Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/686202
THE YEAR IN REVIEW 50 > FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR All-America midfielder Raquel Rodriguez wrapped up one of the most storied careers in Penn State women's soccer history by scoring the goal that gave the Nittany Li- ons their first national champi- onship. 52 > MALE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR First-year running back Saquon Barkley electrified a struggling ground game, and in so doing gave the Nittany Lions hope that their offensive revival will really begin to take off during the 2016 football season. 53 > FEMALE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Displaying the poise and shot- making prowess of a veteran, rookie guard Teniya Page gave the Lady Lion basketball team a lift, enjoying a historic freshman year and perhaps setting the stage for even bigger things to come. 55 > COACH OF THE YEAR Erica Dambach guided her women's soccer team to its 17th consecutive Big Ten champi- onship and its first NCAA crown, winning national Coach of the Year honors in the process. 56 > LOOKING AHEAD Blue White Illustrated's staff of- fers a few predictions about who and what Penn State fans will be talking about in the upcoming athletic year. ith sweat still beading off his fore- head, reflecting the lights of the camera flashes ahead of him, Zain Retherford sat in front of reporters in Madison Square Garden having just won his first national title. In addition to de- livering an NCAA crown, the feat also se- cured the redshirt sophomore a ticket to the U.S. Olympic Trials a couple weeks later in Iowa City, Iowa. So, two questions into his post-final press conference, he was asked if he would be attending. He had barely caught his breath from the col- lege season. He was just minutes removed from win- ning a title on cable television, while giving his headgear to a young fan as he walked off the arena floor, but the uber-compet- | W ZAIN RETHERFORD MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR Sophomore helps propel PSU to another title S P E C I A L S E C T I O N PERFECT SEASON Retherford went 34-0 en route to his first NCAA championship. Photo by Mark Selders/ Penn State Athletics