Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1482664
1 4 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2 Former PSU Linebacker Bani Gbadyu Dies Bani Gbadyu, a key contributor at line- backer for the Nittany Lions from 2007-10, died Oct. 22 after a short battle with pancre- atic cancer. He was 34. Gbadyu was known at Penn State for his friendly and outgoing personality. He was an occasional starter on teams that boasted some of the top linebacking talent of the Pa- terno era, players such as Sean Lee, NaVorro Bowman and Michael Mauti. "Always had that smile on his face," former defensive coordinator Tom Bradley told The York Daily Record. "I don't remember him having a bad day. Always loved life. Never complained. Was a team guy, gave you every- thing he had. You never worried about Bani." After a brief tryout with the Oakland Raid- ers, Gbadyu returned to Maryland. There, he met his future wife, Molly, and the couple settled down in her hometown of Lebanon, Pa., and raised their three children. Gbadyu worked in sales and coached high school football. He was originally from Liberia, immigrat- ing to the United States with his father and brother when he was 10 to escape the country's civil war. The family resettled in Gaithersburg, Md., and Gbadyu went on to become a first-team all-state player and team captain at Quince Orchard High before head- ing to Penn State in 2006. In the years that followed his playing career, Gbadyu frequently attended PSU games. He was on hand for this year's home opener Sept. 10 against Ohio, a few weeks before he received his cancer diagnosis. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help his family. As of Oct. 24, it had raised $105,608. PENN STATE'S TOP PERFORMERS Kerry Abello — Women's Soccer The first player in program history to win Academic All- America honors four times, Penn State alumna Abello was re- cently named one of 30 honorees for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year award. Abello graduated from the Schreyer Honors College last year with a 4.0 grade point average and degrees in biological life sciences and Spanish. The Batavia, Ill., na- tive was part of a group of 577 initial honorees. That field was later whittled down to 156 and is now at 30, with 10 nominees apiece from each of the NCAA's three divisions. Abello is representing the Big Ten on the list. The selection committee will next choose nine finalists — three apiece from each division — with the winner set to be announced in January at the NCAA Convention in San Antonio. Liam Bu s — Men's Soccer The senior forward from Lawrenceville, Ga., was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week in mid-October after scoring 2 goals in less than three minutes during Penn State's 4-1 victory over Michigan State on Oct. 7 at Jeffrey Field. The first goal came on a header after the Spartans blocked a shot by sophomore midfielder Sean Bettenhausen. Moments later, Butts once again headed the ball past Michigan State goalkeeper Owen Finnerty, this time on a cross from senior midfielder Andrew Privett. Through Penn State's first 10 games, Butts was third in the Big Ten with 6 goals and first in game-winning goals with 3. His average of 1.4 points per game was also third in the conference. Ryan Kirwan — Men's Ice Hockey A sophomore forward from DeWitt, N.Y., Kirwan shined for Penn State in a season-opening nonconference sweep of Canisius. Kirwan had 3 goals and 2 assists and finished the weekend with a plus-6 rating to help the Nittany Lions prevail over the Golden Griffins 5-2 on Oct. 7 and 7-5 the following night. Kirwan's line, which includes seniors Kevin Wall and Ture Linden, totaled 6 goals and 15 points in the series and finished with a plus-18 rating. Through the Nittany Lions' first four games, Kirwan was tied for fourth in the Big Ten with 6 points on 3 goals and 3 assists. He received Big Ten Third Star of the Week honors following his performance against Canisius. Makenna Marisa — Women's Basketball The senior from McMurray, Pa., was one of 20 players named to the watch list for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which is bestowed on the nation's top point guard by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Last season, Marisa averaged 22.2 points per game to finish second in the Big Ten and sixth nationally. She reached double figures in all 29 games in which she played as a junior, one of only two Division I players to do so. Marisa earned consensus All-Big Ten honors and was recently named a preseason all-conference pick by both the league's coaches and a media panel. She enters the 2022-23 season ranked 25th in Lady Lion history with 1,244 career points. — Matt Herb Gbadyu died Oct. 22 at the age of 34 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. He leaves behind a wife and three children. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS