Blue White Illustrated

August 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

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A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 13 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A trio of former Penn State football players have landed on the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame ballot. Linebacker Paul Posluszny and running backs D.J. Dozier and Ki-Jana Carter are three of the 80 former college football stars on this year's selection sheet. Posluszny has a stacked resume. He was a two-time All-American, as well as a two-time winner of the Bednarik Award, which goes to the nation's top defensive player. In 2006, he also won the Butkus Award, which is presented to the nation's top linebacker. "Poz" set the program's all-time tackles re- cord with 372, although it was soon broken by one of his younger teammates, Dan Connor, who totaled 419 from 2004-07. Posluszny was also the first Nittany Lion to lead the team in tackles for three seasons and to post three 100-tackle campaigns. The Butler, Pa., native made a total of 116 stops in 2006. Dozier is the only player in Penn State history to lead the team in rushing for four consecutive seasons and ranks fifth on the Nittany Lions' all-time list with 3,227 yards in his career. The Virginia Beach, Va., native scored the winning touchdown in the Lions' 14-10 victory against Miami in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl. Carter was an All-American in 1994 when he served as the primary rushing threat for one of the best offenses in college football history. The Westerville, Ohio, native finished fourth nation- ally in rushing yards per game (139.9), second in scoring average (10.8 points per game) and fifth in all-purpose yards (158.4 per game). Carter, Dozier and Posluszny aren't the only college football luminaries with PSU connec- tions appearing on this year's ballot. Glenn Killinger, a 1921 Penn State All- American who was inducted into the hall as a player in 1971, is now on the ballot as a coach. Killinger compiled a 176-72-16 record at five schools from 1922-59. In addition, current Penn State wide receiv- ers coach Taylor Stubblefield is under consid- eration for Hall of Fame honors. Stubblefield starred at Purdue from 2001-04, winning con- sensus All-America honors after finishing his career with the most receptions in NCAA his- tory (325, a record that has since been broken by five players). There are 20 former Penn State players in the College Football Hall of Fame. The most recent honoree, linebacker LaVar Arrington, is set to go into the hall later this year. — Greg Pickel PENN STATE'S TOP PERFORMERS Penelope Hocking — Women's Soccer One of three transfers to join the Penn State women's soc- cer team in June, Hocking comes to State College from USC, where she put together a brilliant résumé in four seasons with the Trojans. Named Forward of the Year in the Pac-12 in 2020, Hocking leaves USC as the program's all-time leading goal-scorer, having found the net 54 times to break a record that had stood for 21 years. She was also named a first-team All-American fol- lowing a 2020 season in which she led USC with 10 goals. Hocking was joined in Penn State's transfer class by another fifth-year player, defender Cassie Hi- att, formerly of Texas Tech, and Olivia Smith, a member of the Canadian U-20 Women's National Team who spent her freshman season at Florida State. Tyler Merkley— Men's Track and Field A super senior from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Merkley set a Penn State record and finished second at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the hammer throw. Merk- ley began the competition, which took place in Eugene, Ore., with a personal-best throw of 71.67 meters (235 feet, 1 inch). He bettered that mark with his fifth throw, which traveled 72.70 meters (238-6) to break the school record of 72.47 (237-9) that had been held by Morgan Shigo since 2018. Merkley's second-place finish at Hayward Field was the best of his career, earning him first-team All-America honors. He had been a second-team All-American last year and an honorable mention finisher in 2016 while competing for Kansas State. Following the conclusion of the 2022 season, Merkley was named the Big Ten Outdoor Men's Field Athlete of the Year. Bailey Parshall — So ball Following an outstanding senior season in which she tied a Penn State record with 22 wins, Parshall was named a third- team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches As- sociation. The lefthander from Belle Vernon, Pa., became the first Nittany Lion softball player to claim All-America honors since outfielder Cassidy Bell in 2013 and the first PSU pitcher to be so honored since Ashley Esparza in 2005. Parshall was one of the key play- ers in Penn State's resurgence this past season, going 22-9 with a 1.68 ERA. In 212 1/3 innings pitched, she held opponents to a .199 batting average. She hurled 9 shutouts, including a perfect game against Florida International in February. Parshall has said she plans on returning in 2023 for her super senior season. Ma Wood — Baseball A junior catcher from Gibsonia, Pa., Wood claimed the Big Ten's regular-season batting title with a .395 average. With Penn State's three Big Ten Tournament games included in his total, Wood batted .379 for the season, with 75 hits in 55 games, including 15 doubles, 3 triples and 12 home runs. A first-team All-Big Ten choice and a CoSIDA Academic All-American, Wood finished the year with the Big Ten's second-highest full- season average, trailing only Rutgers' Nick Cimillo (.385). He put together a 26- game hitting streak during the season, the second-longest in Penn State history, and reached base in 36 consecutive games. — Matt Herb Three PSU Greats In Contention For College Hall Of Fame

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