Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 51 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M R ob Dow, who guided Vermont to the 2024 national championship, has been named the new head coach of the Penn State men's soccer team. PSU an- nounced Dow's appointment on Dec. 11, three weeks after Jeff Cook stepped down to take an as-yet-unspecified leadership position in Major League Soccer. Dow has been head coach of the Catamounts for the past nine seasons, compiling a 129-41-21 record with five NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2024, his team entered the national tournament unseeded but went on to defeat No. 7 Hofstra, No. 3 Denver and No. 2 Pitt to reach the title game. Ver- mont beat No. 13 Marshall, 2-1, to cap- ture the College Cup. This past season, Vermont finished 14-1-5 and saw a program-record 13 players receive All-America East Con- ference honors. At Penn State, Dow inherits a program that is looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021. "I am so fortunate to have the oppor- tunity to not only honor the program's rich history, but to be a part of an athletic department that is focused on develop- ing world class student-athletes on and off the field while pursuing success at the highest levels," Dow said in a prepared statement. "I am excited to get to work writing the next chapter of PSU men's soccer by getting back to chasing Big Ten titles and national championships." Cook spent eight seasons with the Nittany Lions, during which he com- piled a 66-49-3 record, including a 31- 23-14 mark versus Big Ten opponents. Mark Pavlik To Retire Following 2026 Season The Penn State men's volleyball pro- gram is set for a change in leadership after longtime coach Mark Pavlik an- nounced Dec. 4 that the 2026 season will be his last. Pavlik has been in charge of the pro- gram since 1995. In 32 seasons at his alma mater, he's compiled a 694-241 record and is the fourth-winningest coach in collegiate men's volleyball history. During Pavlik's tenure, the Nittany Lions have made 25 NCAA Tournament appearances and claimed the national championship in 2008. They've also won 25 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament titles and 27 regular-season crowns. In a prepared statement, Pavlik said he was excited to coach one last season, with the Lions set to open against Mount Olive on Jan. 9 at Rec Hall. "I'm really looking forward to this year with this group of guys on the team," Pavlik said. "Thirty-plus years of doing anything is a long time, and I've been fortunate to do it at my alma mater with some great people over the years, both on the staff and in the administration." ■ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL: Penn State's season ended with a straight-set loss to top-seeded Texas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 6 in Austin. Junior right-side hitter Kennedy Martin totaled 16 kills for the Nittany Lions, while senior libero Gillian Grimes had 11 digs, but it wasn't enough to hold off the Longhorns, who advanced with a 25-16, 25-9, 25-19 romp. Penn State had opened the tournament with a 3-1 victory over South Florida the previ- ous night. The 25th-ranked Lions ended their season at 19-13 overall and 12-8 in Big Ten play. WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY: The Lions suffered their first loss of the season when they fell to No. 7 Northeastern, 3-2, in a nonconference clash Nov. 28 in Gloucester, Mass. Sophomore forward Grace Outwater and graduate forward Mya Vaslet scored third-period goals, but it wasn't enough to overcome a 3-0 deficit. Fourth-ranked Penn State bounced back the next day with a 4-1 victory. The Terriers again took an early lead, but this time PSU responded with goals from a quartet of for- wards — graduate Taylor Lum, seniors Katelyn Roberts and Maddy Christian, and freshman Mikah Keller. The win was PSU's fifth of the season over a ranked opponent. Heading into a nonconference game versus Cornell at Pegula Ice Arena on Dec. 30, Penn State stood 17-1 overall and 12-0 in Atlantic Hockey America play. WOMEN'S SOCCER: Penn State fell to top-seeded Virginia, 2-0, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 20 in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers outshot PSU 21-13, tak- ing the lead in the 33rd minute before adding another goal in the second half. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress made 6 saves for the Lions. Penn State had opened the tournament with a 3-0 shutout of Army on Nov. 15 at Jeffrey Field. A trio of forwards — graduate Kaitlyn MacBean, senior Amelia White and freshman Dikte Bang — scored for the Lions. MacBean's tally was her team-leading 10th of the sea- son, and she was later named a fourth-team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches. Penn State finished its season at 10-8-3 overall and 5-4-2 in Big Ten play. CROSS COUNTRY: The No. 13 Penn State women's team outperformed its ranking at the NCAA Championships on Nov. 21 in Columbia, Mo. The Lions placed 10th in the team standings, their best showing at the national meet since a ninth-place effort in 1994. Graduate Florence Caron was 14th overall, finishing the 6-kilometer race in a personal- record 19:00.6. Senior Charlotte Costich also set a PR with her time of 19:55.2, which was good for 93rd overall and second among PSU's seven reprsentatives. On the men's side, junior Nick Sloff finished 132nd, covering the 10K course in 29.49.2. — Matt Herb NCAA Title-Winning Coach Set To Lead Men's Soccer Program M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M O L Y M P I C S P O R T S N O T E B O O K DOW PAVLIK