Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1115425
T H E M O N T H I N . . . [Carolyn] Kieger is from Minnesota, so she grew up in Big Ten territory. The con- ference has changed with expansion, adding Maryland, Nebraska and Rutgers. The Big Ten has just one NCAA women's basketball title – Purdue in 1999 – and only newcomer Maryland (2015) has reached the Final Four since 2005, when Michigan State fell in the national championship game. "I think the Big Ten is ready for a breakthrough," Kieger said. "I'm familiar with where it's been and the challenges that have been there. But I think as a whole, I think we're ready to explode. In the next couple of years, you're going to see that." MECHELLE VOEPEL ESPNW.COM Sean Clifford looked solid... Micah Parsons looked even more confident at line- backer and a host of receivers managed to look the part as the [spring] game sped by in just under two hours. Penn State will head into the summer with questions left to answer, ones that may or may not be answered over the course of the 2019 season. But on a day that is as much about the upcoming year as it is about showcasing what is coming down the pipeline, fans could leave Beaver Stadium satisfied that while old stars are gone, new ones are on the way. BEN JONES STATECOLLEGE.COM O P I N I O N S JOE KRENTZMAN & SON, INC. • Buyers and Brokers of Steel, Iron and Nonferrous Metals • Industrial Scrap Buyers • Container Service Available • Large Service Territory Since 1903 Lewistown, PA • Hollidaysburg, PA • DuBois, PA (800) 543-2000 • www.krentzman.net F irst i n S cra p Penn State Athletics in the years to come," athletic director Sandy Barbour said. "We need to continue to provide our student-athletes with the quality of facilities that match the national cham- pionship-caliber programs we desire across all 31 sports. We're very apprecia- tive of the support we've received, and will continue to seek, for the Football Excellence Fund. Our passionate com- munity clearly sees the renovations to the Lasch Building and the football complex as essential resources our stu- dents need [in order] to achieve great success in the classroom and competi- tion." Coach James Franklin expressed his appreciation to the board for the oppor- tunity to move the project forward. "The renovations already completed in Lasch Building have played a critical role in helping develop our student-athletes and build one of the top football pro- grams in the nation," he said. "To sus- tain and strengthen our successes, we need to keep investing to give our stu- dents and staff all the tools they need for us to win at the very highest level, on and off the field." Franklin said that "it's incumbent upon us to fundraise to make these im- provements a reality." The next phase of Lasch renovations will include an expansion of the strength and conditioning facility and upgrades to the offices and meeting rooms used by coaches, staff and stu- dent-athletes. The Lasch outdoor practice fields project will include leveling the grass fields to eliminate the existing slope, providing a full rotation of natural turf to accommodate multiple orientations of the fields, and providing permanent filming platforms, as well as an outdoor training hill. Holuba Hall, which was built in 1986, will receive additional restrooms and spectator amenities. Since the first Lasch Building renova- tion project was announced in January 2015, a total of $28.1 million has been raised for the Football Excellence Fund to finance the upgrades. ■