Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1507572
O C T O B E R 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 Katherine Asman — Women's Soccer Penn State is off to one of the best starts in the pro- gram's 30-year history, and Asman has been a big rea- son for its success. In 445 minutes played through the season's first six games, the graduate goalkeeper had allowed just 1 goal. Her .202 goals-against average was the Big Ten's best, and she was also leading the confer- ence with a .944 save percentage. A native of Roswell, Ga., and a team captain this year, Asman was named Big Ten Player of the Week in August. She was honored after making 2 saves in a 0-0 tie with No. 2 North Carolina on Aug. 17 and posting 40 scoreless minutes in PSU's 8-0 romp over West Chester three days later. Jess Mruzik — Women's Volleyball Making her first Rec Hall appearance for the Nittany Lions, Mruzik enjoyed a spectacular weekend in early September, averaging 5.3 kills per set and hitting .345 in three matches, all wins, at the Penn State Invitational. The senior outside hitter, who transferred to PSU from Michigan in the offseason, had 26 kills in the Lions' tour- nament finale, a 3-1 win over James Madison. It was the most kills by a Penn State player since Jonni Parker had 29 against Minnesota in 2018. Mruzik was named the tournament's MVP and later received National Player of the Week honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association. She became the first PSU player since Haleigh Washington in 2017 to claim the AVCA's weekly award. Kris Shakes — Men's Soccer The season is still young, but Shakes is already a two- time recipient of the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Week award. The fifth-year senior goalkeeper made 5 saves in Penn State's 1-1 tie against No. 1 Syracuse on Sept. 1, and he added another 4 saves in a 2-0 victory over St. John's three days later. The win over the Johnnies was the 17th shutout of Shakes' career, and it also lifted him to the No. 4 spot in career saves at PSU with 226. A native of Parkland, Fla., Shakes had allowed only 2 goals in Penn State's first four games and was leading the Big Ten with 17 saves. Kevin Wall — Men's Ice Hockey After a senior season in which he led the Nittany Lions with a career-high 31 points and was named team MVP, Wall signed a two-year contract in August with the Mil- waukee Admirals of the American Hockey League. A na- tive of Penfield, N.Y., Wall finished his PSU career ranked ninth in program history with 43 goals and 10th with 86 points. He had been selected in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes but became a free agent in August. — Matt Herb PENN STATE'S TOP PERFORMERS