Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1514597
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 4 15 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Josie Bothun — Women's Ice Hockey Bothun was named a co-winner of National Goal- tender of the Month honors from the Hockey Coaches Association in December. The Penn State senior, who was saluted alongside Sanni Ahola of St. Cloud State, went 3-1-0 in the four games leading up to the Nittany Lions' holiday break, posting a 1.26 goals-against aver- age and a .954 save percentage over that span. A native of Wyoming, Minn., Bothun earned her first shutout of the season and the 19th of her decorated career in Penn State's 2-0 victory over Robert Morris on Dec. 1 at Pegula Ice Arena. Through PSU's first 19 games, all of which she started, Bothun had compiled a 9-8-1 record with a 2.40 GAA and .910 save percentage. Josh Karnes — Men's Gymnas cs Karnes posted three event victories in Penn State's season-opening win over Army on Jan. 5 at Rec Hall. The junior all-arounder from Erie, Pa., took first place on the floor exercise (13.65), parallel bars (14.90) and high bar (14.05). In addition, he was third on the pom- mel horse (13.15), helping Penn State prevail in the dual meet, 398.800-370.450. Prior to the start of the season, Karnes was named a Big Ten Gymnast to Watch by the conference. He's coming off a 2023 campaign in which he won a Big Ten title on the paral- lel bars and was an All-American in the vault, parallel bars and all-around. John Kerr — Men's Volleyball Kerr enjoyed an incredible night in sixth-ranked Penn State's five-set victory over No. 16 Lewis on Jan. 6 at Rec Hall. The graduate outside hitter from Derry, Pa., totaled 31 kills against the Flyers, a career high and the most by a Nittany Lion player since Aaron Russell amassed 32 kills in a match against Ball State in 2015. Kerr hit .417 in the victory, and he also set career highs with 9 digs and 4 aces. Two nights earlier, in Penn State's season opener against Central State, he hit .600, with 7 kills, 2 digs and an ace. Kerr was later named Offensive Player of the Week by the East- ern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. Tay Valladay — Women's Basketball A graduate guard from Chicago, Valladay transferred to Penn State this past offseason after stops at Mar- quette (where she was recruited by current PSU coach Carolyn Kieger) and Virginia. Through the Lady Lions' first 14 games, Valladay was third on the team in scor- ing with an 11.4-point average and was second with 41 assists. Her scoring average included a career-best 32-point outburst in Penn State's 98-87 loss to Michigan State on Dec. 30 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Valladay went 11 of 13 from the floor and 9 of 13 from the free throw line. She scored 17 points in the first half against the Spartans, hitting all 6 of her attempts from the floor. 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 WeAre2024 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%