Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
5 0 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Penn State remained winless in the Big Ten season following a 76-72 loss to Rutgers on Jan. 18 at Rec Hall. Facing her former team, sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller totaled 27 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists, while redshirt junior center Gracie Merkle added 21 points and 8 rebounds. But the Scarlet Knights shot 40.6 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point range to deal PSU its eighth consecutive loss. The Lady Lions were 7-12 overall and 0-8 in Big Ten play heading into a West Coast road trip to face Washington (Jan. 21) and Oregon (Jan. 24). Through 19 games, Mc- Miller and Merkle were averaging 19.4 and 19.3 points per game, respectively, to lead the team. MEN'S ICE HOCKEY: The eighth-ranked Nittany Lions swept struggling Notre Dame at Pegula Ice Arena, capitalizing on a Matt DiMarsico hat trick to prevail 4-1 on Jan. 16, then pulling away for a 6-3 win the follow- ing night. DiMarsico, a junior forward from Wexford, Pa., scored the first two goals of the series opener and added an empty-netter in the closing minutes to clinch PSU's victory. In the finale, DiMarsico broke a 3-3 tie late in the second period with a goal off a rebound. Penn State held the Irish scoreless the rest of the way to extend its winning streak to five games. Prior to a two-game series at Wisconsin Jan. 23-24, the Nittany Lions were 16-6 overall and 8-4 in Big Ten play. DiMarsico was leading the team in goals (14) and points (26). MEN'S VOLLEYBALL: Thirteenth-ranked Penn State opened its season with four consecutive nonconference wins, includ- ing a 3-1 victory over No. 9 Lewis on Jan. 17 at Rec Hall. Tristan Hassell shined in the win over the previously unbeaten Flyers. The freshman opposite hitter totaled 13 kills on .550 hitting, while redshirt sophomore outside hitter Sean Harvey and redshirt junior out- side hitter Matthew Luoma added 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Senior setter Jaxon Herr had 34 assists and 9 digs in the Lions' 25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22 victory. MEN'S GYMNASTICS: Penn State claimed two event titles at the West Point (N.Y.) Open on Jan. 17. Graduate student Kellen Ryan posted a score of 13.400 to finish first in the floor exercise, and he also was second on the vault with a 13.800. Junior Luke Esparo won the Nit- tany Lions' second title when he scored 13.900 on the rings. In the team portion of the competition the previous day, Penn State finished first with a score of 313.500. Junior Landon Simpson won the all-around title with a 78.550, while classmate Akseli Karsikas was second with a 78.350. WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS: Penn State opened its Big Ten season with a 196.075- 194.100 victory at Illinois on Jan. 16. Senior Ava Piedrahita posted a career-best score of 9.925 on the uneven bars, and the No. 17 Nittany Lions took the top six spots on the balance beam, led by sophomore Dani Latronica with a 9.875. MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING: Penn State dropped its first dual meet of the new year, falling to host Virginia, 133-85, on Jan. 10. The Nittany Lions' top performer was se- nior Mariano Lazzerini, who was first in the 200-yard breaststroke in 1:52.52. WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD: Hayley Kitching set a collegiate record in the indoor 1,000-meter race, finishing in 2:38.45 on Jan. 17 at the Nittany Lion Chal- lenge. Kitching, a senior from Coffs Harbour, Australia, broke a record that had been held by another Penn Stater, Danae Rivers, who posted a time of 2:38.58 in January 2019. Freshman Boh Ritchie also impressed at Penn State's first home competition of the indoor season. In her first race as a Nittany Lion, Ritchie posted the second-fastest 600-meter time in program history, finishing in 1:28.21. — Matt Herb W I N T E R S P O R T S N O T E B O O K Forward Matt DiMarsico scored 4 goals in Penn State's two-game sweep of Notre Dame, including a hat trick in the series opener Jan. 16. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS