Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1511150
D E C E M 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 Femi Awodesu — Men's Soccer A senior defender from Philadelphia, Awodesu shined for Penn State throughout the season, winning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors for his performance on the backline. He was a critical part of a Nittany Lion defensive effort that produced 7 shutouts and helped the team earn a share of the league's regular-season title. In addition, he scored 3 goals, boosting his career total to 6. Awodesu won all-conference honors for the second season in a row, claiming first-team recognition after having received a second-team nod in 2022. One of Awodesu's fellow PSU defensive standouts, senior Kris Shakes, was named Goalkeeper of the Year. Cori Dyke — Women's Soccer Dyke led a parade of postseason award-winners for the Nittany Lion women's soccer squad, claiming Big Ten Defender of the Year accolades in October. A super senior midfielder from Littleton, Colo., Dyke was the cen- terpiece of a Penn State defense that led the Big Ten with a .529 goals-against average during the regular season. She's the seventh player in program history to be saluted as the Big Ten's top defender, a list that includes two-time winners Alyssa Naeher and Whitney Church. Dyke was also one of five Nittany Lions to receive all-conference honors from the Big Ten this year and was the only PSU player to earn a first-team nod. Sophia Gladieux — Field Hockey For the second season in a row, Gladieux was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. A senior forward from Boyertown, Pa., Gladieux was second in the con- ference during the regular season in shots on goal (51), goals (20), game-winning goals (6) and points (42). She went into the Big Ten Tournament ranked fourth in pro- gram history with 73 career goals and was fifth with 155 points. In addition to her Offensive Player of the Year nod, Gladieux received first-team All-Big Ten honors for the fourth time in her career. This year, she helped Penn State finish the regular season with a 9-7 overall record and a 4-4 mark in Big Ten play. Peter Mangione — Men's Soccer Mangione was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year after a regular season in which he led the confer- ence and ranked sixth nationally with 9 goals. Five of those goals were game-winners, a total that led the Big Ten and ranked fifth in the nation. A senior forward from Hunt Valley, Md., Mangione was twice named Big Ten Player of the Week — after scoring the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Maryland on Sept. 26 and again on Oct. 24 after scoring goals against Rutgers and Michigan. He is now a two-time winner of Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors, having previously claimed the award as a sophomore in 2021. PENN STATE'S TOP PERFORMERS Join at BlueWhiteIllustrated.com! NOTE: BlueWhiteIllustrated.com is the companion site to Blue White Illustrated magazine. It is a separate subscription and is NOT included with the magazine. JOIN TODAY JOIN TODAY BlueWhiteIllustrated.com BlueWhiteIllustrated.com The premier Penn State site, now on the On3 network, has a special offer for ALL Nittany Lion fans: 25% OFF with promo code WeAre2023 Offer valid for new subscribers only; regularly $109.99 a year FEATURING: ✦ NEXT-GENERATION PLAYER DATABASE ✦ RECRUITING SCOOP ✦ DAILY TEAM COVERAGE ✦ BREAKING NEWS & DAILY NEWSLETTERS ✦ STRONG COMMUNITY ✦ MONTHLY OPTION AVAILABLE ✦ NEW MOBILE APP! 25%