invitational, recording a round one score of 70 (-1), finishing the round tied in second place. During the second round, McRee shot a 77 (+6) and finished day one in fifth place. In the third round, McRee shot a 78 (+7) and finished the invitational with an overall score of 225 (+12) and tied for 10th place.
VOLLEYBALL
Oct. 24 / at Ball State / Muncie, Ind. / Worthen Arena / 6 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats
Oct. 25 / at Ball State / Muncie, Ind. / Worthen Arena / 4 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats
The Ohio volleyball team (7-14, 5-4 MAC) is back on the road and looking to continue their run this weekend when they head to Muncie, ind. for two matches against MAC-leading Ball State (13-8, 9-0 MAC). Ohio and the Cardinals open play on Friday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. ET inside Worthen Arena. The two teams are back in action on Saturday, Oct. 25 with first serve set for 4 p.m. ET. Both matches can be seen on ESPN+.
Ball State is currently 13-8 overall and 9-0 in the MAC and sit in first-place in the conference. The Cardinals are coming off back-to back victories against Bowling Green last weekend, including a five-set victory and a sweep.
Ohio is coming off two wins over Eastern Michigan last weekend, increasing their winning streak to five matches. The Bobcats took the first match in five sets, before taking down the Eagles in four sets Friday afternoon.
On Thursday, the matchup between the Bobcats and Eagles was one of Ohio's closest games this season. Ohio finished with 63 kills, 10 aces, 13 blocks, 58 assists and 93 digs. Eastern Michigan finished with 51 kills, six aces, nine blocks, 47 assists and 81 digs. In Friday's match, Junior Gentry Brown led the team with 16 kills and 16.5 points. Junior Torre Kildow tallied 14 kills and freshman Bailey Blair tallied 11 kills. Sophomore Sierra Evans recorded a .667 attack percentage with eight kills on 12 total attacks. Evans also led the team in blocks with three block assists and a career-high two block solos.
CROSS COUNTRY
Oct. 24 / at Wild Bill Invitational / Dayton, Ohio / Fairborn Community Lower Park / M8k: 4:30 p.m.ET; W5k: 5:15 p.m. ET / Live Results / Meet Information
The Ohio men's and women's cross country teams are back in action this week before their final tune-up before MAC Championships on Friday, Oct. 24 when they head to Dayton, Ohio for the Wild Bill Invitational hosted by Wright State. The men's 8k is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET, with the women's 5k set to start at 5:15 p.m. ET at Fairborn Community Lower Park.
Ohio is coming off an impressive trip to the Panorama Farms Invitational last Friday. Both the women and men earned impressive teams finishes. The women's team placed fourth out of 16 teams, beating No. 2 NC State. The women finished behind No. 12 Virginia, Virginia Tech and Elon. The men's team placed fifth out of 15 teams. The men finished behind No. 4 Virginia, Virginia Tech, No. 10 Wake Forest and Charlotte.
Senior Leila Boussedra led Ohio in the women's 6k race, placing 24th out of 154 runners with a time of 21:05.1. Junior Andrew Bracken led Ohio in the men's 8k race, placing 33rd out of 162 runners with a time of 24:26.4.
FIELD HOCKEY
Oct. 24 / vs Miami / Athens, Ohio / Pruitt Field / 3 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Digital Guide
The Ohio field hockey team (5-10, 3-4 MAC) is back in action for their final home game of the 2025 season when they take on Miami (11-4, 6-1 MAC) on Friday, Oct. 24. First touch is set for 3 p.m. ET at Pruitt Field and can be seen on ESPN+.
Miami comes to Athens with an 11-4 overall record and a 6-1 MAC in conference play and are currently sit atop the MAC standings. Miami is coming off a 5-0 victory over Ball State Sunday in Oxford.
Ohio is coming off a 1-1 week that saw Ohio defeat Kent State, 6-4, on the road, before falling to Longwood, 2-1, Sunday in Athens. At the Moment, Ohio is currently fifth in the MAC standings with 11 points. At Kent State, the Bobcats were led by freshman Tiana Nhamoinesu, who scored two goals in the game to bring her season total to three. In addition, senior Sasha Dikotla scored her team-leading fourth goal, while junior Emily Beitzel, freshmen Iona Roderick and Adi Geer each scored their first of the season.
SWIM AND DIVE
Oct. 24 / vs Buffalo and Marshall / Athens, Ohio / Ohio University Aquatic Center / 5 p.m. ET / YouTube / Watch / Digital Guide
Oct. 25 / vs Buffalo and Marshall / Athens, Ohio / Ohio University Aquatic Center / 10 a.m. ET / YouTube / Watch / Digital Guide
The Ohio swim and dive team open the 2025-26 season this weekend when the Bobcats host Marshall and Buffalo for a tri-meet Oct. 24-25 at the Ohio Universtiy Aquatic Center. On Friday, Oct. 24, the meet will begin at 5 p.m. ET with the 3m diving event followed by eight swim events starting with the 200 free relay. Action will begin at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 25 with the 1m dive, followed by the final nine swimming events, starting with the 200 medley relay and concluding with the 400 free relay.
The Bobcats were selected to finish tied second in this year's preseason poll, just behind Akron.
Ohio finished last season with a second-place team finish at the MAC Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. Head coach Mason Norman was named the MAC Coach of the Year, which is the first time a coach has been named Coach of the Year since 2011.
Junior Zita Szoke was crowned MAC Champion in the 50, 100, and 200-yard freestyles and 200-yard medley relay. Senior Casadie DiBetta was also crowned champion in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke and the 200 and 400-yard medley relay. Szoke competed in the NCAA Championships, finishing in 11th in the 100-yard freestyle, which is the highest finish from a Bobcat since 1995. Szoke earned All-American honors and is the first to do so since 2000. Szoke, DiBetta, and senior Emily Ellsworth all return to the pool for the Bobcats after earning First Team All-MAC honors, and Senior Morgan Brown returns after earning All-MAC Second Team honors.
WRESTLING
Oct. 25 / Green and White Scrimmage / Athens, Ohio / Convocation Center / 5 p.m. ET
The Ohio wrestling team will enter the Convo this weekend for its annual Green and White Scrimmage on Saturday, Oct. 25. The scrimmage is set to begin at 5 p.m. ET inside the Convocation Center. The event is free to all fans.
Ohio wrestling begins the regular season on Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Southeast Open in Salem, Va.
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