Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/672796
PAGE LEADS HONOREES Of the six individual award winners at Penn State's postseason banquet April 11, five return next season. They are: freshman Teniya Page (Joanie O'Brien Most Outstanding Player), junior Peyton Whitted (Most Improved Player and Academic Achieve- ment Award), junior Kaliyah Mitchell (Jeannette Goss Courage/Leadership Award), freshman Leah Knizner (Tom Caldwell "Unsung Hero" Award) and freshman Sarah McMurtry (Robin Lom- bard "Spirit" Award). Senior Brianna Banks earned the Collegiate Pride De- fensive Player of the Year award. The only freshman in the NCAA to av- erage 15 points and four assists per game, Page earned the MOP award after having one of the best debut seasons in the program's his- tory. She became the only Penn State rookie ever to reach 450 points and 100 assists in a season, leading the team in scoring, assists, free throws made and 3- point percentage. Her 37.6 minutes played per game ranked No. 2 on the sin- gle-season charts, while ranking No. 14 nationally and No. 2 among NCAA Divi- sion I freshmen. Page was only the sec- ond Lady Lion to earn unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman honors and the third rookie ever named first- or second-team All-Big Ten after garnering second-team laurels this season. PSU ALUM NAMED AD One of the most decorated players in Penn State women's basketball history is stepping off of the court and into administration, as Susan Robinson Fruchtl has been named the director of athletics at Saint Francis (Pa.) University. Robinson Fruchtl will replace Bob Krimmel, who is retiring after 11 years as the school's AD. Krimmel is a former PSU student-athlete, head women's swim- ming and diving coach and administrator. Robinson Fruchtl, a native of Center Point, W.Va., graduated from Penn State in 1992. She was head women's basket- ball coach at Providence the past four seasons. ■ Bryce Jordan, the former Penn State president who oversaw the university's move to the Big Ten and whose name adorns the home of its men's and women's basketball programs, died April 12 in Austin, Texas. He was 91. Jordan served as president from 1983-90 and is remembered best for leading the university through a period of transition from which it emerged as one of the nation's great public research institutions. Facing skepticism about his ambitious fundraising goals, Jordan launched the university's first major capital campaign in 1986 in hope of generating sup- port for a variety of endowed positions, scholarships and other improvements. One of his predecessors, Eric Walker, said he "didn't think we could raise even a million dollars," Jordan recalled in a 2005 interview. That prediction proved inaccurate. By the time it ended four years later, the Campaign for Penn State had raised $352 million. But Jordan also has a significant place in Penn State's athletic history, as he was in office in 1989 when the university was invited to join the Big Ten. Jor- dan championed the move – not only as a means of bolstering Penn State's athletic programs but also as a way to align with other land-grant research universities. "We are proud of what Penn State represents in the academic and athletic communities," Jordan said following the university's admission to the league. "Conference membership provides us with an opportunity to enhance our strong reputation as an educational institution of the first order and as a major player in intercollegiate athletics." In recognition of Jordan's contributions, Penn State named its new multi- purpose arena for him following his retirement. The Bryce Jordan Center opened in 1996 and has now been the home of Penn State's basketball pro- grams for two decades, as well as the site of wrestling matches, concerts, com- mencement ceremonies and the annual Dance Marathon. Carolyn Dolbin, who served as executive assistant to three university presi- dents, said Jordan "cared deeply about the university, the faculty, the staff and the students. He brought out the best in everyone. He had a great sense of humor and could laugh at himself. We've lost a good friend." WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK B R Y C E J O R D A N 1 9 2 4 - 2 0 1 6 LASTING INFLUENCE Jordan speaks to reporters during an appearance at the build- ing that bears his name. Pho- to Penn- StateLive