Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544053
5 2 A P R I L 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 MEN'S ICE HOCKEY: After dispatching Minnesota, 6-2, in the quar- terfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on March 11 at Pegula Ice Arena, Penn State fell to No. 1 Michigan, 5-2, in Ann Arbor three nights later in the semis. Junior forward Aiden Fink had a goal and 2 assists to lead 10th- ranked Penn State past the Gophers. Freshmen Gavin McKenna and Lev Katzin scored for PSU in the semifinals, but it wasn't enough to hold off the Wolverines. The loss dropped the Nittany Lions to 21-13-2, but they received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. PSU was seeded third in the Albany (N.Y.) Regional and was set to face second-seeded Minnesota- Duluth on March 27 at MVP Arena. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Penn State's season came to an end with a 93-59 loss at Indiana on Feb. 28. The Lady Lions finished 11-18 overall and 4-14 in Big Ten play and did not qualify for the confer- ence tournament. Despite its struggles, Penn State had two of the five leading scor- ers in the Big Ten. Sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller ranked third with a 21.6-point scoring average, while redshirt junior center Gracie Merkle was fifth at 19.2 points per game. BASEBALL: After dropping the first two games of its series at Purdue, Penn State pounded the Boilermakers, 14-9, in the finale on March 22, taking control with an 11-run second inning. Senior infielder Michael Anderson belted a 3-run homer during PSU's early scoring outburst. The Lions were 6-15 overall and 2-4 in Big Ten play heading into a nonconference game against visiting St. Bonaventure on March 24. SOFTBALL: Penn State lost five of its first six Big Ten games and was sporting a 20-11 overall record heading into a three-game series at Rutgers March 27-29. The Lions were swept at Oregon to begin conference play and dropped two of three to Wisconsin at Beard Field. Their lone win in that span was a 14-8 slugfest against the Badgers on March 21 in which freshman outfielder Breanna Hanik and junior designated player Jordan George hit 2 home runs apiece. MEN'S VOLLEYBALL: The Nittany Lions dropped three matches to top-six opponents during a spring break trip to the West Coast. Penn State was swept by No. 2 Long Beach State on March 7, then fell to No. 6 Pepperdine in four sets on March 11, followed by a sweep at No. 5 USC to close out the trip on March 14. Heading into a March 25 match against Ohio State at Pitt's Fitzger- ald Field House, the Lions were 11-7 overall and 4-0 in EIVA play. MEN'S LACROSSE: Ninth-ranked Penn State opened its Big Ten sea- son with a 10-6 victory over No. 11 Maryland on March 21 at Panzer Stadium. Redshirt senior midfielder Luke Walstrum had a goal and 3 assists for the Lions, who improved to 5-3 heading into a visit to No. 7 Ohio State on March 28. WOMEN'S LACROSSE: Penn State fell to sixth-ranked Michigan, 11- 6, on March 22 at Panzer Stadium. It was the team's second consecu- tive loss after opening the season by winning its first nine. Senior attacker Payton Wainman and junior attacker Kelly MacKinney had 2 goals apiece versus the Wolverines, while junior goalie Sydney Man- ning made 8 saves. MEN'S GYMNASTICS: The sixth-ranked Nittany Lions lost to No. 5 Ohio State, 317.950-315.500, on March 22 at Rec Hall. The Lions finished 3-3 in the dual meet season (1-3 Big Ten) and will return to action April 3-4 at the conference tournament in Lincoln, Neb. WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS: Penn State finished third in Session II at the Big Ten Championships on March 21 in Champaign, Ill. The Lions amassed a 196.000 score to place behind Iowa (196.700) and Ohio State (196.250). MEN'S TENNIS: Penn State dropped three of its first four confer- ence dual meets, with its lone victory coming on the road against Purdue, 6-1, on March 20. The Lions were 13-7 overall heading into Northwestern's visit to the Sarni Tennis Center on March 27. WOMEN'S TENNIS: PSU lost its fourth in a row when it dropped a nonconference match at Georgia Tech, 4-1, on March 22 in Atlanta. The Nittany Lions were 10-5 overall and 1-4 in Big Ten play following their loss to the Yellow Jackets. MEN'S GOLF: Penn State finished fifth out of 21 teams at the Seminole Intercollegiate March 15-17 in Tallahassee, Fla. Junior Alex Creamean was the Lions' top finisher, placing 14th in the 112-player field with a 3-over 219. WOMEN'S GOLF: The Nittany Lions tied for eighth place out of 15 teams at the Briar's Creek Invitational March 16-17 at John's Island, S.C. Freshman Audrey Lam and sophomore Hannah Rabb both fin- ished at 1-over 145, tying for 24th overall to pace PSU. TRACK AND FIELD: Graduate Allon Clay was Penn State's top fin- isher at the NCAA Indoor Championships March 13-14 at Fayette- ville, Ark. Clay placed third in the men's 800-meter race, finishing in 1:46.44. Senior Handal Roban was seventh in the same race with a time of 1:47.45. Both finished as first-team All-Americans. On the women's side, senior Maddie Pitts led PSU's contingent and earned All-America laurels by placing fifth in the pentathlon with 4,356 points. — Matt Herb O L Y M P I C S P O R T S N O T E B O O K Forward Aiden Fink scored a goal and added a pair of assists in Penn State's 6-2 vic- tory over Minnesota in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS