Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541276
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 15 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Tyler Kasak — Wrestling Competing at the Bill Farrell Memorial Invita- tional in Philadelphia just prior to the start of Penn State's regular season, Kasak claimed the gold medal in the 70-kilogram (156.5-pound) class. A junior from Doylestown, Pa., Kasak defeated 2024 NCAA champ Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech, 6-3, in the semifinal round and followed with a 3-2 decision over former Iowa State All-American Ian Parker in the final to emerge victorious at the prestigious freestyle tournament. Kasak, a two-time All-American, is vying with freshman P.J. Duke for Penn State's starting spot at 157 pounds this season. Kaitlyn MacBean — Women's Soccer MacBean earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for the second consecutive year after finishing the regular season as the conference's leading goal scorer. The graduate forward from Excelsior, Minn., totaled 8 goals during the Nittany Lions' 9-6-3 campaign and added another score in the team's 2-1 loss to UCLA in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. Heading into the NCAA Tournament, MacBean ranked eighth among active players with 38 career goals. Penn State has now had at least one player make the first-team All-Big Ten squad for 32 consecutive seasons. Kennedy Mar n — Women's Volleyball Martin has been named one of 14 finalists for the American Volleyball Coaches Association's Division I Player of the Year award. Since transfer- ring from Florida last spring, the junior right-side hitter has been a dominant player for the defend- ing national champion Nittany Lions. Through Penn State's first 24 matches, she was leading the Big Ten and was third nationally in points per set (6.05) and kills per set (5.24). The Fort Mill, S.C., native had 20 or more kills in 13 matches, earning Big Ten Player of the Week honors on three occasions. Gavin McKenna — Men's Ice Hockey McKenna was named National Rookie of the Month by the Hockey Commissioners Association for his role in helping Penn State win nine of its first 12 games. In his first month as a collegiate player, the freshman forward from Whitehorse, Yukon, tallied 4 goals and 10 assists. His assist total was tops nationally among freshmen, as were his 14 points. McKenna, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in next year's NHL Draft, became the first PSU player to be named Rookie of the Month since current junior for- ward Aiden Fink was honored in November 2023. PENN STATE'S TOP PERFORMERS — Matt Herb Help BWI Grow! And earn referral bonuses for yourself! Get 4 FREE Issues added to your subscription for each new subscriber you send our way. See details at bluewhiteonline.com/referrals