Penn State Sports Weekly Overview

Story posted November 19, 2013 in CommRadio, Sports by Aaron Carr

The following is the Penn State sports overview for the week of November 11th to November 17th, and features results from every active Penn State athletic team.

Football:

The football team defeated Purdue 45-21, on the 16th, to improve its home record to 5-1. Penn State rushed for a season-high 289 yards in the win over the Boilermakers. The Nittany Lions will take on Nebraska in their home finale on the 23rd.

Player of the Week: Senior, RB, Zach Zwinak. The senior ball carrier topped 100 yards on the ground for the second consecutive game and scored three touchdowns.

Stat of the Week: Zwinak became the first Penn State player to rush for double-digit touchdowns in a season since 2008.

Women’s Volleyball:

The women’s volleyball team won both its matches this week. They defeated Wisconsin on the 15th and Minnesota on the 16th. Both victories were by the same 3-0 score. Penn State has now won 15 consecutive matches. The Lions return home against Northwestern on the 22nd, for their next match.

Player of the Week: Junior, Micha Hancock. Penn State’s setter recorded her 235th career service ace, in the win over Minnesota, tying her for the career record.

Stat of the Week: During Penn State’s 15 match win-streak, the team has won in straight sets in 10 of those contests.

Men’s Soccer:

The men’s soccer team played to a scoreless 0-0 tie, after two overtime periods against Indiana in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament on the 15th. Indiana advanced to the Big Ten Tournament final after they defeated Penn State 5-3 on penalty kicks. The Lions are off until the first round of the NCAA Tournament, which is to be played on the 21st.

Player of the Week: Junior, goalkeeper, Andrew Wolverton. The Penn State goalie made one save while allowing zero goals in regulation and overtime, in the tie against Indiana.

Stat of the Week: Penn State’s game against Indiana was the third straight in which the team went to double overtime.

Women’s Soccer:

The women’s soccer team defeated Monmouth 3-0 on the 15th, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Penn State is a four-seed in its region. Penn State goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom

recorded six saves to preserve the shutout for the Lions. Those interested in the Lions next opponent should visit GOPSUSports.com once that information is made available.

Player of the Week: Senior, forward, Tani Costa. The Honolulu native scored her ninth and tenth goals of the season in the win over Monmouth.

Stat of the Week: Penn State outshot Monmouth 25-11 in the first round victory.

Field Hockey:

The field hockey team lost to Princeton 5-4 on the 16th, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Four different Lions scored goals in the loss to Princeton. Penn State finished the season 13-6.

Player of the Week: Junior, Laura Gebhart. The Mount Joy, Pa., native notched a pair of assists in the loss to Princeton.

Stat of the Week: The nine combined goals in the match was the highest total for a Penn State match this season.

Men’s Ice Hockey:

The men’s ice hockey team lost both of its games this week to UMass Lowell, losing 4-0 on the 14th, and 3-2 on the 15th. Freshman goaltender Eamon McAdam stopped 41 shots for the Lions in his home debut. Penn State is now off until the 30th, when it takes on Union.

Player of the Week: Redshirt sophomore, forward, Eric Scheid. The Blaine, Minn., native scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season in the 3-2 loss to UMass Lowell.

Stat of the Week: Penn State outshot UMass Lowell 37-28 in the 4-0 loss.

Women’s Ice Hockey:

The women’s ice hockey team lost both of its games this week to RIT, losing 2-1 on the 15th, and 3-2 on the 16th. Senior forward Taylor Gross scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season in the 2-1 loss on the 15th. Penn State is now off until the 22nd, when it plays the first of two consecutive games against Lindenwood.

Player of the Week: Sophomore, forward, Jill Holdcroft. The Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa., native scored two goals in the 3-2 loss on the 16th, including the program’s first shorthanded goal.

Stat of the Week: Penn State has now lost eight games in a row following the loss to RIT on the 16th.

Men’s Basketball:

The men’s basketball team lost to Bucknell 90-80 on the 13th, but won 83-71 against Penn on the 16th. Ross Travis and Brandon Taylor each had career scoring nights in the 90-80 loss as each player scored 17 points. Senior guard Tim Frazier had a game-high 29 points to lead Penn State in the win over Penn. The Lions face off with instate rival La Salle in its next game on the 19th.

Player of the Week: Senior, guard, Tim Frazier. The Houston native had a game-high 29 points in the win over Penn.

Stat of the Week: Guard DJ Newbill has now scored in double figures in 18 straight games dating back to last season.

Women’s Basketball:

The women’s basketball team lost to UConn 71-52 at home on the 17th. Senior guard Maggie Lucas had 18 points for Penn State. Junior Tori Waldner had a career-high 11 points in the loss. The Lady Lions are off until the 20th, when they battle in-state rival Bucknell.

Player of the Week: Senior, guard, Maggie Lucas. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year scored 18 points in the loss to No. 1 UConn.

Stat of the Week: Lucas is now in sixth place on Penn State’s all time scoring list with 1,912 points.

Wrestling:

The wrestling team defeated Rider 34-8 on the 16th and competed against Lehigh on the 17th. Those wishing to get the full results of the Lehigh meet should visit GOPSUSports.com later in the day. The Lions won eight of ten bouts against Rider. Penn State returns to the mat on the 24th, against Lock Haven.

Player of the Week: David Taylor. The No. 1 ranked wrestler at 165 easily dispatched No. 13 Ramon Santiago in the victory over Rider.

Stat of the Week: Penn State had the takedown advantage 29-5 over Rider. Cross Country:

The cross country team competed in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on the 15th with the women’s team finishing in third place and the men finishing in fifth place. Junior Matt Fischer qualified for the NCAA Championships with his fourth place finish. The NCAA Championships will be held on the 23rd.

Fencing:

The Penn State fencing team completed the final day of competition in the North American Cup on the 11th. Penn State took home a total of four medals over the course of the three-day

tournament. The Lions are off until December 8th when they compete in a meet at Sacred Heart against Princeton, Harvard, NYU, Vassar and Sacred Heart.

Aaron Carr is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email adc5230@psu.edu.