The Penn State Coaches Caravan kicks off April 30 with a lunch event in downtown Philadelphia and an evening reception and program in Delaware County. The Nittany Lion Club and Penn State Alumni Association are teaming up to give fans a chance to meet and hear from football coach Bill O'Brien and other leaders of Penn State Athletics with a bus tour encompassing 18 stops in seven states and Washington, D.C. during the course of three weeks. The first week also includes programs in Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; Richmond, Va.; and the Harrisburg-Hershey, Pa. area. (more)
Following another outstanding fall athletic campaign, highlighted by two Big Ten titles, Penn State sits sixth in the 2011-12 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Final Fall Standings. Penn State will be looking for its 14th Top 15 finish in the 18-year history of the Directors' Cup, placing in the Top 25 every year, with eight Top 10 finishes. Stanford, who won its 17th consecutive Learfield Sports Directors' Cup for 2010-11, currently sits in first place. Penn State is one of two Big Ten schools that sit in the current Top 10 (Michigan is fifth). (more)
Representing seven fall sports, 68 Penn State student-athletes were honored as Academic All-Big Ten honorees. Penn State's 68 honorees brings the Nittany Lions' all-time total to 3,852 during the 18 years of the program. Penn State's 68 honorees ranked fourth among the 12 Big Ten institutions. In addition, the women's volleyball team totaled eight honorees to tie for first with Illinois. (more)
BTN will once again provide coverage of five Big Ten fall championships, including live broadcasts during the 2011 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament, Big Ten Men's and Women's Soccer Tournaments and delayed coverage of the Big Ten Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships. Big Ten Network is televising more than 100 Penn State events this year, in addition to coverage of 15 Big Ten Championships and institutional programming. (more)
Senior Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.) took top honors, leading the Nittany Lion women's squad to a third-place finish in the team standings Sunday at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships at the University of Illinois Arboretum. Lane led a trio of Nittany Lions on the women's all-conference team, with senior Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) earning first team status, and sophomore Emily Giannotti (Coudersport, Pa.) claiming second team honors. Seniors Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.) and Vince McNally(Paoli, Pa.) paced the Nittany Lions' sixth-place finish on the men's side, placing 12th and 13th, respectively, both capturing all-conference second team accolades. (more)
Just a few days removed from a convincing victory at the Big Ten Championships, senior Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.) has been named Big Ten Cross Country Athlete of the Year, announced by conference offices on Tuesday. Also earning conference recognition were junior Tyler Corkedale (West Windsor, N.J.) and Emily Giannotti (Coudersport, Pa.), who were the Nittany Lion recipients of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. (more)
The Nittany Lion cross country teams will put it all on the line on Sunday, competing against outstanding fields at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships at the University of Illinois Arboretum. Both the women's and men's squads, which both placed fourth at the 2010 Big Ten meet, look to contend for solid finishes, with the No. 26 Nittany Lion women entering the weekend as one of four-ranked teams in the conference. The Penn State men, who have hovered just outside of the national top 30 all season, will also run into a quartet of nationally-rated programs, including No. 2 Wisconsin. (more)
The Nittany Lion track and field/cross country programs recently participated in an international goodwill project, sending shoes and athletic gear to aspiring athletes in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo. The project was spearheaded by Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Beth Alford-Sullivan and 2011 women's team captain and current senior athlete Anna Muzio (Harrisburg, Pa.), as part of her participation in Penn State's Athletic Director's Leadership Institute. (more)
Seniors Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.) and Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.) have been named Big Ten Runners of the Week following winning efforts at the Dolan Duals, last Friday evening at West Branch Cross Country Course, at Lock Haven University. Both seniors paced their respective Nittany Lion squads to 15-50 "perfect" score victories over Lock Haven, each setting course records in the process. (more)
The Big Ten Network has released a portion of its fall Olympic sports broadcast schedule, featuring at least 11 Penn State contests. BTN will have coverage of five conference championships this fall, as well as an extensive line-up of Student U and BTN.com events to be announced. The Penn State women's volleyball team will have a minimum of seven matches on BTM this season. At least two men's soccer matches, one women's soccer contest and one field hockey match featuring the Nittany Lions also will be televised. Big Ten Network also will have coverage of the Big Ten field hockey, men's and women's soccer and men's and women's cross country championships. (more)
