Chase Young, Jincy Dunne selected as 2019-20 Athletes of the Year
Both were All-Americans and led their teams to conference titles
Heisman Trophy finalist Chase Young and first team All-American hockey defender Jincy Dunne are Ohio State’s 2020 Male and Female Athletes of the Year. Both will now be placed on the ballots for Big Ten Athlete of the Year awards, with the winners to be announced from the conference soon.
Young is the 11th football player to win Ohio State’s Male Athlete of the Year and the second in as many years (Dwayne Haskins won the award in 2019). Dunne is the first women’s hockey player to be named Ohio State’s Female Athlete of the Year.
A team captain in 2019, Young was the most dominant defensive player in the country on his way to winning six major individual awards. He led the nation in quarterback sacks (16.5) and sacks per game (1.38) while finishing second in tackles-for-loss (21.5) and TFLs per game (1.8). The Upper Marlboro, Maryland, native claimed the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Chicago Tribune Silver Football Awards. Young was the ninth defensive player (out of 159 total finalists since 1982) to be selected as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
On the national level, Young won both the Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, both of which recognize the nation’s outstanding defensive player, and the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end. He was a unanimous All-American and the nucleus of a defense that finished ranked No. 1 in total defense (259.7 yards per game); No. 2 in passing yardage (156.0 yards per game), red zone scores (66 pct.) and pass efficiency (97.50); and No. 4 in scoring (13.7 points per game).
In three years as a Buckeye, Young played in 38 games and earned 23 starts. His career total of 31.0 career sacks is second-most in program history, behind only Mike Vrabel (36.0 from 1993-96). He helped Ohio State win three consecutive outright Big Ten titles and earn a berth to the College Football Playoff in 2019.
A criminology and criminal justice major, Young announced in January that he would forgo his senior season and entered the 2020 NFL Draft. Last month, he was the second overall selection by the Washington Redskins.
Dunne, from O’Fallon, Missouri, was announced as a Big Ten Medal of Honor winner last Friday, making her the first women’s hockey player to win that award. She ended her career as a three-time AHCA All-American, with two first team accolades. She is the fourth defensive player in the past decade to be a first or second team All-American three times. She is one of just two Buckeyes to earn first team All-WCHA honors three times and received the league’s defensive player of the year honor as both a junior and senior.
A two-time team captain and two-time alternate captain, Dunne became the only Buckeye to be named first team All-USCHO after receiving second and third team honors during her junior and sophomore seasons, respectively. She finished her career with 99 points, putting her third all-time among Ohio State blueliners.
Dunne and the Buckeyes claimed the 2020 WCHA Tournament Championship, the first championship crown for the program, after topping No. 1 Wisconsin in the title game, 1-0, in overtime. Dunne was credited with the assist on the game-winning goal, making her the program's record holder for career postseason points and assists. Ohio State earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and was scheduled to play Minnesota in the opening round before the COVD-19 pandemic forced its cancellation.
A WCHA Scholar-Athlete, Dunne earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology in May 2019 and is enrolled in the sports coaching master’s degree program. She was also an Academic All-Big Ten honoree and Ohio State Scholar-Athlete for the 2019-20 academic year.
