The 2009 induction class exemplifies dedication to sport.  Each of these inductees represents some of the highest caliber of skill to have graced the courts, fields, pools, and courses of this great university.  These inductees brings unique backgrounds to the sport and it is no surprise that excellence was seen in many aspects of their lives outside of sports.  Please join us, the Women’s Varsity O, in congratulating these amazing hall of fame inductees.

Kaja Fiserova
Rowing 2001-03
2002 Most Valuable Rower Kaja Fiserova led the Buckeyes to the program’s first Big Ten Championship. A 2003 First Team CRCA All-American, she was a two-time First Team All-Central Region and First Team All-Big Ten selection. She was a two-time CRCA National Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, as well as three-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete. Fiserova was also a member of the Czech Rowing Team in 1995-2000, participating in the world championships and world regattas.

Allison Hanna
Golf 2000-04
A two-time All-American, Allison Hanna was also the 2001 Big Ten Freshman of the Year as well as the Big Ten Player of the Year and Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year in 2004. She was a three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection and won the 2003 Big Ten Championships individual title. Hanna, a two-time team captain, was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete. A member of the All-NCAA West Regional Team in 2004, Hanna ended her career with the lowest scoring average (72.58) in program history. She turned professional in 2004 and posted her best LPGA finish with fourth place at the 2006 Sybase Classic.

Vanessa Immordino
Field Hockey 2000-03
Three-time All-American Vanessa Immordino finished her career in the Top 5 in the Buckeye record books in career points (127), career goals (52) and single-season points with 54 as a senior. She also was a three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection and a three-time First Team West Region All-American, as well as a 2003 Finalist for the Women’s National Field Hockey Player of the Year award. A four-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, Immordino was captain of the Buckeyes as a senior. She ended her career as one of five Ohio State players to record 100 career points after leading the team in goals three seasons.

Emma Laaksonen
Ice Hockey 2000-04
The 2004 WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year, Emma Laaksonen helped build the foundation of the Ohio State women’s hockey program and is the first women’s hockey player to be inducted into the athletics hall of fame. The first Buckeye women’s hockey player All-American, earning second team honors in 2002, Laaksonen’s other career accomplishments include being a 2002 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top 10 finalist and earning 2004 Second Team All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association honors. A standout in the classroom, she was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree (2003, 2004), a two-time AWHCA Scholar All-American (2003, 2004) and a three-time WCHA All-Academic Team selection (2002, 2003, 2004). Laaksonen also has been a key member for her home country’s team in Finland as a three-time Olympian, serving as co-captain in 2002 and 2006, as well as competing in seven world championships, serving as captain in 2008 and 2009. Named Finland’s Player of the Year in 2002 and 2006, Laaksonen was recognized by the Buckeye program during the first home series of the 2008-09 season when her No. 3 was the first women’s hockey player number retired.

Jim Montrella
Women’s Swimming Coach 1980-97
Jim Montrella, the 1985 and 1991 Big Ten Coach of the Year, led his Ohio State teams to five-consecutive Big Ten Conference championships from 1982-1986 and had 48 swimmers recognized as NCAA All-Americans during his 17 years at the helm. Montrella coached 66 Big Ten individual champions, five Big Ten Swimmer of the Year honorees, two Ohio State Athlete of the Year recipients and one NCAA champion. Fifty of his swimmers earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, with five receiving the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor. Nine of his swimmers have been inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame, including Holly Humphrey, the 1994 Ohio NCAA Woman of the Year and a Top 10 finalist for the NCAA Women of the Year Award.  Montrella was also head or assistant coach for more than 20 USA National Swimming Teams and served as a member of the USA Swimming Olympic International Operating Committee from 1972-96. Now retired, although he still gets requests for coaching consulting work, Montrella and his wife Bev, who was an assistant swimming coach for 17 years at Ohio State, reside in Mission Viejo, Calif.