Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547542
1 4 D E C E M B E R 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 Ryan Barker — Football Barker is Penn State's nominee for the Burls- worth Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation's top player who began his career as a walk-on. A redshirt junior from Landenberg, Pa., Barker had hit 45 of his 53 career field goal attempts (84.9 percent) through the first nine games of the 2026 season. He's been the Nittany Lions' starting placekicker since early in the 2024 campaign and won honorable mention All-Big Ten notice each of the past two seasons. This year, Barker had made 12 of 16 field goal tries heading into the Lions' last three games. Alex Creamean — Men's Golf Creamean finished an outstanding fall season by placing second in the individual standings at the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational Oct. 18-19 at Vero Beach, Fla. The senior from Winnetka, Ill., shot a 10-under 206 to finish as runner-up in the 88-player field. His strong showing included a 6-under 66 in the third round, prompting head coach Mark Leon to remark that Creamean had "played like a beast" in the tournament's final round. It was the senior's third consecutive top-five finish this fall, and it helped the Lions card a 9-under 855 to tie for third place in the team standings. Sienna Dunn — Field Hockey A graduate student from the Isle of Man, Dunn received first-team All-Big Ten notice after amass- ing 14 assists during the regular season, a total that ranked second in the conference and was tied for sixth nationally. Dunn also had a goal against Lock Haven, boosting her point total to 16 for the season. She was joined on the first- team all-conference squad by junior forward Ella Gaitan, a Maryland transfer who totaled 11 goals in her debut campaign with the Nittany Lions. This year marked the first time since 2023 that Penn State had two players on the first-team All-Big Ten squad. Aubrey Kulpa — Women's Soccer Kulpa became the latest in a long line of first- team All-Big Ten players for Penn State when she was saluted by the conference at the conclusion of the regular season. Heading into the league tournament, the junior forward from Cromwell, Conn., was leading PSU and was tied for seventh in the Big Ten in both points (21) and goals (8). Her 50 shots and 25 shots on goal were both career highs. The Nittany Lions have now had at least one player earn first-team All- Big Ten notice every year since 1994, the conference's inaugural women's soccer season. — Matt Herb PENN STATE'S TOP PERFORMERS Men's Tennis Coach Bruce Lipka Announces Departure Bruce Lipka is stepping down as coach of the Penn State men's tennis team after two full seasons to pursue a professional opportunity outside of college athletics, the university announced Nov. 2. Lipka was slated to remain with the Nittany Lions through the conclusion of their fall tournament schedule. Assistant coach Thomas Wright will then serve as interim head coach. Penn State did not identify Lipka's next position or announce a timetable for hiring a permanent successor. "This was not an easy decision, but it is an opportunity I could not pass up," Lipka said in announcing his decision. Lipka compiled a 28-28 record in dual matches during his two full seasons. Penn State finished 16-13 in 2025-26, posting its first winning record since 2023 and its most Big Ten dual-match victories since 2022. In his first season, the Nittany Lions doubled their win total from the previous year. Athletics director Patrick Kraft thanked Lipka for his commitment to the program and its players, adding that "we are excited for Bruce and this next chapter in his professional journey. We wish him nothing but the best and thank him for the impact he's made on Penn State and our student-athletes." Hired in June 2024, Lipka brought more than three decades of coaching experience to Penn State. He previously served as director of racquets at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md., a position he had held since Janu- ary 2000. His college coaching background included seven seasons leading Miami (Ohio) from 1989-96. His teams won three consecutive Mid-American Con- ference titles from 1994-96, and he earned three MAC Coach of the Year awards. — Matt Herb Lipka went 28-28 in dual matches during his two seasons at the helm of PSU's tennis program. PHOTO BY CHRIS EUTSLER/PENN STATE ATHLETICS