Men's diving led the pack at Scholar-Athlete dinner

Ohio State athletes traded in their cleats and jerseys for heels and suits as they filed in to be honored at the 43rd annual Scholar-Athlete dinner.

More than 500 athletes showed up for the event, some looking uncomfortable in their dress clothes and others looking proud of their dapper sport coats and skirts.

One thing was obvious about the group as they lined up to enter the Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom: They were proud.

Team members from various sports complimented other teams for their achievements and Ryan Jefferson from the men's diving team seemed to be getting extra attention as he approached the venue with a large trophy in his arms.

The award was the Varsity "O" trophy, given to the team who boasts the highest grade point average for the school year.

"It was a great honor to win last year," Jefferson said. "We all work hard but you don't usually get recognition like this."

The team picked up the trophy again for the sixth straight year. The cross country team took the trophy on the women's side. 

The men's individual Varsity "O" trophy, given to a student who demonstrates success in the classroom, on the field and in the community, went to football player Andrew Moses.

Football had 44 members at the dinner, the most of any team in attendance.

"Our goal is always to be 3.0 students," quarterback Terrelle Pryor said. "Every time we have more teammates who get that GPA, it's a huge accomplishment."

For Pryor, being named a scholar athlete is the first step in achieving his goal of becoming an Academic All-American this summer.

"I've really matured," Pryor said. "I'm growing up and it's all about being a man. I have to have a schedule to succeed and go by that plan. Once you mature as a person it shows on the field as well as in the classroom."

Senior cross country and track member Taylor Candella was in attendance for the fourth year in a row. Candella has balanced sports and academics with a position as chair of the

Student-Athlete Advisory Board and as a member of the Athletic Council.

"It's a great accomplishment," Candella said. "We care about our grades, not just our sports, and I think it's great that we have a record number of people with over a 3.0 who are able to manage playing a varsity sport at a school like Ohio State."

Senior volleyball player Anna Szerszen was the only athlete in attendance who is currently working on a graduate program along with her undergrad. She plans to get her MBA when she concludes her fifth year here at OSU.

"It involves a great deal of commitment," Szerszen said. "You have to make sacrifices and manage your time if you want to be successful."

Several awards were directed specifically at seniors, including the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor Award and several other that recognized the academic achievements of the athletes.

The Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor, considered the most prestigious award given at the event, went to diver Chelsea Davis and men's swimmer Stefan Sigrist. The Medal is given to the athletes who have the greatest proficiency in both academics and athletics.

The award included a $5,000 post-graduation scholarship.

The two teams that finished as the "Most Improved" were women's soccer and men's tennis.

In all, 503 athletes were honored, the first year that the event included more than 500 athletes, as last year only 493 were honored.