Columbus, Ohio – When Linda Haussener came to Columbus, Ohio to play field hockey for the Ohio State Buckeyes it was a bit of a culture shock for her. After all, she was over 4,300 miles from her home in Switzerland and an 18-year-old girl. And never could she imagine she would be inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall Of Fame. But she was honored this weekend in the Hall of Fame ceremony and was honored before the huge Ohio State 5-0 victory over visiting Lehigh.
“When I first came to Ohio State, it was hard for me,” the field hockey legend explained. “I was nervous and I said I’d give it a week. Then a month. Then the months kept going by and I got to know people and realized how friendly and helpful everybody was and I loved it.”
And the Buckeyes were sure glad she stayed because from 2005 to 2008 at her American home of Columbus she dominated in Field Hockey. The young, nervous girl so far from home etched her name into the Ohio State record books. Haussener scored 52 points as a senior in 2008, sixth most in single-season program history. She also was Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous first team all-conference selection, her third of her career as she was selected second and third team honors in 2007 and 2006. Also in 2006, as a sophomore, Haussener helped lead the Scarlet and Gray to the Big Ten regular-season title. The Buckeyes won 50 games during her four-year career and made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. On the career charts, she currently ranks sixth in career goals (45), sixth in assists (31) and sixth in scoring (121 points).
“I am honored by everything but it’s like I always say, Field hockey is a team sport,” the 2008 first team All American player stated. “Without my team and people that supported me, I wouldn’t have been honored like this. This honor is a representation of everyone at Ohio State.”
Haussener was Ohio State’s female recipient of the 2008 Big Ten Medal of Honor, which is the conference’s most exclusive award. Haussener was a three-time NFHCA National Scholar-Athlete, four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and graduated with degrees in political science and economics. She still plays field hockey and coaches it and resides in Brussels, Belgium.
and Kate Lipton leave the field after Linda was honored
