Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1476228
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2 15 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State Honors Nick Lee, Bailey Parshall As Top Athletes Senior wrestler Nick Lee and senior soft- ball pitcher Bailey Parshall were honored as athletes of the year by Penn State Intercol- legiate Athletics earlier this summer. Lee became the ninth wrestler to be named male athlete of the year by PSU. Between them, those nine wrestlers have claimed the honor 11 times since the ath- letics department first began handing out awards to its top male and female athletes in 1992. Parshall is the first softball player to be named female athlete of the year. Lee made school history in March when he became the wrestling program's first five- time All-American. Taking advantage of the NCAA's bonus year of eligibility for classes impacted by the pandemic, Lee returned to PSU for his super senior season and won a second consecutive national championship at 141 pounds. He went 22-0 on the season, with 6 major decisions, 4 technical falls and 2 pins. He also claimed the Big Ten champi- onship, the first of his career. A native of Evansville, Ind., Lee concluded his collegiate wrestling career with a 118-13 record, including a 55-2 mark in dual meets. He had 40 major decisions, 27 tech falls, 18 pins and 226 dual meet points during his five years as a starter. Parshall was a first-team All-Big Ten hon- oree for a resurgent Nittany Lion softball team. She went 22-9 with a 1.68 ERA and 9 shutouts. In leading Penn State's surge to a 32-22 record and an appearance in the Big Ten Tournament, she became the first Nit- tany Lion pitcher to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors since Ashley Esparza in 2005. A native of Belle Vernon, Pa., Parshall tied the school record for most victories in a sea- son, equaling the mark set by Kelly McCann in 2001. On Feb. 18, she pitched the fifth per- fect game in the program's history, blanking Florida International in Miami. Parshall is planning to return to PSU for her super senior season in 2023 while pur- suing a master's degree in organizational leadership. PENN STATE'S TOP PERFORMERS Kerry Abello — Women's Soccer Abello was named the Big Ten's nominee in July for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. A first-team All-Big Ten honoree last fall, she graduated from the Schreyer Honors College with a 4.0 grade point aver- age and degrees in science and Spanish. The Batavia, Ill., native studied biomedical engineering at PSU, re- searching cancer cells. The first four-time Academic All-American in PSU women's soccer history, Abello currently plays for the Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League. She is one of 53 nominees for the Woman of the Year award. The list will be pared down to 30 in October, from which nine finalists will be chosen — three apiece from Divisions I, II and III. The winner will be an- nounced at the NCAA convention in January. Mackenzie Allessie — Field Hockey Aer a six-day training camp in July at Virginia Beach, Va., Allessie was chosen for the U.S. Women's National Field Hockey Team. A two-time first-team All-America midfielder from Mount Joy, Pa., she was one of 38 players selected to the national squad, which will play its first game next February. Allessie, who transferred to Penn State from Ohio State last fall, finished with 9 goals and 12 assists in her first season with the Nittany Lions, ranking third on the team with 30 points. The senior standout has 40 goals and 22 points in her career. Her upcoming stint with the Team USA will be the second of her career; Allessie also was on the team in 2019. Chris Stoll — Football A redshirt senior from Westerville, Ohio, Stoll has quietly been one of Penn State's most reliable per- formers the past few years. He's been the team's long snapper for 35 games since arriving at PSU as a walk- on in 2017. In July, he was nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, an award presented by the American Football Coaches Association to players who distinguish them- selves in the fields of athletics, academics and community service. In ad- dition to his special teams contributions, Stoll is a three-time Dean's List honoree and is in his third year as president of Penn State's chapter of Upliing Athletics, the nonprofit organization that raises funds for the fight against rare diseases. Ma Wood — Baseball Wood, a junior catcher from Gibsonia, Pa., became the highest-draed position player in Penn State history when he was chosen by the Milwaukee Brew- ers in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball Dra on July 18. The Brewers selected Wood with the 132nd overall pick, 21 spots higher than Penn State's previous record-holder, catcher Ben Heath, who went to the Houston Astros in the fih round of the 2010 dra. A two-time All-Big Ten selection at Penn State, Wood claimed the league's regular- season batting title this past spring with a .395 average. — Matt Herb