Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543434
7 2 M A R C H 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 OLYMPIC SPORTS MEN'S ICE HOCKEY: After a tough stretch during which they went 0-3-1 against Michigan State and Michigan, both of which were ranked second nationally at the time of those series, the sixth-ranked Nittany Lions bounced back by sweeping Ohio State Feb. 20-21 at Pegula Ice Arena. Penn State thrashed the Buckeyes, 11-4, in the series opener, set- ting a program record for most goals in a game despite being outshot 42-38. Freshman forward Gavin McKenna had a Big Ten-record 7 as- sists, helping Penn State take control with a 6-goal second period. In the finale, PSU rallied back from a 4-1 deficit midway through the second period. Senior defenseman Jarod Crespo scored the tying goal with 2:47 to play in the third, and McKenna ended it in over- time, beating Buckeyes goalie Kristoffer Eberly for the 5-4 victory. Heading into its last two series of the regular season — at Notre Dame Feb. 27-28 and home versus Wisconsin March 5-6 — the Nit- tany Lions were 20-9-1 overall and 12-7-1 in conference play. With their sweep of the Buckeyes, they clinched home ice for the quarter- final round of the Big Ten Tournament. WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY: The fourth-ranked Nittany Lions split their final series of the regular season, falling to the Rochester Institute of Technology, 3-2 in overtime, on Feb. 13 at Pegula Ice Arena, before rebounding with a 4-2 victory the following night. Senior defender Kendall Butze had a goal and 2 assists in the victory, which improved Penn State's record to 29-5 and 22-2 in the Atlantic Hockey America conference. The top-seeded Nittany Lions were set to host Syracuse in a best- of-three AHA Tournament semifinal series starting Feb. 27. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Penn State won back-to-back Big Ten games for the first time in nearly two years when it topped North- western, 81-71, on Feb. 15 and followed with an 87-78 road victory over Rutgers on Feb. 21. Sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller and redshirt junior center Gra- cie Merkle shined in both games. McMiller totaled 32 points against the Wildcats, while Merkle added 19 points and 11 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. Against the Scarlet Knights, Mc- Miller tied a career-high with 37 points, and Merkle contributed 26 points and 6 boards. Heading into Feb. 25 visit from USC, the Lady Lions were 10-17 overall and 3-13 in league play. They were 16th in the Big Ten stand- ings, putting them in jeopardy of missing the 15-team tournament. MEN'S VOLLEYBALL: Penn State had won six in a row heading into a nonconference matchup against Merrimack on Feb. 27 at Rec Hall. The 16th-ranked Nittany Lions didn't drop a single set in back-to- back sweeps of Saint Francis Feb. 6-7. Then they opened their EIVA season the following weekend with 3-2 and 3-0 wins at Princeton and followed Feb. 20-21 with 3-0 and 3-1 victories against visiting Harvard. Through 14 matches, freshman opposite hitter Tristan Hassell was second in the EIVA in hitting percentage (.303), while redshirt sopho- more outside hitter Sean Harvey was third in kills (3.41 per set), and redshirt senior libero Ryan Merk was first in digs (2.33 per set). Penn State was 10-4 overall and 4-0 in EIVA competition. MEN'S LACROSSE: Navy's fourth-quarter comeback doomed the 10th-ranked Nittany Lions to a 12-11 loss Feb. 21 in Annapolis, Md. Junior attackman Kyle Lehman tallied 2 goals and 2 assists, but as a team, PSU finished with its lowest scoring total of the season and fell to 2-2. WOMEN'S LACROSSE: Penn State has gotten off to an excellent start in Year 1 of the Kayla Treanor coaching era. The 21st-ranked Lions won their first five matches, the longest winning streak to open a season since 2017. The biggest of those victories was a 12-11 over- time thriller against No. 20 Pitt on Feb. 18 at Holuba Hall. Six Nittany Lions scored against the Panthers, with freshman attacker Rocquette Allen providing the decisive goal just a minute into the overtime period. SOFTBALL: Penn State won 13 of its first 15 games, including all five at the SpaceU Classic Feb. 20-22 in Orlando, Fla. The Nittany Lions outscored their opponents 53-11 at the three-day tourney. On Feb. 21 alone, PSU earned run-rule victories over Ohio (16-1) and Notre Dame (14-2). Through 15 games, freshman infielder Allison Oneacre was leading the team with a .419 batting average, 7 home runs and 27 RBI. On the mound, freshman lefthander Brevyn Kellepouris had compiled a 0.71 ERA in 19.2 innings. BASEBALL: Penn State was off to a 2-4 start prior to its matchup against Indiana State Feb. 27-March 1 at the Atlantis Collegiate Base- ball Series in Nassau, Bahamas. The three games versus the Syca- mores will be the first NCAA Division I baseball contests ever played in the Bahamas. Through six games, redshirt junior outfielder Jack Porter was bat- ting .304 with a team-high 6 RBI. MEN'S GYMNASTICS: Fifth-ranked Penn State suffered its first loss of the season when it fell to No. 6 Nebraska, 318.600-317.150, Feb. 7 in Lincoln. Junior Akseli Karsikas was the lone event winner for PSU, taking the high bar title with a season-high score of 13.850. The Lions were 2-1 in dual meet action heading into visit from Springfield College on March 1. WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS: No. 19 Penn State dropped its fourth dual meet in a row when it fell to No. 20 Iowa, 197.075-196.525, on Feb. 21 in Iowa City. Sophomore all-arounder Dani Latronica had the Nittany Lions' top score of the night with a 9.925 on the balance beam, but it wasn't enough to prevent PSU from falling to 4-4 overall and 3-3 in Big Ten competition. — Matt Herb W I N T E R / S P R I N G S P O R T S N O T E B O O K Freshman forward Gavin McKenna scored the decisive goal for Penn State in its 5-4 overtime victory against Ohio State on Feb. 21. PHOTO BY BRIAN MOSMEN/PENN STATE ATHLETICS