Penn State Sports Magazine
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1 4 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M PENN STATE'S TOP PERFORMERS Ma Cormier — Men's Gymnas cs Cormier got his junior season off to a strong s t a r t b y s e t t i n g c a - reer highs on still rings (13.900), vault (14.800) and high bar (14.050) in leading the Nittany Lions to a 402.900-378.300 victory over Army on Jan. 7 at Rec Hall. That showing earned him Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honors, and he followed it by winning the all-around competition at the West Point (N.Y.) Open on Jan. 13 with a career-best score of 81.950. The team captain from Milton, Mass., is coming off a sophomore year in which he won regular-season All-America honors in the all-around. Maddie Johnston — Women's Gymnas cs Johnston won the all-around competition to help lift the Nittany Lions past Long Island Uni- versity, Penn and Southern Connecticut State at the Penn State Quad Meet on Jan. 13 at Rec Hall. The junior from Boyds, Md., tied a career high with her score of 39.150. Her 9.900 on the balance beam was a career high, helping her become the third Penn State gymnast to win an all-around title in the season's first three meets. Freshman Ava Piedrahita took the title at the Keystone Classic in Pittsburgh on Jan. 6, and sophomore Jessica Johanson was first at the Denver Tri-Meet on Jan. 8 John Kerr — Men's Volleyball A senior opposite hitter from Derry, Pa., Kerr had 21 kills in fourth-ranked Penn State's 3-1 victory over No. 13 Ohio State in Columbus on Jan. 7. Included in that total were 5 kills in the deci- sive fourth set, which PSU won 25-20 to end the Buckeyes' comeback hopes. Kerr's previous personal best had been 6 kills, which he set one day earlier in a 3-1 season-opening win over Central State Univer- sity. The 6-foot-6 Kerr had been used primarily as a blocking substitution during his sophomore and junior seasons, but he was leading the team with 39 kills through its first four matches of the 2023 campaign, all victories. Kiara Zanon — Women's Ice Hockey The junior forward from Fairport, N.Y., a Rochester suburb, scored 3 goals and added an assist in a two-game series against the Rochester Institute of Technology. Zanon scored a pair of shorthanded goals in the series opener Jan. 12 at Pegula Ice Arena. In so doing, she helped lift the Nittany Lions to a 4-2 victory while also reaching a per- sonal milestone — her 100th career point. Zanon was later named the College Hockey America conference's Forward of the Week for the third time this season. Through Penn State's first 26 games, she was leading the CHA in goals (17), as- sists (17) and points (34). She was also tied with two Penn State teammates, senior defender Izzy Heminger and senior forward Eleri MacKay, for third in plus-minus rating (plus-15). — Matt Herb Joey Porter Jr. Remains Penn State's NIL Leader The NCAA's relaxation of longstanding name, image and likeness restrictions has changed the face of college sports. On3.com has been tracking NIL valuations for college athletes, using a formula that incorporates on-field performance, social media influence and overall media exposure. The formula projects a player's earning potential over the next 12 months. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. topped Penn State's NIL leaderboard throughout the 2022 football season, and he's still No. 1 now that he's off training for the NFL. Quarterback Sean Clifford is also departing yet remains at No. 3 on the list. The biggest mover of the past few months is linebacker Abdul Carter, who was outside of the top 10 for much of the season but is now at No. 4 after a strong freshman campaign in which he won true freshman All-America honors from ESPN. Two other new faces in Penn State's top 10 are wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith and guard Jalen Pickett of the men's basketball team. Pickett is the first Nittany Lion hoops player to appear on the list. Here's a look at PSU's top 10: RK NAME POS CLASS NIL VALUATION 1. Joey Porter Jr. CB — $592,000 2. Olumuyiwa Fashanu OT Jr. $441,000 3. Sean Clifford QB — $273,000 4. Abdul Carter LB So. $259,000 5. Nick Singleton RB So. $225,000 6. Kalen King CB Jr. $218,000 7. Cristian Driver Ath. R-Fr. $154,000 8. Drew Allar QB So. $147,000 9. Jalen Pickett (MBB) PG Sr. $121,000 10. KeAndre Lambert-Smith WR Jr. $112,000 Kickoff Time Set For Nittany Lions' Spring Game It's been known for a few months that Penn State plans to hold the next edition of the Blue- White Game on April 15 at Beaver Stadium. Now we know when it will kick off. The Nittany Lions' final practice session of the spring will begin at 2 p.m. In announcing the time of the game, PSU did not indicate whether it would be televised. In past years, the game has aired either live or on tape delay on the Big Ten Network. Penn State has used its 15th spring practice session in various ways during James Franklin's tenure as head coach. In 2021, with COVID re- strictions still in place, the team held two open scrimmages with limited attendance. The stadium returned to full capacity last year, but Penn State was struggling with depth issues in the spring and decided to hold an offense-ver- sus-defense scrimmage rather than a traditional game. The scoring system for such scrimmages has changed over the years based on player avail- ability and roster construction. Penn State will open spring practice in March, but the start date for the team's offseason drills has not yet been announced. — Greg Pickel