Arts and Sciences Students Make Olympic History
Lisa Chesson, a senior majoring in geography, and Tessa Bonhomme, a senior majoring in speech pathology, have made Olympic history. Chesson is the first Ohio State women's hockey player to represent the United States in the Olympics. Bonhomme is the first Buckeye women’s hockey team member to represent Canada in the Olympics.
Chesson began playing hockey as a 5-year-old and mostly was on boys' teams because of the lack of girls' hockey programs in her home town of Plainfield, Illinois. She joined her high school hockey team when she was a freshman and was named Female Athlete of the Year in 2000. Chesson was awarded a scholarship to Ohio State, where she played on the women's hockey team for four years and served as co- captain for the Buckeyes in 2007-08. She was a defensive defenseman for Team USA and was awarded an Olympic Silver Medal.
Tessa Bonhomme is a former all-American and co-captain of the 2007-08 Buckeyes Women’s hockey team. She was a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given annually to the top player in NCAA women’s hockey and was named Ohio State’s Most Valuable Defensive Player, 2004-05. In 2009, she was named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s “Top 10 Players of the First 10 Years.” Bonhomme scored Canada’s second goal in their first game of the tournament. She was awarded an Olympic Gold Medal in Women’s hockey as a member of Team Canada.
For more on these two Olympic stars, visit Ohio State Athletics.