If you haven’t seen it already, women’s sports are on the rise. There is no better time to watch the great female athletes that put it all out there on the court, and Columbus has plenty of them. Just this year, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther announced an initiative to make Columbus the capital of women’s sports.  

So many of the talented female athletes in the city call Columbus home because of The Ohio State University. Now that the school year is almost over, these athletes are wrapping up strong seasons. There’s a few more months until the next school year begins, but these athletes take no days off. Here are four athletes at OSU to watch this season: 

Jaloni Cambridge  

If you attend an Ohio State Women’s Basketball game next season, you will almost definitely see Jaloni Cambridge dominating on the court. The 2024 No. 2 ranked prospect according to ESPN arrived at Ohio State with many accolades and added many more to her resume after her first year in Columbus. She was named the 2025 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, averaging 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Cambridge started in all 29 games she played in last season, garnering the fourth most minutes on the team. She didn’t lead the team in any statistics last season, but watch for that to change. Cambridge still made an impact on Ohio State in only her first year, and has a few more years to go.  

Joy Dunne 

Joy Dunne was no stranger to the Ohio State Women’s Hockey program before she joined the team. The sophomore’s sisters, Jincy and Jessica Dunne, are alumnae of the program. Just like her sisters, Joy is stamping her name into the record books. She was the team’s first and only national rookie of the year during the 2023-2024 season. This past year, she led the OSU Women’s Hockey Team in total points (62), goals (29), and assists (33). Her seven game-winning goals were a big part of why Ohio State won 29 games and made it to the national championship last season. Ohio State ultimately lost to Wisconsin in that game, but Dunne was the first to score a shorthanded goal just over eight minutes in.  

Luciana Perry 

In just two seasons with the Buckeyes, Lucina Perry is already making her case for best women’s tennis player in program history. In her first season with the Buckeyes, the Pennsylvania native earned 2024 Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Rookie of the Year and Midwest Region Rookie of the Year honors. Within the conference, Perry was voted to be on the All Big Ten Team and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Her sophomore season is still going strong, but Perry is currently 14-3 in singles dual matches and 28-7 overall. If you want to see Perry in action on the court before the new school year, you can watch her and the rest of the Buckeyes at the NCAA Tournament this weekend.  

Kary Hollenbaugh 

Kary Hollenbaugh was the Ohio State Women’s Golf top finisher in seven of the 11 events the team competed in last season. In five of those events, she finished under par. In the Clemson Invitational March 28th-30th, Hollenbaugh finished 16 under par, winning the individual title and leading Ohio State to first place out of 15 teams. Hollenbaugh and Ohio State both earned first place at the Spartan Suncoast Invitational and the Therese Hession Buckeye Invitational as well. The junior's exceptional season earned her a spot on the All Big-Ten First Team for the second year in a row. Hollenbaugh is currently ranked 20th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking list. Make sure to follow her next year to see where she lands in the world rankings.  

Mila Nikanorov 

Mila Nikanorov had an incredible freshman season in the pool for the Buckeyes and is continuing to make records even past the traditional swimming season. At the 2025 Toyota National Championships in June, she finished fifth in the 800 freestyle with a program and career best time of 8:32.64. Nikanorov had another top 10 finish at the championships, placing eighth in the 1500 free with a career-best time of 16:26.67. With her super skill in the freestyle event, Nikanorov earned a spot on the Team USA roster at the World University games on July 16th. She earned the best time during the 800 free preliminary round at the games, and ended up winning the gold medal by beating her previous record in the event by five seconds. Stay tuned this season to see if she can top her time again.