Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520787
J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 4 13 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 John Kerr — Men's Volleyball Kerr earned first-team All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association after ranking eighth nationally in kills per set (3.94) and 12th in both points per set (4.47) and hitting percentage (.350). The graduate opposite hitter from Derry, Pa., reached double-digit kills in 23 of Penn State's 30 matches this season, including the team's final 17 in a row. In PSU's 3-1 victory over Harvard in the semifinals of the East- ern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament, Kerr tied a career-high with 31 kills. In addition to his first-team All-America nod, he was named the EIVA's Player of the Year and Tournament MVP. TJ Malone — Men's Lacrosse For the second year in a row, Malone was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. The graduate at- tackman from West Chester, Pa., led the league dur- ing the regular season with a career-high 61 points on 32 goals and 29 assists. Malone, who was also a first-team All-Big Ten choice, had nine games in which he scored multiple goals and seven games in which he had 5 points or more. He scored 8 more goals in the Big Ten Tournament and 2 in PSU's first-round loss to Georgetown in the NCAA tourney. Prior to the game against the Hoyas, Malone was chosen in the third round of the Premier Lacrosse League Col- lege Draft, going 17th overall to the Maryland Whipsnakes. Sydney Manning — Women's Lacrosse Manning became the third Penn Stater in program history to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, joining teammate Kristin O'Neill (2021) and Madison Carter (2015). The first-year standout from Malvern, Pa., saw action in 17 games and tallied 114 saves in her debut campaign, compiling a .413 save percentage. A two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Manning had 4 saves in the Nittany Lions' 14-13 victory over No. 1 Northwestern on March 22, and she tied a career-high with 11 saves in a 12-11 win over No. 4 Maryland on April 13. She went on to make 20 saves in the Big Ten Tournament, helping the Nittany Lions reach the championship game with wins over Ohio State and Rutgers before falling to Northwestern in the final. Bridget Nemeth — So ball Nemeth made Penn State softball history when she was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Her recognition marked the first time in 33 seasons of conference membership that a Nittany Lion player claimed a postseason Big Ten individual award. It was the first time a Penn State softball player had won a conference individual honor since Nan Sichler was named Atlantic 10 Most Valuable Player and Pitcher of the Year in 1988. A native of Glendora, Calif., Nemeth was 22-6 heading into the NCAA Tournament, with her win total pacing the Big Ten. She also boasted a 1.71 ERA that ranked second in the conference. In addition to her Pitcher of the Year honor, Nemeth was named to the first-team All-Big Ten squad. — Matt Herb Outdoor Dual Meet Could Dovetail With Administration's Goals Is Penn State planning to hold a wrestling match in Beaver Stadium? In a recent social media post, four-time national champion Carter Starocci hinted that the Nittany Lions could be intending to do just that. Starocci announced on May 1 via X (formerly Twitter) that he was planning to return for a fifth college season. The next day, he added a postscript to his earlier message: "Now let's sell out Beaver Stadium in November." Athletics director Patrick Kraft has been clear that he wants the sta- dium to be used for more than just a handful of football games each year. Welcoming fans from across the region to watch the three-time defending NCAA champion wrestling team would help meet that goal. There is a precedent for holding dual meets at outdoor venues. Camp Hill High hosted Newport in December 2023 for what was dubbed Pennsylvania's first outdoor high school wrestling match. At the college level, Iowa welcomed Oklahoma State to Kinnick Stadium in November 2015, drawing 42,287 fans to the 69,000-seat facility. In November 2016, Rutgers and Princeton competed at High Point Solu- tions Stadium in an afternoon dual meet. Later that night, the Scarlet Knights hosted Penn State in a football game at the same venue. If PSU wanted to pair a wrestling match with a football game, coach James Franklin's team has three home contests in the final five weeks of the regular season: Nov. 2 vs. Ohio State, Nov. 9 vs. Washington and Nov. 30 vs. Maryland. The Big Ten typically announces its wrestling schedules after all other winter sports have their dates and opponents set. Last year, the full slate was not unveiled until October. Penn State would need time to market a wrestling match at the stadium, meaning that a one-off scheduling announcement would likely be necessary if a Beaver Sta- dium match is in the works. — Greg Pickel "This is a major, major project," he said. "We feel really good about where we're headed, but … there is not a thing we are not evaluating in this process." Kraft noted that Penn State is looking to use the sta- dium as a venue for more than just football games. On April 27, it was the site of a concert by country music star Luke Combs, with 73,339 in attendance according to Mu- sicRow.com. Kraft has also cited the NHL's annual Winter Classic outdoor game as the kind of event that could be brought to State College. "We have to use this building more," he said. "I would sign up right here for a hockey game in this building, you know, today. "Like everything else, it just takes a lot of moving parts and working with the NHL. But I think there's a great op- portunity to do that, and we are open. They know that we are open to it. We have got to continue to use this building to generate revenue." ■