Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 13 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Michael Anderson — Baseball Anderson became the first Penn State baseball player since outfielder Michael Campo in 2000 to be named a first-team All-American when he was among the American Baseball Coaches Asso- ciation/Rawlings honorees. The senior designated hitter from Havertown, Pa., had previously been named a second-team All-American by the Na- tional Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Anderson enjoyed one of the best seasons in school history this past spring, batting .358 with 68 hits, 11 doubles, 20 home runs, 53 RBI and 43 runs. His home run total set a Penn State single-season record, and his slugging percentage (.725) and total bases (141) rank fourth in program history. Allon Clay — Men's Track and Field Clay led Penn State's 23rd-place finish in the team competition at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. A graduate stu- dent from Fujisawa, Japan, Clay turned in a time of 1:44.98 in the 800-meter final on June 12 at Hay- ward Field, placing fourth and earning first-team All-America honors for the first time in his career. He was one of two Nittany Lions to compete in the 800 final, with se- nior Niko Schultz finishing in 1:45.50 to take sixth place. Together, Clay, Schultz and senior throwers Ryan Henry (sixth, shot put) and Collin Burkhart (13th, hammer) helped Penn State post its highest finish in the team standings since 2018. Hayley Kitching — Women's Track and Field Kitching ran the second-fastest 800-meter race in women's collegiate history June 13 at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene. The senior from Coffs Harbour, Australia, finished in 1:57.65 to place second behind Arkansas' Sanu Jallow-Lockhart (1:56.85) at Hayward Field. Both Kitching and Jallow-Lockhart eclipsed the record that Athing Mu of Texas A&M had set in 2021 when she clocked a 1:57.73. Kitching shaved 1.50 seconds off her previous personal-best time of 1:59.15, which she had set in May at the NCAA East Regionals — the first sub-2-minute 800-meter time in PSU women's track history. Allison Oneacre — So ball Oneacre became only the second player in program history to earn unanimous Freshman All-America honors, joining her teammate, junior pitcher Bridget Nemeth, who was saluted in 2024. A third baseman from Alpharetta, Ga., Oneacre was recognized as a Freshman All-American by both D1Softball and Softball America following one of the best offensive seasons ever by a PSU player. She led the Nittany Lions in both slugging (.797) and on-base (.493) percentage, while tying for the team lead with a .367 batting average. Oneacre set a school single-season record with her 61 RBI, and her 18 home runs were the most ever by a Nittany Lion freshman. — Matt Herb PENN STATE'S TOP PERFORMERS B efore he elected to spend his first and only season of collegiate hockey at Penn State, Gavin McKenna was being hailed as the overwhelming favorite to become the top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. On June 26 at the KeyBank Center in Buf- falo, N.Y., that expectation became reality. The 18-year-old forward was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs. McKenna told reporters that Toronto fans began welcoming him to their city in early May after the Maple Leafs won the league's draft lottery. " They 're just so passionate," he said. "There are so many of them, and it was super cool. When I was downtown for the World Cup game before the draft, I ran into a bunch of Leafs fans, and they were all awesome to me. Just amazing people. I can't wait to get really close with that fan base and can't wait to play in front of them." During his lone season at Penn State, McK- enna set nine program records. His 51 points were the most in a single season by a Nittany Lion freshman and second-most in program history. He set the PSU record for most as- sists in a season with 36 while also scoring 15 goals of his own. McKenna, a native of Whitehorse, Yukon, finished second nation- ally in assists, surpassed only by Michigan's Michael Hage with 39. In addition, his aver- age of 1.46 points per game set a Penn State record and led the Big Ten. McKenna was later joined in the draft by a pair of incoming PSU freshmen. Forward Egor Shilov was chosen by the Colorado Ava- lanche in the second round with the 43rd overall pick, while goalie Ryder Fetterolf was selected in the fourth round with the 125th pick by the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. McKenna wasn't the only Penn State ice hockey standout to become a first-round draft pick in June. Forward Tessa Janecke was chosen third overall by the Las Vegas expan- sion franchise in the Professional Women's Hockey League. PSU's all-time leader in goals (89), assists (112) and points (201), Janecke was one of seven Nittany Lions to be drafted June 17 in Detroit. She was joined by defenseman Leah Stecker (third round, 27th pick, Boston Fleet), forward Maddy Christian (third round, 33rd pick, Minnesota Frost), goalie Katie DeSa (fourth round, 37th pick, Vancouver Golden- eyes), forward Katelyn Roberts (fourth round, 43rd pick, New York Sirens) defenseman Ken- dall Butze (fifth round, 49th pick, Las Vegas) and forward Mya Vaslet (sixth round, 66th pick, Hamilton). Penn State's seven PWHL selections were the most from any school in the country. — Matt Herb Gavin McKenna Chosen First Overall In NHL Draft McKenna was picked by the Toronto Maple Leafs after ranking second nationally with 36 assists in his first and only collegiate season. PHOTO COURTESY TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS