This was one of the biggest years in Columbus sports history. We welcomed new events, we cheered on new teams, we saw new trophies get added to the cabinet and so much more. There were countless great memories on the field, court and ice this year. Here are a few of our favorites.
 

Excellence on Ice

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships came to Columbus for the first time in January, bringing the sport’s artistry and athleticism to Nationwide Arena. The community embraced the event, with more than 60,000 fans attending the week of events, highlighted by the senior championships Friday through Sunday. Ilia Malinin landed a quad Axel, winning his second straight men’s title and Amber Glenn won women’s gold for the first time. Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea topped the pairs competition while Madison Chock and Evan Bates captured a fourth straight Ice Dance title despite fighting flulike symptoms during the Free Dance. The historic event set the stage for an incredible year in Columbus.
>> Live Orchestra Music, Sockefeller Center and More


A First for the Fury

The city added a professional team when the Columbus Fury became a founding member of the Pro Volleyball Federation. They won their home debut at Nationwide Arena in February in front of 9,145 fans. The Fury narrowly missed the playoffs, and had the second best attendance in the league.

 

Columbus Goes Bananas

In May, the wildly popular Savannah Bananas played a three-game set at Huntington Park as part of their world tour. All three games sold out in just a few hours and Columbus had among the most entries in the ticket lottery.
>> Watch the highlights

 

Scottie Stays Hot at the Memorial

From March to June, Scottie Scheffler played out of his mind, winning five of eight tournaments, concluding with the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. It was his first win at Muirfield Village Golf Club, edging Collin Morikawa by one stroke. In 2025, the tournament returns to its traditional date, the week following Memorial Day.
>> Get Tickets for 2025

 

Summer of Soccer

For two weeks this summer, Columbus was once again the center of the soccer world featuring several high-profile events and some of the biggest stars in the global game.

  • July 22-24: MLS All-Star Week
  • July 27: Crew vs. Aston Villa (friendly)
  • August 2: Man City vs. Chelsea open practice
  • August 3: Man City vs. Chelsea (friendly)


Ahead of the Man City vs. Chelsea clash, the Premier League Trophy visited some popular spots in Columbus. Just look at it shine.
Premier League trophy in Columbus

 
Johnny Gaudreau Honored

In late August, Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau tragically lost their lives. The Columbus and hockey communities gathered to honor the brothers throughout the late summer and into hockey season. The Blue Jackets held a candlelight vigil outside Nationwide Arena in September. It’s available to watch in its entirety here.

 

Community Cup Crushes Records

Year seven of our annual Community Cup presented by the Columbus Foundation was the biggest one yet. Nearly 1,500 participants competed across 43 teams at Fortress Obetz. Check out the highlights.
>> Save $250 on Team Registration by Dec. 31

 

Another Women’s Sports First

The Association for Pickleball Players hosted the first-ever Women’s Open at Pickle & Chill this fall. Two Ohioans defended home turf as Shannon Pretorius won gold in women’s pro singles and Sheri Courter teamed up with Susannah Barr to win split-age women’s pro doubles.

 

Taking Home Trophies

Several Columbus teams added to their trophy cases. Here’s a round-up of major championships won:

  • Ohio State Women’s Hockey won the National Championship 1-0 over Wisconsin.
  • Columbus Crew won the Leagues Cup 3-1 over LAFC at Lower.com Field.
  • Ohio State Pistol won the Intercollegiate Pistol Championship (fourth straight).

 

Crowned in Columbus

In addition to home teams winning hardware, several other championships were contested in Columbus in 2024:

  • The U.S. Women’s National Team defeated Canada in the SheBelieves Cup at Lower.com Field.
  • NYU topped Smith College to win the NCAA DIII Women’s Basketball Championship at the Capital Center.
  • Stanford won the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championship at the Covelli Center. Three of the five members to make Team USA in the Summer Olympics competed here – Asher Hong, Paul Juda and Fred Richard.
  • Harvard won the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Fencing Championships at French Field House.
  • Club América narrowly beat the Columbus Crew in the Campeones Cup 5-4 in penalties at Lower.com Field.
  • More than 400 teams showed up to the Greater Columbus Convention Center in May to compete in USA Volleyball’s Adult Open Championships.
  • Columbus hosted the largest fencing event ever in early July as more than 6,200 athletes competed in the USA Fencing Championships at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
  • OHSAA hosted several state championships at various local venues including boys & girls wrestling, boys ice hockey, boys & girls soccer, boys & girls lacrosse, girls field hockey and boys & girls cross country.
     
More News & Notes

To wrap things up, here are a few more headlines from the year:

 

Up Next

There’s still a whole month left and lots of opportunities to write more Columbus sports history: