Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1400830
1 2 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State added an- other graduate transfer from Harvard when of- fensive lineman Spencer Rolland announced in July that he plans to join the Nittany Lions. Checking in at 6-foot- 6, 290 pounds, Rolland could play either guard or tackle, but he won't make his Penn State de- but until the 2022 sea- son, since he doesn't intend to arrive until May. He'll play one more season with the Crimson this fall and will enroll at Penn State after earning his degree. That will give him two seasons to play with the Nittany Lions. When he arrives in State College next year, Rolland will be the second Harvard offensive lineman to continue his career with the Nittany Lions. Guard Eric Wilson joined the program this past May. Rolland, like Wilson, is originally from Minnesota, and he said his teammate's move factored into his decision. "When I was being recruited by Harvard, Eric contacted me throughout that process," he said. "During my time here, we got really close. We hung out together a lot and we would hang out together back in Minnesota. We have a strong bond. "It was nice to have him [at Penn State]. Having him there, it was nice to have him telling me what it's like from a player's perspective and what he thought of Penn State. He also went through the same process I went through, so with him being a close friend, his word meant a lot. All of the things he said about Penn State lined up with what the coaches were saying and what I saw when I visited. "But one other thing that really made the difference with Penn State was the coaching staff, from Coach [Phil] Traut- wein to Coach [James] Franklin and everyone else. They really stood out to me. There probably wasn't another coaching staff, especially with Coach Trautwein, that I would like to be under those two years." A three-year letterman and starter, Rolland earned pre- season All-Ivy League honors from Phil Steele in 2020. He grew up in Burnsville, Minn., and is majoring in mechanical engineering. Rolland previously visited Penn State in June, working out for Trautwein and the staff. —Ryan Snyder PENN STATE'S TOP PERFORMERS Women's soccer senior defender Kerry Abello Owner of a 4.0 GPA with a dual major in science and Spanish, Abello was named CoSIDA Women's Soccer Academic All- American of the Year in July. A 10-game starter for the Nittany Lions during their 2021 spring season, she became the fih Penn State female athlete to be named an Academic All-American of the Year, joining Katie Slay (women's volleyball, 2013), Me- gan Hodge (women's volleyball, 2009), Kel- ly Mazzante (women's basketball, 2004) and Bonnie Bremner (women's volleyball, 1998 and '99). Senior women's lacrosse a acker Taylor Regan Aer spending the past four seasons at Virginia, Regan has transferred to Penn State to finish her career. During her time in Charlottesville, she played in 47 games, totaling 39 goals and 26 assists. A native of Larchmont, N.Y., Regan heads to Penn State on the heels of the most productive season of her career. This past spring, she scored a personal-best 24 goals and added 16 assists for the Cavaliers. Baseball senior pitcher Conor Larkin The Toronto Blue Jays selected Larkin in the ninth round of the Major League Base- ball Dra on July 12, choosing him with the 272nd overall pick. The Royersford, Pa., na- tive made 50 appearances and 23 starts in his career with the Nittany Lions, totaling 191 strikeouts in 171 innings pitched. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he led the team with a 1.69 ERA, striking out 28 bat- ters in four starts. He was the first of four Nittany Lions to be draed in July, with third baseman Justin Williams and pitcher Kyle Virbitsky going in the 17th round to Houston and Oakland, respectively, and pitcher Bailey Dees being selected by the New York Yankees in the 18th round. Men's basketball senior forward Jalanni White A graduate transfer from Canisius, White will look to bolster the Nittany Lions' front- court aer starting 41 games for the Golden Griffins during the past two seasons. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward is from New Haven, Conn., where as a high school se- nior in 2016-17, he helped lead Notre Dame- West Haven High to its first undefeated sea- son (22-0). A few months later, he became the first true freshman frontcourt player in 10 years to start a season opener for Canisius. —Matt Herb Spencer Rolland, a 6-6, 290-pound offensive lineman, plans to join the Nittany Lions with two seasons of eligibility remaining after he graduates from Harvard next spring. PHOTO COURTESY HARVARD ATHLETICS Harvard Lineman Set To Join Lions In 2022