Penn State Sports Magazine
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A P R I L 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 'Legacy Plaza' To Commemorate PSU's History Penn State has made several improvements to Beaver Stadium's entrances in recent years. Now comes an even bigger project called "Legacy Plaza." Announced in March, the new plaza will be built outside of the entrance to the south end zone tun- nel. It is scheduled to be completed before the start of the 2023 football season. According to the PSU athletics department, the plaza will celebrate the program's history with plaques commemorating every season. The plaques will include the team's schedule and results that year and will list its captains. "Penn State Football has rich tradition and his- tory, and we are excited to be able to recognize all of those accomplishments with this new Legacy Plaza at Beaver Stadium," athletics director Patrick Kraft said in a prepared statement. "We want our Lettermen, Varsity 'S' members, Blue Band mem- bers, and all of Nittany Nation to be a part of this celebration of Penn State Football." Fans will have an opportunity to purchase pavers that will be displayed in Legacy Plaza. The bricks range in price from $350 to $1,000. The largest and most expensive of the bricks mea- sures 12 inches by 12 inches and can contain as many as five lines of text with up to 20 characters per line. The smaller bricks measure 4 by 8 inches and 8 by 8 inches. In February, the university also announced that it intends to renovate Beaver Stadium at some point in the future. Penn State has yet to announce financial projections or a timeline for the project. "I know there is a lot of interest in this project, and we are at the beginning of a multiyear journey, which still must include proposal review and ap- proval by the board of trustees," university presi- dent Neeli Bendapudi said. "Athletics also will need to put the project out for bid." — Ryan Snyder PENN STATE'S TOP PERFORMERS Bailey Parshall — So ball Penn State is off to one of the best starts in program his- tory, having won 17 of its first 21 games. Unsurprisingly, Parshall has been a big part of the Nittany Lions' surge. An All-America pitcher last year, she didn't allow an earned run in two complete-game victories at the Pirate-Spartan Classic in Virginia Beach, Va. Parshall struck out 14, gave up only 4 hits and issued just 2 walks in an 11-1 rout of Delaware on March 4 and an 8-1 victory over Hampton the following day. For her efforts, she was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time in her career. Heading into PSU's matchup against visiting Pitt on March 21, the super senior from Belle Vernon, Pa., was 8-3 on the season, with 75 strikeouts and a 1.52 ERA. Handal Roban — Men's Track and Field Roban finished third in the 800-meter race at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 11 in Al- buquerque, N.M., becoming Penn State's first medalist at indoor nationals since 800-meter runner-up Isaiah Harris and weight throw champion David Lucas in 2018. A freshman from the Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Roban finished in 1:47.28 to claim the bonze medal and earn first-team All-America honors. The six team points he provided enabled Penn State to finish 37th overall and fourth among Big Ten squads. It was the first time since 2019 that the Nittany Lions scored at the NCAA indoor meet. Ma Traynor — Men's Lacrosse Traynor, a sophomore midfielder from Downingtown, Pa., continued his hot start for the Nittany Lions. He tallied his third hat trick of the season to lift Penn State past third- ranked Cornell, contributing 3 goals to the Lions' 10-6 vic- tory March 11 in Ithaca, N.Y. Traynor had previously enjoyed a pair of 5-goal games, helping the Lions outlast fifth-ranked Yale 13-11 on Feb. 25 and rout Lafayette 21-11 on Feb. 4. Through the team's first seven games, Traynor was sixth in the Big Ten with 18 goals. His offensive productivity had helped Penn State win three consecutive games against top-10 opponents en route to a 5-2 record and the No. 10 ranking in the Inside Lacrosse poll. Kiara Zanon — Women's Ice Hockey Zanon made program history on March 9 when she be- came the first player to score for the Nittany Lions in an NCAA Tournament game. Her shot in the 13th minute of the second period tied the score against Quinnipiac, 1-1. It was not surprising that the junior forward from Fair- port, N.Y., was the one to break the ice for a Nittany Lion team that was making its first appearance at the national tournament. Zanon's 26 goals led the College Hockey America conference, as did her 49 points. Prior to Penn State's season-ending 3-2 loss to the Bobcats in triple overtime, Zanon was named one of 10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which goes to the top player in Division I. — Matt Herb The new plaza will honor previous Nittany Lion foot- ball teams and is scheduled to be completed prior to the start of the 2023 season. IMAGE COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS