Blue White Illustrated

January 2023

Penn State Sports Magazine

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 15 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M LaVar Arrington Is Inducted Into College Hall of Fame Former Penn State great LaVar Arrington was officially inducted into the College Foot- ball Hall of Fame on Dec. 6 at the National Football Foundation Awards Dinner in Las Vegas. A two-time first-team All-American at Penn State and winner of the Butkus and Bednarik awards in 1999, Arrington told GoPSUSports. com that his induction alongside such lu- minaries as former Georgia defensive back Champ Bailey and former Stanford quarter- back Andrew Luck felt like "an out-of-body experience." "It was a long journey," the Pittsburgh native said. "But if the long journey was culminated by the opportunity to sit with those guys and that being my forever class, yeah, I'm good." Penn State coach James Franklin was on hand for the ceremony, noting that he and Ar- rington have gotten to know each other over the years. While he attends the ceremony every year, Franklin was especially enthused about seeing Arrington enshrined. "LaVar has been a vocal supporter of the university and the athletic department and the football program, and specifically me. He's been phenomenal," Franklin said. "Sometimes I'll call LaVar for some perspec- tive; sometimes he'll call me for some per- spective. It's always good to hear from him. "It's important to be at those events and support Penn Staters, and LaVar has been outstanding since we arrived here." Arrington is Penn State's 26th representa- tive in the College Football Hall of Fame, a group that includes both players and coaches. The first former Nittany Lion to be enshrined since quarterback Kerry Collins in 2018, he said he hopes to be remembered as someone who was passionate about both his sport and his alma mater. "I love the game and everything that was associated with it: my teammates, coaches, fans, my school. I don't know that you'll find anyone who loves their school more than I do," Arrington said. "I feel like I've had an opportunity to prove what Penn State means to me. I hope people remember me for my love, not just of the game, but the entire Penn State community." Arrington works for FOX Sports Radio as co-host of the weekday morning sports talk show "Two Pros and a Cup of Joe." He also co- hosts the syndicated weekly podcast "Up On Game" alongside former NFL receivers Plaxico Burress and TJ Houshmandzadeh. — Greg Pickel PENN STATE'S TOP PERFORMERS Paul DeNaples — Men's Ice Hockey As a defenseman, DeNaples doesn't attempt many shots; through Penn State's first 20 games, the super senior captain from Moscow, Pa., ranked 17th on the team with 24 shots on goal. DeNaples has made those attempts count, though. In the fifth-ranked Nittany Lions' matchup against No. 19 Notre Dame on Dec. 9 in South Bend, DeNaples scored twice to propel the visitors to a 5-2 victory. His first goal, from the blue line late in the first period, gave PSU a 2-1 lead. He later added an empty netter in the third period to help Penn State close out the victory. DeNaples has made bigger contributions on the opposite end of the ice, where he was second on the team with 28 blocked shots as of mid-December, helping PSU tie for second in the Big Ten with an average of 2.5 goals allowed per game. Olivier Desmeules — Men's Indoor Track and Field Desmeules, a native of Quebec City, set a Canadian U-23 national record on Dec. 12 when he finished the 600-meter race in 1:16.63 at Penn State's Blue and White Intrasquad Meet. It was the latest career milestone for the PSU sopho- more. Earlier this year, he was third in the 800 at the Cana- dian National Championships, finishing in a personal-best time of 1:47.11. Before coming to Penn State, Desmeules spent a year at Laval University in his hometown. He qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships as a member of the 4x400 relay team in his first season at PSU. The Nittany Lion finished 21st to earn honorable mention All- America honors. Tessa Janecke — Women's Ice Hockey A freshman forward from Orangeville, Ill., Janecke is off to a brilliant start at the college level. Through Penn State's first 22 games, she had totaled 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) to rank second in the nation among freshmen, and she was leading the College Hockey America conference in goals and faceoff wins. A participant in the U18 Women's World Championships earlier this year, Janecke was set to make her U.S. National Team debut after being selected to play in the December Rivalry Series, a three-game exhibition set pitting Team USA against Team Canada. Janecke called the invitation to join the National Team "something I've been dreaming of my entire life." Mallory Kauffman — Women's Indoor Track and Field Kauffman began the indoor season with a marvelous per- formance in the Bison Opener at Bucknell on Dec. 10. The senior from Millerstown, Pa., turned in a 17.17-meter throw in the shot put, capturing first place by nearly 4 meters. She had the longest throw in the nation on the season's opening weekend, handily outdistancing Sarah Omoregie of Har- vard, who threw the shot 16.45 meters at the HBCU and Ivy Challenge in Cambridge, Mass. Kauffman also shattered a 21-year-old facility record at Bucknell's Gerhard Fieldhouse. She is coming off a junior season in which she finished 10th at the NCAA Indoor Championships to earn second- team All-America honors. — Matt Herb

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