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N E W C O M E R S O F I N F L U E N C E A quartet of prospects help brighten the Penn State women's volleyball team's outlook NEW AND IMPROVED ›› head coach Russ Rose wasn't neces- sarily surprised by the team's finish. Before the season began, he said he T had "an incredibly young group," which included 13 players with freshman or sophomore eligibility. "They're going to have a huge learning curve out there." But when the 2012 season begins in a few months, the Nittany Lions be a year more experienced, and with four incoming freshmen set to comple- ment the veterans – two of whom are ranked among the top 10 recruits in the country – the team is taking aim at another national title run. Megan Courtney headlines the new class. Rated the No. 4 prospect in the country by PrepVolleyball, Courtney starred at Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering, Ohio, and will likely con- tribute early as either a setter or an out- side hitter. The 6-foot-2 first-team Un- der Armour All-American said she chose Penn State because "I really liked the environment of the school [and] the tradition of the volleyball program, and my favorite animal is a lion." Paulina Prieto Cerame, a native of Puerto Rico who was a three-year captain at Palmer Trinity in Miami, may also see early playing time. She arrived on campus in January – the team's only early enrollee – and has al- ready begun team workouts. In high school, she was twice named The Miami Herald's Player of the Year and was also a member of the USA Youth National Team. She aspires to someday join the U.S. Women's Nation- al Team and said Penn State gives her the best opportunity to fulfill that goal. "The coach's beliefs and expectations matched my goals and expectations for myself as a volleyball player and a per- son," said Prieto Cerame, the nation's No. 7 prospect. While Prieto Cerame and Courtney hough Penn State wasn't able to claim a fifth consecutive NCAA women's volleyball championship, MEGAN COURTNEY "I really liked the environment of the school [and] the tradition of the volleyball program, and my favorite animal is a lion. " highlight Rose's small recruiting class (he brought in 15 newcomers the previous two years), Kendall Pierce of Eden, N.Y., and Lara Caraway of Mars, Pa., are valuable additions. Pierce, who led Eden Junior-Senior High School to three New York state ti- tles, comes to Penn State as a walk-on, fulfilling her dream of becoming a Penn Stater. Her father, Robert, played vol- leyball at Penn State, and her moth- er, Kiernan, was a member of the track and field team. Caraway is the only Pennsylvania prospect in Penn State's class. A 2011 first-team All-State honoree, she was a late addition to the recruiting class and is expected to provide strong depth to a growing roster. MEN'S SOCCER Four of the Northeast's top high school players signed national letters of intent in February, joining Bob Warming for his third season as Penn State's head coach. Kelton Cheney of State College, Pa, is arguably the top recruit in the haul. A forward who was ranked by both ESPN and TopDrawerSoccer.com as the top player in Pennsylvania, Ch- eney participated in the Philadelphia Union's first-ever fall program, earn- ing a call-up to play in a Major League Soccer reserve game against the New York Red Bulls in August 2011. "It is terrific to have a local player from our small town make it onto the team at Penn State," Warming said. Also joining the team this fall are de- fenders Shane Campbell of York, Pa., and Matt Mayewski of Belle Mead, N.J., and midfielder Drew Klingenberg of Gibsonia, Pa. FIELD HOCKEY Head coach Charlene Morett added three newcomers to her defending Big Ten championship squad when Bethany Mink of Allentown, Pa., Hay- ley Kerstetter of Selinsgrove, Pa., and Ally Lauth of State College, Pa., signed to play for Penn State. Mink, who began classes in January as an early enrollee, was the leading scorer for her club, the WC Eagles, and has attended Penn State field hockey camps since she was in eighth grade. She could play a variety of positions but will likely begin her career as a forward. Lauth, a speedy forward for State College High, also enrolled in January and has had a relationship with Morett since she was in the third grade. Kerstetter, described by Morett as a "tenacious defender," rounds out the trio of new recruits. She hails from Selinsgrove High, a central Pennsylva- nia field hockey power that produced current Nittany Lion Ashtin Klinger. MEN'S SWIMMING After posting its best season in 10 years, Penn State introduced five new additions who will join its 2012-13 squad. Max Byers of Glen Carbon, Ill., Andrew Eiken of Naperville, Ill., Kevin Glenn of Matthews, N.C., Matthew Gril- lo of Montreal, Quebec, and Shane Ryan of Havertown, Pa., all signed let- ters of intent during the early-signing period to swim for head coach John Hargis. "The overall class is great," Hargis said. "We're always trying to keep student-athletes in state, and we were able to do that with Shane Ryan. Max Byers, Andrew Eiken, Kevin Glenn and Matthew Grillo all fill needs that we'll have, and we're very excited to have them." SOFTBALL Securing commitments from two California prospects and another who hails from Hawaii, head coach Robin Petrini traversed the country in order to sign seven incoming freshmen for her 2013 roster. Joining the Nittany Lions are outfield- er Taylor Abeta of San Diego, outfield- er Shannon Good of Horseheads, N.Y., catcher Karlie Habitz of Santa Clari- ta, Calif., outfielder/pitcher Macy Jones of Ashburn, Va., infielder/out- fielder Lexi Knief of Ramsey, N.J., pitcher/infielder Christy Von Pusch of Bryn Mawr, Pa., and shortstop Reina Furuya of Waikele, Hawaii, who will be- come the only Hawaiian on the team's roster. J U N E 2 8 , 2 0 1 2 25 O L Y M P I C S P O R T S

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