Ohio State's spring commencement ceremony Sunday at Ohio Stadium included more than 150 current and former Buckeye athletes, a group highlighted by Aaron Craft, John Simon and Katie Smith.
Craft, a senior point guard for Ohio State this past season, and Simon, a lineman who finished up his eligibility in 2012, are both best-known for their defensive prowess while Smith is the all-time leading scorer in U.S. women's professional basketball.
Craft is Ohio State's all-time leader in assists and steals, also owning the Big Ten record in the latter. He was named the National Defensive Player of the Year by the NABC as a senior and helped the Buckeyes to two Big Ten championships and a Final Four during his career in scarlet and gray.
Simon was a two-time football captain and the 2012 Big Ten Defensive Player and Defensive Lineman of the Year. He was a fourth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens and played in seven games at linebacker last season.
Other members of the 2014 Buckeye football team to graduate included starting offensive linemen Jack Mewhort, Andrew Norwell and Marcus Hall. Darryl Baldwin, a fifth-year senior this year who is competing to start at right tackle this fall, also received his degree, as did Melvin Fellows and Scott McVey, a pair of once-highly regarded recruits who saw their careers cut short by injuries.
Smith was not included in Ohio State's official list of graduates, but she posted on Instragram that she had finished work toward a master's of science in medical dietetics. She has assisted the Buckeye women's basketball program off and on throughout the years since she finished her eligibility in 1996 and this year plans to serve as an assistant coach for the New York Liberty of the WNBA.
Joining Craft in graduating from the '14 men's basketball squad Sunday was fellow guard Lenzelle Smith Jr.
For the full list of graduates, click here.
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