The Ohio State men’s volleyball team was one of 18 NCAA Championship teams invited to meet President Donald Trump in the White House on Friday, November 17th.
According to the White House, 18 invited teams attended. At least one invited did not attend: South Carolina’s women’s basketball team declined the invitation, with head coach Dawn Staley saying that the team was focused on their season and defending their national title.
Trump posed with teams in the white house and then they received a quick tour of the Oval office. While chatting with the Ohio State men’s volleyball team, he tossed a volleyball into the air.
.@POTUS plays #volleyball with the NCAA national champion Ohio State Men’s Volleyball team. @OhioState @OhioState_MVB pic.twitter.com/1T2JadHTky
— Sean Doody (@swdoody) November 17, 2017
2017 marked a second-straight NCAA title for the Ohio State men. The team graduated 6 seniors, including most significantly the team’s starting setter and captain Christy Blough and their 2nd-leading hitter, First Time AVCA All-American, and one of the all-time program greats Miles Johnson. They do return another first-team All-American, senior Nicolas Szerszen, who had 7 more kills than Johnson last year
The Buckeyes will open their 2018 season on January 6th against North Greenville, before they ramp up their schedule with back-to-back games against Stanford and BYU on January 12th and 13th. BYU is the team that Ohio State beat in each of the last two national championship games.
The tradition of championship sports teams visiting the White House dates back to the 19th century. In 1865, Andrew Johnson invited the Brooklyn Atlantics and Washington Nationals baseball clubs to the White House. The first World Series team to visit is believed to be the 1924 Washington Senators. NCAA Champions are believed to have begun visiting the White House in 1976 when Indiana’s men’s basketball team visited.
While the visits have become tradition, over the last decade the visits have become more controversial as politics become more divisive. Notably, Trump publicly “uninvited” the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors earlier this year after their star Steph Curry earlier said he would probably not visit because of Trump.
Read more about the tradition of sports teams visiting the White House here.
The team documented its trip to Washington D.C. on Twitter. A selection of those photos is below:
? CMH ➡️ IAD ?#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/igAow5f9SL
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioState_MVB) November 17, 2017
More from the MLK Memorial pic.twitter.com/lEHLWTsZYD
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioState_MVB) November 17, 2017
View of the historic Treasury Building as we arrive for the White House visit. pic.twitter.com/x4Gua47ta6
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioState_MVB) November 17, 2017
Tyler & Tyler
Tyler Alter snaps a quick pic with a portrait of President Tyler inside the White House. pic.twitter.com/bS6xll1Iys
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioState_MVB) November 17, 2017
Best coaching staff in the ?? pic.twitter.com/xptpsHqGay
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioState_MVB) November 17, 2017
Buckeye ?? in the White House pic.twitter.com/YJc6AYXMuV
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioState_MVB) November 17, 2017
On the White House steps pic.twitter.com/njgEltWvUj
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioState_MVB) November 17, 2017
Buckeyes invade the ⭕️val ⭕️ffice! pic.twitter.com/LUdDbG9gYE
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioState_MVB) November 17, 2017
?? Paparazzi is swarming the Buckeyes again…
??? pic.twitter.com/n9IP7Fyusm
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioState_MVB) November 17, 2017
Made The White House’s Snapchat story pic.twitter.com/NCnh8HNLMz
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioState_MVB) November 17, 2017
Unforgettable day in our nation’s capital is winding down. One more group shot before heading back to Ohio’s capital. pic.twitter.com/FoVvHxOUV5
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioState_MVB) November 17, 2017
Highlights of the Day, including Ohio State men’s volleyball, below:
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