Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541276
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 51 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M tion, sophomore forward JJ Wiebusch was named National Co-Player of the Month after totaling a Big Ten-best 18 points on 11 goals and 7 assists. At 9-3 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions will have a chance to get back on track with upcoming series against No. 2 Michigan (Nov. 14-15 at Pegula Ice Arena) and Minnesota (Nov. 21-22 in Minneapolis). They'll also have another shot at Michigan State. The Spartans are set to visit State College Jan. 30-31, and the second of those games will be a must- see event no matter where the two teams stand in the rankings at that point in the season. It'll be the first hockey game ever played at Beaver Stadium. ■ WOMEN'S SOCCER: Sixth-seeded Penn State fell to third-seeded UCLA, 2-1, in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament on Nov. 1 at West Lafayette, Ind. Graduate forward Kaitlyn MacBean gave the Nittany Lions a first-half lead when she opened the scor- ing with her ninth goal of the season, but they weren't able to hold off the No. 20 Bruins. While redshirt junior goalkeeper Mack- enzie Gress tied her career-high with 8 saves, UCLA erased Penn State's lead in the 66th minute and scored the winner 11 minutes later on a goal off a deflected penalty kick. MacBean, the team leader with 9 goals, received first-team All- Big Ten honors, while senior forward Amelia White (5 goals, 3 as- sists) was a second-team honoree. PSU (9-7-3, 5-4-2 Big Ten) earned a No. 8 seed and was set to host Army in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Nov. 15. MEN'S SOCCER: Penn State's season ended with a 0-0 tie against No. 10 Michigan on Nov. 7 at Jeffrey Field. On a cold, rainy night in State College, redshirt freshman goalkeeper Jonathan Evans made 3 saves for the hosts, earning the fourth shutout of his career. Penn State finished its season at 5-8-4 overall and 1-6-3 in Big Ten play, falling short of the four-team league tournament. Red- shirt sophomore midfielder Ben Madore led the team in goals (5) and points (11), while super senior forward Vin Danielson had 10 points on 4 goals and 2 assists. WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL: Penn State snapped a three- match losing streak with a 3-1 victory at Illinois on Nov. 9. Junior right-side hitter Kennedy Martin led the way, total- ing 22 kills and 11 digs, while senior middle blocker Maggie Mendelson added 16 kills on .516 hitting to help secure the win over the Illini. Heading into a Nov. 14 trip to Minnesota, the No. 25 Nittany Lions were 14-10 on the season and 8-6 in Big Ten play. WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY: Penn State opened its season with 12 consecutive victories, including eight wins in the Atlantic Hockey America conference. The sixth-ranked Nittany Lions had posted three con- secutive shutouts heading into a two-game series against Syracuse Nov. 14-15 at Pegula Ice Arena. PSU blanked Lin- denwood, 5-0, on Oct. 25 and followed with back-to-back 4-0 wins at Robert Morris on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Prior to facing the Orange, senior goalie Katie DeSa was leading the conference in shutouts (5) save percentage (.947) and goals-against average (.80). FIELD HOCKEY: The Nittany Lions' season ended with a 4-2 loss to visiting Rutgers on Oct. 31. Senior forward Elle Jennes and junior midfielder Natalie Freeman scored for the Nittany Lions, while sophomore goalkeeper Aby De- verka had 2 saves in the loss to the No. 18 Scarlet Knights. Penn State finished its season at 7-10 and 2-6 in Big Ten play and fell short of qualifying for the conference tournament. Only the top seven finishers make the Big Ten tourney field. Jennes and Freeman tied for the team lead with 7 goals apiece. Freeman added 5 assists and finished the year with a team-high 19 points. Senior midfielder Sophia Mannino was named to the second-team All-Big Ten squad following the regular season. The Doylestown, Pa., native anchored Penn State's defense and also had a goal and an assist. CROSS COUNTRY: Graduate Florence Caron finished fourth over- all at the Big Ten Women's Cross Country Championships on Oct. 31 at East Lansing, Mich. Caron crossed the finish line in 19:51.7 to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors for the second year in a row. Senior Charlotte Costich placed eighth overall, finishing the 6-kilometer race in a personal-best 20:11.7, while sophomore Ada Rand was 12th in 20:23.3. Those performances helped Penn State finish second in the team standings behind Oregon. The Nittany Lions totaled 78 points to the Ducks' 18. It was Penn State's best showing at the league meet since placing second in 2016. The Nittany Lion men placed eighth, led by junior Nick Sloff, who came in 23rd overall with an 8K time of 24:00.4. — Matt Herb O L Y M P I C S P O R T S N O T E B O O K Katie DeSa was second among Division I ice hockey goalies with a .80 goals-against average through Penn State's first 12 games. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS