Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/847744
One of the most successful coaches in women's college ice hockey has been hired to lead Penn State's program. Je< Kampersal, the ;=h-winningest active coach in the country and seventh-win- ningest all-time, is coming to University Park a=er 21 seasons at Princeton. Kampersal went 327- 261-58 with the Tigers, earning ECAC Coach of the Year honors three times and Ivy League Coach of the Year acco- lades twice. He helped Princeton capture Ivy League champi- onships in 2005-06 and 2015-16, seasons in which the Tigers also quali;ed for the NCAA tournament. Kampersal's players earned 68 All- ECAC Hockey honors, 54 All-Ivy League selections and two AHCA All-America plaudits. Five of his players were candi- dates for the Patty Kazmaier Award. Over the past two seasons, Kampersal guided the Tigers to a 42-19-5 cumulative record that included the 2016 Ivy League championship and an NCAA tournament at-large berth. Princeton went 20-10-3 this past sea- son, falling to eventual national cham- pion Clarkson in the ECAC tournament semi;nals. The Tigers recorded seven wins over ranked teams, had a Patty Kaz- maier top-10 ;nalist, the USCHO.com National Rookie of the Year, six All-Ivy League members and four All-ECAC members, including the Goalie and Rookie of the Year. Princeton was ranked No. 9 in the ;nal 2016-17 USCHO.com poll. In 2015-16, Kampersal directed Prince- ton to one of the greatest seasons in pro- gram history. The Tigers compiled a 22-9-2 record, won the Ivy League title and received an NCAA tournament bid. Kampersal earned Ivy and ECAC Coach of the Year honors. Kampersal has also coached at the in- ternational level, guiding the USA Women's Hockey Under-18 team to silver medals at the 2013 and '14 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's U-18 Championships. His experience with the U.S. Hockey program also includes serving on the coaching sta< of the USA Women's Select Festival from 2004-06. A native of Beverly, Mass., and a 1992 Princeton graduate with a degree in psy- chology, Kampersal served as captain of the Tigers' hockey team during his senior year. An All-Ivy League and All-ECAC selection, he shares the school record for consecutive games played with 107 (tied with Mervin Kopeck). Kampersal and his wife, Eileen, have a daughter, Keira, and a son, Jack. ■ WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY PSU hires Ivy League veteran Kampersal to lead program KAMPERSAL ADMINISTRATION Barbour receives AD accolades On the verge of her third complete year as Penn State's athletic director, Sandy Barbour has been recognized as one of the best in the country. Barbour was recently named one of 28 recipients of the AD of the Year Award. Sponsored by Under Armour and presented by the National Asso- ciation of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the award honors athletic directors for their commitment to all-around excellence. Barbour was one of four ADs from the Football Bowl Subdivision to be honored for the 2016-17 school year. Joining her are Boo Coorigan of Army West Point, Jay Jacobs of Auburn and Blake James of Miami (Fla.). "I'm humbled and honored to re- ceive this award from my peers," Bar- bour said via press release. "This award is also a recognition of the great work that has come before me to build a remarkable foundation for success. Most importantly, it is a val- idation of the spectacular work that our entire team does on behalf of Penn State student-athletes." In charge of 31 athletic programs, a total that is tied for the fourth-most among 128 FBS universities, Barbour oversees approximately 800 stu- dent-athletes in addition to a sta< of nearly 300. During the past athletic season, Nittany Lion teams led the Big Ten with seven league champi- onships for either the regular season or tournaments. The total is the third-highest at PSU since it joined the Big Ten in 1993. – TIM OWEN ALL SPORTS Penn State seventh in Directors' Cup With the 2016-17 athletic year nearing completion, Penn State was poised to earn its fourth top-10 ;nish in the past ;ve years in the Lear;eld Directors' Cup. In the standings released in late June, the Nittany Lions were ranked No. 7, putting them in position to earn their 12th top-10 ;nish in the 24 years of the Directors' Cup. The ;nal 2016-17 standings were set to be announced in July. Twenty-one of Penn State's 31 teams participated in their respective NCAA championships in 2016-17, and the Nit- tany Lion football team won the Big Ten title and played in the Rose Bowl to bring the total to 22 squads in postseason competition. ■