Female Athlete of the Year: Kelsey Mitchell

Ryan Cooper
Wed, 30 Mar 2016 22:44:47 +0000
Uncategorized, Buckeyes, Kelsey Mitchell, ohio state, osu

OSU sophomore guard Kelsey Mitchell (3) during a game against Northwestern on Jan. 28. Credit: Samantha Hollingshead | Photo Editor

If there are records in the Ohio State women’s basketball program that Kelsey Mitchell doesn’t hold, there is a pretty solid chance she is on the pace to do just that.

With 1,762 career points already tallied through her sophomore season, Mitchell sits at No. 11 in program history with two years of eligibility still to go. On her current pace, she would finish around 3,500 points, which would break Jantel Lavender’s school record by about 700 points. To put that in perspective, Lavender averaged 704.5 points per season over her four years.

On a far grander scale, the first-team All-American is on the road to becoming the NCAA’s Division I all-time leading scorer. Her current pace would break Jackie Stiles’ record of 3,393.

After leading the nation in scoring during her freshman year, Mitchell’s sophomore slump was largely nonexistent. The Cincinnati native broke her own team record with 889 points, led the Big Ten in 3-pointers made with 126 and set a single-game program record with 48 points on Feb. 27.

While Mitchell struggled to the tune of 5-of-15 shooting when her team was bounced from the Sweet 16 by Tennessee, her performance the game before was nothing short of dazzling. With her teammates failing to step up, Mitchell carried the third-seeded Buckeyes on her back with more than half of their points, finishing with 45 in an 88-81 win over West Virginia.

She is also well on her way to shattering the all-time record for 3-pointers made, currently held by Laurie Koehn with 392. Mitchell’s pace has her slightly over 500.

With her knock-down jumper and lightning-quick crossover in her arsenal, Mitchell is likely already the greatest player in OSU women’s basketball history, and she is certainly an easy choice for Female Athlete of the Year.