“We have everything weneed here to be successful.”

— Patrick Chambers

About the NewsletterVolume 31, No. 4

Spring 2011U.Ed. ICA-11-190

The Nittany Lion Club Newsletter is a quarterlypublication sent to all Nittany Lion Club

members. The magazine is published bythe Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Nittany Lion Club Web Sitewww.nittanylionclub.com

Official Web Siteof Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics

www.gopsusports.com

Executive EditorsGreg Myford, John Nitardy

Assistant EditorsNikki Potoczny

ContributorsPenn State Athletic Communications,

Steve Sampsell

PhotographersPenn State Athletic Communications,

Steve Manuel, Mark Selders

PrintingSpectrum Printing Inc., East Petersburg, Pa.

PENN STATE ATHLETICSMission Statement

Consistent with the Universityʼs mission, theDepartment of Intercollegiate Athletics offersstudents exemplary programs that developscholarship, sportsmanship and leadership

within the educational and social environmentsof the Pennsylvania State University.

NLC Notebook:........................................................3Member Benefit: Single-Game Ticket Priority.......................3Membership Matters: Time for ‘Northern Hospitality’............4Q&A: Men’s Hockey Coach Guy Gadowsky.............................6-7Men’s Basketball: NLC Members Enjoy Chambers’ Attitude ........8Intercollegiate Athletics: Stay Connected with Social Media .....9Coaches vs. Cancer: Annual Events a Success ................10-11Giving: Men’s Hockey Gets Boost from Davis Gift......................12Giving: Dedicated, Reliable Givers Provide Key Support ...............13Member Benefit: Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon .......................15Intercollegiate Athletics: True Grit Recipients ..................16Intercollegiate Athletics: SAAB Award Winners ................18

DEPARTMENTSRecent Gift List, 14Spider’s Web, 15NLC Calendar, 19NLC Contacts, 19

— Inside this Issue —DID YOU KNOW?

7Number of varsity

sports head coacheshired in the past twoyears—the busiest

period in the history ofthe program in termsof shaping the current

roster of coaches.

15Number of student-athletes from the

menʼs and womenʼstrack and field teams

who representedPenn State at the

NCAA OutdoorChampionships. ON THE COVER

Coach Patrick Chambers was named to lead themen’s basketball program. He brings an attitude,passion—and an appropriate sense of Penn Statebasketball history to the position. For more aboutthe coach, see Page 7. (Photo by Mark Selders)

A visit from the Nittany Lion mascot prompts smiles all around during the Blue-White Event atthe Bryce Jordan Center. (Photo by Mark Selders)

STARTING SHOT

2

New beginnings, traditions a potent mix StateSuccesses

� Football player StefanWisniewski (Pittsburgh)and distance runner Jes-sica Babcock (Irvine,Calif.) were named PennStateʼs recipients of the BigTen Medal of Honor.

� Womenʼs soccer alum-nus Ali Krieger was namedto the final roster represent-ing the United States for the2011 World Cup. The de-fender is one of 21 playerson the squad that will headto Germany starting June28. Krieger joins Penn Statecoach Erica Walsh, who isan assistant to U.S. headcoach Pia Sundhage, aspart of the U.S. contingentthat will fight for its thirdWorld Cup title. JuniorChristine Nairn (Arnold,Md.) was part of the initialtraining camp for the team.

� Senior gymnast MiguelPineda (Galloway, Ohio)was named to the CapitalOne Academic All-AmericaMenʼs At-Large First Team.Pineda is the third NittanyLion menʼs gymnast to re-ceive the honor and the firstsince Jose Palacios in2001. A rising senior major-ing in science, he boasts a3.99 grade point average.Senior Ryan Foster (Tas-mania, Australia), a memberof the menʼs track team,was named to the CapitalOne Academic All-DistrictTeam. He is on schedule tograduate in August.

� Penn State and Pitt an-nounced a two-game foot-ball series beginning in2016. The teams, who havenot met since 2000, wouldplay Sept. 10, 2016, atHeinz Field in Pittsburghand Sept. 16, 2017, atBeaver Stadium. PennState has played Pitt morethan any other opponent, 96times, and leads the series50-42-4. Of the 96 games inthe series, 23 have beenplayed in Happy Valley.

Itʼs been an exciting few months for PennState Intercollegiate Athletics.

Weʼve introduced coaches for menʼs bas-ketball, menʼs ice hockey and womenʼsice hockey. Weʼve received major giftsfrom committed donors to support the pro-gram overall and several individual sports.

Weʼve conducted wonderful events,among them Blue-White Weekend andfantasy football camps for men andwomen at Beaver Stadium.

At the same time, weʼve been lookingahead to fall.

The fall includes a fabulous home footballschedule in the first season with STEPand ambitious schedules for every otherteam. Several of those fall teams(womenʼs soccer, womenʼs volleyball andwrestling) announced their schedules inearly June.

It seems every day brings another special addition,or the start of something even bigger, for Intercolle-giate Athletics.

At the same time, our broad-based (now 31 teams),tradition-rich program remains grounded in its com-mitment to Success with Honor. And we strive forthat goal every day thanks to the support of Nittany

Lion Club members. Without your commitment, ourstudent-athletes, our coaches, our academic advis-ers, our medical teams and our support staff couldnot do all they do. Thank you so much. Itʼs an excit-ing time because of you. We are .... Penn State!

— John Nitardy,NLC Director of Major Gifts

and Annual Giving

The Blue-White Event at the Bryce Jordan Center provided fun and smiles forPenn State fans of all ages. (Photo by Mark Selders)

Members eligible for single-game football ticketsAs part of newly introduced club benefits, Nit-tany Lion Club members have priority for sin-gle-game purchase of football tickets.

NLC members within each giving level have theability to request single-game tickets as indi-cated below. All single-game tickets will be allo-cated in NLC point order.

Applications for single-game tickets will be sentto NLC members, and people who have not re-ceived an application and are interested arewelcome to contact the Nittany Lion Club di-rectly for information about the opportunity.

Eligibility for single-game tickets is as followsfor NLC members, according to giving levels:

Single-Game Football Ticket Eligibility for NLC Members

NLC Giving Level Tickets (maximum per game)All-American ($20,000+) .........................................................................................10 ticketsLion's Pride ($10,000-19,999) ..................................................................................8 ticketsLion's Circle ($5,000-9,999)......................................................................................6 ticketsHonorary Coach ($2,500-4,999)................................................................................4 ticketsHonorary Captain ($1,000-2,499)..............................................................................4 ticketsLion Loyalty ($400-999) ............................................................................................2 ticketsLion Backer ($100-399).............................................................................................2 tickets

3

When large groups of Penn Statefans converged on Alabama last fallfor the renewal of the football seriesbetween their beloved Nittany Lionsand the Crimson Tide, they weregreeted with unfailing southern hos-pitality.

Stories fromPennStatersabout howthey were treated at the game, oncampus and in businesses andrestaurants from Birmingham toTuscaloosa were unanimously posi-tive.

There were no confrontations orjeers. Instead there were recom-mendations of places to visit or“thank yous” for making the trip.

One pair of NLC members, a hus-band-and-wife tandem, found them-selves as the only blue-and-whiteclad patrons in the back room of

Galletteʼs, the famous watering holejust blocks from Bryant-Denny Sta-dium.

They were hardly alone, though, asdozens of Alabama students

thankedthem fortravelingsouth andtold them toenjoy their

trip.

This September, when a similarlylarge group of crimson-clad fans willconverge on Happy Valley, PennState fans get to repay that hospital-ity. Also, in the wake of the April 27tornado that tore throughTuscaloosa, NLC members and oth-ers have the opportunity to supportpeople in Alabama by making dona-tions to a tornado relief fund.

Itʼs the perfect time for some “north-ern hospitality.”

Tide’s visit provides opportunityto roll out ‘northern hospitality’

A limited number of football season tickets areavailable for Penn Stateʼs blockbuster homeschedule this fall—which includes visits from Al-abama, Iowa, Illinois, Purdue and new Big TenConference member Nebraska, who Penn Stateplays in Beaver Stadium for the first time since2002.

Four bowl teams from last season are on thehome slate, as Penn State celebrates its 125thseason on the gridiron.

Penn State is in the final stages of implement-ing seating changes for the upcoming seasonand a limited number of season tickets areavailable in all seating zones of Beaver Sta-dium. Season football tickets are available tonew Nittany Lion Club members every year invery limited quantities, with slightly more available this year as a resultof the changes to seating requirements.

“The passion of Penn Stateʼs fan base has always shone through byfilling Beaver Stadium every Saturday for many years,” said Greg My-ford, associate athletic director for business relations and communica-tions. “A full stadium leads many to believe, however, that seasontickets simply arenʼt available, but annual attrition allows for new sea-son ticket opportunities every year. With the ushering in of a new ticketallocation process over the last several months, we've been able toallow our current season ticket holders to either stay where they are ormove within the stadium, as well as accommodate new fans who want

season tickets. Thatʼs the phase of the processwe are in right now, so now is the time to act.”

Myford reported the new opportunities to buyseason football tickets has pushed Nittany LionClub membership up 10 percent from last year,approaching 25,000, an all-time high.

New applications are currently beingprocessed. Penn State fans who have not al-ready applied for 2011 season tickets can findthe season ticket application online atwww.GoPSUsports.com/tickets or by callingPenn State Athletics Customer Relations at 1-800-NITTANY (648-8269) Monday through Fri-day between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. BeaverStadium has a capacity of 107,282 and is thenation's second-largest college football venue.

The Nittany Lions have finished in the top four in the nation in atten-dance every year since 1991, drawing nine of the top 10 crowds inBeaver Stadium history since 2005.

Coach Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions have won 38 of their last 44 homegames and are 58-19 (75.3) overall since the start of the 2005 seasonto rank in the top 10 percent nationally in winning percentage. Over thepast six years, Penn State has won two Big Ten championships, wonfour bowl games and played in five New Yearʼs Day or Bowl Champi-onship Series games—the nationʼs third-highest total.

Season tickets remain available for blockbuster home schedule

Date......................Opponent..................Time/TVSept. 3 .....................INDIANA STATE ................Noon/BTNSept. 10 ......................ALABAMA ..............3:30 p.m./ABCSept. 17........................at Temple .....................Noon/TBASept. 24...............EASTERN MICHIGAN......................TBAOct. 1 ...........................at Indiana...............................TBAOct. 8...............................IOWA ..................................TBA*Oct. 15 ........................PURDUE ......................Noon/TBAOct. 22.....................at Northwestern...............7 p.m./BTNOct. 29 ..........................ILLINOIS ...............................TBANov. 12........................NEBRASKA..............................TBANov. 19 ......................at Ohio State ............................TBANov. 26 ......................at Wisconsin ............................TBADec. 3............Big Ten Championship Game................TBA

(Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis)*-Homecoming

SCHEDULE

Cousins (left to right) Keaton Ellis, Lacee Sheaffer and Logan Sheaffer enjoyedthemselves—and met the Nittany Lion—last year in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

www.ua.edu/tornadorelief

Tornado Relief — Ways to Help

4

Two months into his tenure as coach of themenʼs ice hockey team, Guy Gadowskywas in his office on a 90-degree day gettingready for a recruiting trip. With an artistʼsrendering of Pegula Ice Arena perched onthe shelf behind him and with the teamʼsfirst varsity schedule (thatʼs the 2012-13season) on the desk in front of him, he wasimmersed in the future of the program.

Honestly, heʼs had the future in his sightsfor a long time. He talked about that futureand more during an exclusive question-and-answer session with the NLC Newsletter.

What was the deciding factor in your de-cision to leave Princeton for Penn State?I wasnʼt leaving Princeton for just anything,but this is an amazing opportunity. And I reallyvalue the spirit at Penn State. I love the pas-sion among the people for whatʼs happeninghere with hockey.

What have you learned about Penn Statethat you didnʼt know when you took thejob?You guys are workers. People here get thingsdone. From Tim Curley and Joe Battista tocompliance and admission staffs, everyone.And I just want to do my part. Everyone goesabove and beyond. Itʼs not just a job for them.They love Penn State. Thatʼs a great atmos-phere for success. Thatʼs whatʼs going tomake this such a great thing for Penn Stateand for hockey in general.

A lot of people have mentioned the greaterhockey community in terms of the impactof Penn State hockey, what does thatmean?Honestly, people outside of Penn State seemto realize the impact more than the peoplehere. Maybe weʼre just too close to it, but whena major program commits to hockey at thehighest level, itʼs good for the sport. We will bein position—with a lot of hard work and somegrowing pains—to compete with the best pro-grams in the nation. Thatʼs good for the sport.

What are your expectations for thosegrowing pains?We have great support, unrivaled support,from the Pegula family and others who havealready expressed their support for the pro-gram, but weʼre certainly not under the illusionthat you put a rink in place and all of a sudden

good things happen. Itʼs going to take time,and itʼs not going to be easy.

It sounds like you enjoy a tough challenge,though.Thatʼs probably true. If itʼs worthwhile, itʼsworth working for, and we have a special op-portunity here. Itʼs so exciting to be on theground level and helping make it happen. Iʼmso excited about what we can do, the re-sources we have and the people who are in-volved. At the same time, going from nothingto something does not happen overnight. Es-pecially in college hockey.

For those familiar with the level of play ofthe Icers, can you provide a sense of howthe Division I varsity level differs?The Big Ten Conference will be the besthockey conference in the nation. That couldbe daunting for some people, but we thinkthatʼs how you want to challenge yourself. Youwant to measure yourself against the best.You want to find out how good you are.

Youʼll actually be coaching the Icers thisseason. How important is that in terms ofthe development of the program?Itʼs huge. Those guys will be our first group ofalumni and part of the core of our first teamfor those that end up playing varsity. Theyhave to be part of what we do to help imple-ment the system. You cannot just go throughsome practices, talk to the team and come outwith your system fully established in a coupleof months, or even a season. It takes time.

Whatʼs the easiest part of your job at thispoint?Just coming to the office every day becauseeverybody is so excited.

When did you know you wanted to be acoach?I knew when I was 25. I just love collegehockey. I believe strongly in the character itbuilds. Thereʼs something about the culturethat just yields good people. When you canendure and work like you have to to be suc-cessful in hockey, it pays off later.

Best moment of your coaching career?Oh, there are several. Getting this opportunitywould have to be one. It will take time andwork, but this can be a special place forhockey. So thatʼs exciting. At the same time,there are a lot of victories that come to mindand a lot of individual student-athletes whohad success—whether it was their first goal inthe NHL or becoming a Rhodes Scholar—thatyouʼre glad to have played a small part inmaking happen.

How would you describe you coachingstyle?Each of my players might have a different an-swer to that, but I would say that theyʼre ulti-mately responsible and accountable for theirsuccess.

Who has been your biggest influence as acoach?We had an incredible opportunity at Princetonduring the NHL lockout when (PhiladelphiaFlyers) coach Ken Hitchcock served as volun-teer coach. We never had a sense the lockoutwould last that long, but he was there almostevery day. He attended the home series andwe sent him tapes from the road games. Hecould not have been more generous with histime and it was amazing. He took it seriouslyand we really benefitted from his expertise.

Q&A: Men’shockey coachready to start

Coach Guy Gadowsky responds to a question during his introductory news conference. (Photo by Mark Selders)

5

Talk about tradition. Seventy-one Penn State student-athletes gradu-ated during spring commencement exercises in May—providing thelatest class that exemplified the athletic programʼs overall commitmentto excellence in the classroom.

Among the spring 2011 graduateswere Talor Battle, the career scor-ing leader for the menʼs basketballteam, and Arielle Wilson, a three-time AVCA All-American who wasinstrumental in Penn State captur-ing an unprecedented four consec-utive NCAA women's volleyballchampionships.

Thirteen student-athletes whoseteams captured national champi-onships during their Penn State ca-reers graduated, including Alyssa D'Errico, Cathy Quilco and FatimaBalza (women's volleyball), Doris Willette (fencing), Alan Mars (men'svolleyball) and Rob Vollrath (wrestling).

The menʼs lacrosse team and football team had the most graduatesthis spring with nine each. Womenʼs fencing, womenʼs lacrosse andwomenʼs swimming and diving each had five graduates.

Eight members of the Nittany Lion football team who graduated willhave senior eligibility for the 2011 season. They are: Quinn Barham,Eric Latimore, Chima Okoli, Nate Stupar, Joe Suhey, Nick Sukay, An-

drew Szczerba and Johnnie Troutman. Defensive back Tyler Ahren-hold also earned his degree.

Among the other Penn State graduates were: Andrew Jones and SteveKirkpatrick (menʼs basketball); Julia Trogele (womenʼs basketball);

Brandi Personett (women's gym-nastics); Daneen Zug (fieldhockey); Jackie Hill (softball);Jesse Alfreno (baseball) and WillDonley (men's lacrosse).

Penn State student-athletes—whohave captured 27 Big Ten champi-onships during the past six yearsand a nation's-best 10 NCAA titlessince March 2007—consistentlyhave been among the nation'smost successful in earning their de-

grees.

Penn State teams and student-athletes regularly rank at the top ofother measures of academic success and classroom performance.

In fact, Penn State student-athletes continue to make better progresstoward graduation in comparison to their counterparts at the nationʼsother Division I institutions—despite higher academic standards thanrequired, according to data released by the NCAA.

Five Penn State teams earned perfect multi-year APR scores of 1,000:

“We are very pleased by the consistently high level ofacademic achievements by our student-athletes. Theiryear-in and year-out academic success is a credit totheir outstanding work ethic and dedication.”

— Tim Curley,director of athletics

Making the GradeGraduates, national data measure success of Penn State student-athletes

After a uniformly successful career on the court, Arielle Wilson capped her Penn State experience wearing a cap and gown at commencement. (Photos by Mark Selders)

6

field hockey, softball, men's cross country, women's cross country andwomenʼs tennis. The average multi-year APR score for Penn State's29 varsity teams is 982, well above the Division I average of 970, ac-cording to the NCAA.

The menʼs and womenʼs basketball teams both have improved theirAPR score by 20 points or more from the 2009 NCAA report and arewell above the national Division I averages for their sport.

The NCAA released data from the 2009-10 academic year as the sev-enth set of results in the Academic Progress Rate (APR), a formula in-troduced as part of the Division I Academic Performance Program.

The NCAA released sport specific data for 2009-10 to each institution,as well as the most recent four years of collected data that is used todetermine a rolling multi-year APR score for all athletic teams to pro-vide a meaningful assessment of a team's academic performance.

A school record nine Penn State teams have multi-year APR scoresthat rank in the top 10 percent nationally for their respective sport:

� menʼs basketball (995);� field hockey (1,000);� men's cross country (1,000);� women's cross country (1,000);� men's soccer (992);� softball (1,000);� men's track and field (997);� women's track and field (993); and� women's tennis (1,000).

Those nine Penn State squads earned NCAA Public RecognitionAwards for having APR scores in the top 10 percent nationally for theirrespective sport in 2009-10. Penn State's nine honored teams weretied with Northwestern and the Lions have placed no lower than thirdamong Big Ten institutions in total number of NCAA Public RecognitionAwards in all six years of the program.

“We are very pleased with the consistently high level of academicachievements of our student-athletes,” said Tim Curley, director of ath-letics. “Their year-in and year-out academic success is a credit to theiroutstanding work-ethic and dedication.

“Our coaches deserve recognition for identifying and recruiting stu-dent-athletes that are able to excel in the classroom, compete forchampionships and represent Penn State. The encouragement andguidance our student-athletes receive from our faculty and academicsupport personnel also are a critical component in our academic suc-cesses.”

Penn State academic standards (Faculty Senate Policy 67-00) arehigher than both the NCAA and Big Ten standards and are reflected inthe APR reporting to the NCAA. Nittany Lion student-athletes are re-quired to have passed more credits entering their fifth through eighthsemesters than the Big Ten and NCAA require. Penn State student-athletes also must have a higher grade-point average than the Big Tenminimum entering their second through sixth semesters.

The APR scores are a measure of eligibility and retention/graduationfor each student-athlete receiving athletic aid during the identified aca-demic semester/year.

Retention is evaluated for each student-athlete with the following ques-tion in mind: Did that student-athlete return to the institution the nextsemester (students can earn two points after the fall semester and twopoints after the spring and summer semesters). Eligibility is evaluated

using NCAA, conference (if applicable), and institutional standards.The APR is based on four years of data, with the most current year'sdata added and the oldest year removed to create a multi-year rollingrate.

Contemporaneous financial aid penalties can be applied if a team'smulti-year APR score is below 925. If a team's multi-year score isbelow 900, that team could be subject to historical penalties.

None of Penn State's 29 varsity sport programs team had a multi-yearAPR below 925, with all but one squad at 950 or higher.

The Penn State football team had the third-highest multi-year APRscore among Big Ten football squads at 972. The Nittany Lions easilysurpassed the Football Bowl Subdivision average of 949 and the Divi-sion I average of 946.

The menʼs basketball team posted a multi-year APR score of 995, anincrease of 20 points from 2009 and higher than the Division I men'sbasketball average of 945. The womenʼs basketball team had a multi-year APR score of 985, an improvement of 23 points from 2009 andwell above the public Division I women's basketball average of (968).

Linebacker Nate Stupar will be one of many football players who return to action nextfall having already earned their undergraduate degree from Penn State.(Photo by Mark Selders)

7

Chambers’ attitude, energy excite NLC membersHe got a standing ovation from his family assoon as he stepped into view and a half hourlater—after Patrick Chambers had been intro-duced as the 12th menʼs basketball coach inPenn State history—that support had perme-ated the entire room.

Fellow coaches were happy to have him as acolleague.

Administrators were excited to have him incharge of the program.

And the many Nittany Lion Club members andmenʼs basketball season ticket holders in at-tendance were thrilled with his initial mes-sage.

That message focused on attitude, energyand passion.

“Heʼs a great addition, the right man for thejob,” said Jim Smeltzer (ʼ71 Bus), chair of theNLC campaign committee. He and his wife Jillfund a menʼs basketball scholarship. “Whatʼsnot to like. Heʼs going to bring a lot of enthusi-asm to our program. Heʼs going to get peopleexcited and involved.”Director of Athletics Tim Curley said Cham-

bersʼ energy level and marketing backgroundwere important parts of the overall packagethat made the 39-year-old coach perfect forthe program.

“There will be no one better in promoting andselling the Penn State basketball program24/7,” Curley said.

In addition to his enthusiasm and fast-risingpedigree, Chambers showed an appreciatedsense of Penn State basketball history.

Just minutes into his first public appearance,he referenced the infamous 1993 Indiana-Penn State game at Rec Hall, an emotionaldouble-overtime loss that helped the programmake a bittersweet national statement. Cham-bers was at the game, visiting State Collegeas a guest of his sister, a Penn State alumna.

“I was a basketball junkie,” Chambers said.“Bobby Knight was on the other sidelineroaming like a tiger, it was an incredible gameand Penn State battled to the bitter end.”

With former coach Bruce Parkhill in atten-dance, Chambers said he wanted his teamsto play with that type of passion, and to build

on the NIT championship and NCAA Tourna-ment berth achieved by his immediate prede-cessor, Ed DeChellis.

“We have everything we need here to be suc-cessful,” Chambers said.

Still, his reference to the programʼs tradition,and the possibility of what might come underChambers (whose Boston University teamswent 42-28 in his two years in charge of thatprogram) were appreciated by those in atten-dance.

“I was at that Indiana game, too,” said NLCmember, longtime basketball season ticketholder and scholarship supporter JoLaineTeyssier (ʼ75 Edu). “Itʼs exciting to have himhere.”

And with a fast-rising coach in charge of theNittany Lions—Chambers got into collegecoaching just seven years ago, moving from adirector of operations position at Villanova toleading the BU program—Penn Staters ex-pect fast results.They plan to measure that success in an ap-propriate manner, though.

Penn State President Graham Spanier (left) with the Chambers family—(left to right) Ryan, Courtney, Grace and Patrick—and Tim Curley. (Photo by Mark Selders)

8

“I think anybody knows that when you get anew coach it takes time for him to fully imple-ment his system,” Smeltzer said. “We knowitʼll take a little bit.

“Still, there are things I think we can expect tochange. You can see a teamʼs effort—its de-fense and its rebounding. No matter whathappens, if they play hard weʼll be happy.”

And from top to bottom Penn Staters areunanimously happy with Chambers in charge.

“You are going to see him. You are going tolike him,” President Graham Spanier said.“Heʼs going to win a lot of basketball games.”

Chambers was the only BU coach to earn 20wins in each of his first two seasons and thefastest to earn a conference championship inprogram history.

A native of Newtown Square, Pa., he previ-ously played for and coached with two of thenation's most successful college coaches.

From 2004-09, Chambers was a member ofJay Wright's staff at Villanova, helping theWildcats earn four NCAA Sweet 16 appear-ances and advance to the 2009 NCAA FinalFour. He was instrumental in helping lead theWildcats to a 126-45 record (.737), includingthe school's single-season win record of 30-8in 2008-09. The Wildcats advanced to theNCAA Tournament all five seasons of Cham-bers' tenure and posted a 56-28 (.667) recordin Big East Conference games. Chambershad responsibilities in all facets of the pro-gram, including recruiting, scouting, on-courtteaching and player development.

At Philadelphia University, Chambers playedfor Herb Magee, college basketball's all-timevictories leader (922) and a 2011 NaismithBasketball Hall of Fame inductee.

Chambers joined the NCAA Division II univer-sity's basketball team as a walk-on in 1990and went on to have an outstanding career.He became the team's starting point guardand the school record holder in assists with709. He helped lead the Rams to four NCAADivision II Sweet 16 appearances and twoElite Eight appearances.

Chambers began his coaching career with aone-year stint as an assistant coach atDelaware Valley (Pa.) College in 1995-96.

From 1999 to 2004, he was the top varsity as-sistant coach at his prep alma mater, Episco-pal Academy. He held that position through2004.High School All-Americans Wayne Ellington(North Carolina) and Gerald Henderson

(Duke) were among the players he helped de-velop at Episcopal Academy.

Chambersʼ deep basketball roots in Philadel-phia were another reason he was selected tolead Penn State. If he and his staff, includingfellow Philadelphia native Eugene Burroughs,can tap into the rich basketball talent of theCity of Brotherly Love, it would help make thepromise of attitude, energy and enthusiasm areality sooner rather than later inside theBryce Jordan Center.

Not that confident Chambers plans to wait foranyone but himself to make Penn State bas-ketball a must-see event on campus.With his can-do attitude, he promised to en-

gage everyone from community members tostudents, longtime season-ticket holders tothose who have not been to a game in awhile, to revitalize the program.

“We have everything we need: great arena,great offices, great locker room,” Chamberssaid. “Everything we need. You got to go outand recruit and get it done. We're going towork hard and bring in the best talent wecan.”

Three of Chambers' 11 siblings are PennState graduates—brothers Chris and Joe anda sister, Megan.

When Patrick Chambers was introduced asPenn Stateʼs 12th menʼs basketball coach,his introductory news conference kicked offwith two questions from Facebook.

Official tweets followed, and in the daysafter his hiring Chambersʼ personal Twitteraccount bulged to more than 2,900 follow-ers.

That was just the latest example of howPenn State Intercollegiate Athletics em-braces social media to connect with andserve fans.

Every day, in almost every way, from blogsto video, diaries and first-person reports tonotes from coaches, Penn State has madecyberspace its home for sharing informa-tion.

Athletic department officials, coaches andeven student-athletes have a presence onFacebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, Twitterand YouTube. Each of those outlets pro-vides an informative and more personalconnection for fans to follow Penn State.

Numerous varsity teams and Penn Stateentities (including the All-Sports Museumand Nittany Lion Club) have their ownFacebook pages.

Also, Gowalla users can get stamped forvisits to 25 different Penn State athleticvenues.

Twitter provides the most options, though,with everything from general gameday in-formation during football season to in- andout-of-season insights from coaches.

The many Twitter feeds from Penn State,include:

@1_800_Nittany ... to get helpful informationon gameday or any day

@Coach_Chambers ... Nittany Lion basket-ball coach Patrick Chambers

@GoPSUJeff ... Updates on Penn State Ath-letics, Nittany Lion football and TV-radio newsfrom Jeff Nelson

@GregPSUsports ... Athletic marketing up-dates, promotional announcements and ticketinformation from Greg Myford

@JessRiden ... Stay up to date on everythingrelated to track and field

@PennStatePat ... Follow the wrestling teamwith information from Pat Donghia

@PSUSportsMuseum ... From speaker se-ries to new exhibits, follow it all here

@PSUSTRETCH ... Follow Brian Siegrist formenʼs basketball information

@MarkPavlik ... Menʼs volleyball coach MarkPavlik

@PSUWomensSoccer ... Official account ofthe womenʼs soccer team

@PennStateWBB ... Lady Lion updates,stats, photos and more

@PSULionSoftball ... Follow the softball team

@JayPaterno ... Quarterbacks coach Jay Pa-terno

Numerous social media options exist

9

(Photos by Mark Selders)

Coaches vAuction, reception and golf outing create me

The 15th annual Coaches vs. Can-cer event kicked off with a cateredgala Celebrity/Sponsor Reception,which featured live entertainmentas well as live and silent auctions,in the Bryce Jordan Center.

The next day more than 300golfers, sponsors and celebritiesparticipated in the golf tournamentat the Penn State Golf Courses.Since 1996, Coaches vs. Cancerevents have raised more than $1.5million.

Other annual events supportingCoaches vs. Cancer include: TheBrewerʼs Expo (Aug. 20), CVCBike For Life (Aug. 28), PennʼsCave Burger Off (August), CVCReverse Car Drawing (Sept. 22),CVC Day at the Bryce Jordan Cen-ter (basketball season) and CVCStudent 5k Fun Run/Walk (spring).

10

vs. Canceremories and raise money for important cause

11

Many people included the reception, including ...TOP: Lydell Mitchell, Fran Fisher and John SkorpanBOTTOM: Jim Morrissey, Bill Lamb and Bruce Parkhill

Hockey gift endows goaltender, names coach’s officeA leadership gift from a familywith deep Penn State roots anda strong connection to Intercol-legiate Athletics has providedanother significant foundationpiece for the Penn State IceCampaign.

The gift from John N. andKaren M. Davis will endow afull position scholarship for agoaltender and name themenʼs hockey head coachʼs of-fice. The office will be namedthe “Joseph M. Battista HeadCoach's Office” in honor of JoeBattista, the former Penn StateIcers coach and current associ-ate athletic director for ice-hockey operations.

“The hockey team becoming avarsity sport is a dream that alot of us have had since we first put on thePenn State jersey,” said John Davis, whoplayed for the Icers from 1981 to 1985. “Karenand I feel fortunate to be able to give back tothe University, in particular to help support ascholarship for the ice hockey team. I am alsoproud to join the effort of a fellow petroleumengineering graduate, Terry Pegula, who hasmade the dream of so many become a reality.”

With their gift, the Davis family joined Paul andNancy Silvis, co-chairs of the campaign, asleading supporters of the fundraising effort.Terry and Kim Pegula made an $88 millioncommitment last fall to create an ice facilityand start Division I men's and women's icehockey programs at Penn State in 2012.

John Davis graduated from Penn State with abachelorʼs degree in petroleum and naturalgas engineering in 1986. A member of theAcacia Fraternity, he served as its president in1985. Davis was also a Lion Ambassador anda member of Parmi Nous. He went on to earnhis MBA from the University of New Orleans in1990.

A third generation Penn Stater, John Davis' fa-ther Richard ('58, MBA '61) and grandfatherJohn N. Reed ('24) also graduated from PennState. Reed was a member of the Nittany Lionbasketball team as well as the football andbaseball teams.

Reed led the basketball team in scoring in1922, 1923 and 1924, leading the team to a33-8 record over three years, including 13-1(1922-23) and 13-2 (1923-24) seasons. Amember of the Pennsylvania Football Scholas-

tic Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Reedwas the first Pennsylvania coach to win a statechampionship in two different sports (footballand basketball). Davisʼ mother, Marty Davis,attended graduate school at Penn State.

A senior engineer for Exxon Company, USA,in New Orleans from 1986-91, John Davisworked as a consulting reservoir engineer forNetherland, Sewell & Associates as vice presi-dent and technical adviser from 1991 to 2003.In 2003, he co-founded Alpine Gas Company,an independent oil and gas producer, and heis currently a professional engineer in thestate of Texas. Alpine's wells are located pri-marily in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

“On behalf of the athletic department, I want tothank the Davis family for their generous gift tothe Penn State Ice Campaign,” said Tim Cur-ley, director of athletics. “Because of gifts liketheirs, Penn State will be able to continue toprovide quality opportunities for future student-athletes through scholarships to this great uni-versity. Additionally, I believe their naming giftin honor of Joe Battista is a fitting tribute forsomeone who has been ingrained in PennState hockey as long as Joe has and dis-played as much passion as he has for thesport here.”

John Davis is a past member of the Graduatesof Earth and Mineral Sciences Board of Direc-tors. He and his father endowed an under-graduate scholarship to that college in 1991.

“I decided to come to Penn State because ofthe opportunity to continue to play ice hockeyas well as get a great engineering education,”

said John Davis. “I chose petro-leum engineering in the College ofEarth and Mineral Sciences partlybecause of the scholarship moneyavailable to help fund my educa-tion. My father was only able to at-tend Penn State because ofscholarship money. Both of oureducations were helped by schol-arship money, which instilled in usthe desire to give back to the Uni-versity.”

A member of the Icers from 1981-85, John Davis was the starting

goaltender on the club team's 1984 nationalchampionship squad. He was named Rookieof the Year his first year and also earned All-Star Goalie honors. His 42-19-2 career recordmade him Penn State's leader in that categorywhen he graduated. He was inducted into theIcers Hall of Fame in 1996. Davis and Battistaplayed together in 1981-82.

“I was pretty emotional when John told me ofhis plans to name the coach's office after me,”said Battista. “I tried to talk him out of it. Iwanted the office to at least have his familyname on it with mine, but he declined and saidhe wanted my name alone. I was speechless.I am incredibly honored by what John andKaren have decided to do by naming thecoachʼs office after me, and I thank them fortheir generous gift to the campaign.”

John and Karen Davis married in 1997. Karenis a graduate of Texas A&M, earning a degreein psychology in 1993. The couple has twochildren, Avery, 11, and Addison, 9. Karen cur-rently volunteers her time with several organi-zations, including the children's schools andthe family's church, Hackberry Creek Church,where John is an elder.

“I hope this gift is an inspiration to all my fellowteammates, as well as those that came beforeand after me,” John Davis said. “I hope theycan look back and see all of what Penn Statehas done for them and leave a legacy by sup-porting the Penn State varsity hockey teamand the Penn State Ice Campaign.”

For more information aboutthe Penn State Ice Cam-paign, please contact RJGimbl of the Nittany LionClub by calling (814) 863-GIFT (4438).

Then Icers goalie John Davis (30) hoists the championship trophy from the Nittany Lion Invi-tational in 1982. The team rallied from a 5-3 deficit with just 56 seconds remaining in regula-tion to force overtime and eventually win.

12

For the second straight out-door season, sophomoreCasimir Loxsom (New Haven,Conn.) was named UnitedStates Track and Field/CrossCountry Coachesʼ AssociationMid-Atlantic Region Track Ath-lete of the Year.

Loxsom, who won his second-consecutive Big Ten Confer-ence outdoor title at 800meters in May also earned anAll-America finish at the NCAAOutdoor Championships. Hewas fourth in the 800-meterfinal.

Loxsom was sensational for allof 2011, running a personal-best 1:46.45—the second-fastest time in PSU history—atthe Jesse Owens Classic inMay. That time stood as thesixth-fastest performance inDivision I going into the NCAAChampionships.

Loxsom was also a memberof the Nittany Lionsʼ school-record 4x400-meter relay,which clocked 3:07.19 at theFlorida Relays in April.

Adding another school recordto his resume, Loxsom cov-ered the 400-meter carry onthe Nittany Lionsʼ winningsprint medley relay at PennRelays, which clocked a PennState best 3:17.10.

Loxsom also anchored theLionsʼ second-place 4x800-meter relay at the Penn Re-lays. With teammates LionelWilliams (Staten Island, N.Y.),Samuel Borchers (YellowSprings, Ohio), and Ryan Fos-ter (Tasmania, Australia), Lox-som combined to run ablistering 7:12.90—the second-fastest time in school history,and the seventh-best perform-ance in collegiate history.

Standout Loxsom earnsMid-Atlantic honor again

Casmir Loxsom’s stellar season included a personal-best 1:46.45 in the 800.(Photo by Mark Selders)

13

Redshirt junior Joe Kovacs(Nazareth, Pa.) captured an All-Amer-cia finish at the NCAA OutdoorChampionships with a third-place fin-ish in the shot put.

It was his second career All-Americaperformance.

After enduring an hour-long delay be-cuase of lightning and rain, Kovacsproduced a personal-best toss of62-6.50 (10.06)—the fourth-bestthrow in Penn State history—for histhird-place result. He became theeighth Nittany Lion to earn All-Amer-ica status in the shot put.

Kovacs gets All-America finish

We are pleased to announce these gifts and pledgesof $25,000 and above to our For the Future: TheCampaign for Penn State Students. We sincerely thankthe donors who, through their generosity, made theseimportant funds a reality.

Donors Scholarship/Naming OpportunityAnonymous...................................................................................................................Endowed Women’s Ice Hockey ScholarshipJames and Wendy Balthaser........................................................................................................Various Scholarship DesignationsScott Berman and Christi Cubbler ...........................................................................Scott S. Berman and Christie L. Clubber Family

Trustee Scholarship for Intercollegiate AthleticsRobert C. Bonzo ........................................................Robert D. and Patricia A. Bonzo Intercollegiate Athletics Trustee ScholarshipRobert and Anita Chaney .............................................................................................Indoor Aquatics Center Naming OpportunityJohn and Karen Davis ...............................................................Davis Family Men’s Ice Hockey Scholarship for the Goalie Position

and Pegula Arena Naming Opportunity for the Head Coach’s OfficeBryon G. and Cynthia M. Deysher.................................................Bryon G. and Cynthia M. Deysher Endowed Athletic ScholarshipPaul and Cheryl Falzone .................................................................................NLC Program Support for Strength and ConditioningGibson-Thomas Engineering Co. Inc.........................................................................................Lasch Football Naming Opportunity

Gibson-Thomas Engineering Co. Inc. Football Administrator’s OfficeCynthia K. Iacocca.....................................................................................................................Lasch Football Naming Opportunity

Cynthia K. Iacocca Assistant Football Trainer’s OfficeStephen Casey Lipson......................................................................................Larry A. Johnson Sr. Endowed Football ScholarshipKimberlee A. MacMullan..................................................................................Robert N. MacMullan Scholarship for Men’s HockeyFred A. Musser III Estate ...................................................................................Fred A. Musser III Women’s Volleyball ScholarshipJoseph P. Nassib ...................................................................................................Joseph P. Nassib Endowed Football ScholarshipFrank Sourbeer..................................................................................................Sourbeer Families Endowed Wrestling ScholarshipRichard Steuernagle ......................................................................................................................Football Lettermen’s ScholarshipTom and Ginny Trite .........................................................................................................Tom and Ginny Trite Football ScholarshipGeorge and Frances Vanden...................................................................................................................................Softball ProgramChristopher Wunz, Emil and Lyn Wunz..............................................Wunz Family Trustee Scholarship for Intercollegiate AthleticsDavid E. and Jane A. Zazworsky .............................................David E. and Jane A. Zazworsky Endowed Fund for Sports Medicine

Opportunities exist to endow scholarships in specific sports or an area that meets your interest. Or, support oneof our facility projects. Of course, all such opportunities provide tax benefits. If you would like information on how

to participate, please call us at (814) 863-GIFT (4438).

CAMP CELEBRATIONMembers of the Blue Team celebrate a touchdown as part of a flagfootball game conducted during the Ladies X's & O's FootballFantasy Camp at Beaver Stadium in June. (Photo by Mark Selders)

14

Minute to win it? Not for managers and staff, who have 30 secondsSeconds count in sports, with everythingfrom a 100-meter dash to a NASCAR pitstop needing to happen as quickly as possi-ble to guarantee success. The managersand support staff for the Penn State footballteam face similar pressure.

When things happen on the field, they haveto react quickly to solve the problem andget a player with an equipment problemback on the field. They know their timeline,too.

They have 30 seconds, at most, and theylike to believe they can fix just about any-thing in that time. “We know we have to getthings done fast,” said Brad “Spider” Caldwell, equipment and facilitiescoordinator. “Through the years thatʼs meant some inventive solu-tions.”

For example, when running back Tony Huntʼs pants tore at Ohio Statein 2006, the training staff simply pulled a slightly larger pair overtop ofwhat Hunt was wearing. While the team travels with enough equipmentfor any player to find a change of jersey or pants, the need for Hunt toget back in the game quickly meant that pulling a larger pair over thepair he was wearing was the best way to get things done.

Likewise, the teamʼs come-from-behind victory at Illinois in 1994—when the Nittany Lions drove the length of the field in the fourth quar-ter for a game-winning touchdown—came after some speedy footwearchanges for every player on the field.

“It had started to rain, really coming down, and we were pulling players

off the field two at a time to change theircleats,” Caldwell said. “Instead of unlacingtheir shoes, we were slicing the laces withscissors, slipping the shoes off and gettinganother pair on their feet. It worked well.”

Along with tearing things apart, the staff haslearned how to put things together throughthe years. For example, should a player tearhis jersey, an old-school repair approachmeans using a shoelace to “knit” the tornsides together.

Staff members get especially inventive(often at the request of coaches) on thepractice field. When a coach wants to con-

duct a drill that requires players to catch a ball while being distracted orto stay low in their first few steps of the line of scrimmage, they invari-ably ask Caldwell and Kirk Diehl, facilities coordinator, for assistance.

With all the necessary workshop tools in their offices next to the teamlocker room, the veteran staff members usually find a solution. “Itʼskind of fun,” Caldwell said. “It starts out as something you wonder howyouʼre going to get done and you end up finished with a good solution.”

Whether itʼs practice or games, only a couple of things generally out-last the 30-second time limit or cannot be solved. Those include amajor crack in a playerʼs helmet or shoes that blow out—somethingthat happened regularly for 300-plus pound lineman Levi Brown duringhis career at Penn State.

“In that case you just had to have fast hands to help him get the shoeson and off,” Caldwell said. “Itʼs always a race against the clock.”

Brad Caldwell,Equipmentand Facilities Coordinator

40th Annual Big Ten Football Kickoff Luncheon11:30 a.m. Friday, July 29

McCormick Place Convention Center West, ChicagoAll the schools, all the coaches, all the pre-season excitement.

For ticket information, e-mail

nittanylionclub@psu.eduwith “Big Ten Kick-Off” in the subject line.

15

Work in the offseason will transform the pitch at Jeffrey Field to a ryegrass surface. (Photo by Steve Manuel)

Record numberof student-athleteshonored at banquetAlmost 300 total awards were presented toPenn State student-athletes at the 24th annualSAAB Academic Achievement Awards Banquetin the Bryce Jordan Center.

Sponsored by the Milton and Lois Morgan Aca-demic Support Center for Student-Athletes andthe Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB), 298awards were presented to 237 student-athletesfor their academic accomplishments in 2009-10.

The award total ranks as the sixth-highest in thehistory of the event, which was held in conjunc-tion with National Student-Athlete Day.

Presentations were also made to 66 seniorswho had 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA throughthe spring 2011 semester.

Members of Penn Stateʼs 29 varsity programscombined to earn an overall 3.08 grade point av-erage in 2009-10. The 14 womenʼs programshad another outstanding performance academi-cally, earning a 3.20 GPA during 2009-10. Thereare approximately 750 Penn State student-ath-letes on 29 varsity teams.

Suzanne “Suzie” Paxton, a former Nittany Lionfencer and 1993 Penn State graduate was theguest speaker at the awards dinner.The Varsity “S” Awards were presented to thewomenʼs and menʼs teams with the highestteam GPA. This year's recipients were the menʼsgymnastics team and the softball team.

Awards for Student-Athletes Above and Beyondwere presented for the fourth time. The recipi-ents were womenʼs volleyball senior AlyssaD'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) and baseball junior DrewYukelson (State College).

The THON awards were presented to the stu-dent-athlete and team that raised the most do-nations for the Four Diamonds Fun and THON.The recipients were senior women's golferJamie Lavin (Deerfield, Ill.) and the women's golfteam led by coach Denise St. Pierre.

The CHAMPS Cup Awards for community out-reach were presented for the sixth time, with thewinners selected for small teams, those with 20or few members (women's gymnastics), andlarge teams, those with more than 20 squadmembers (wrestling).

Twenty-three Penn State student-athletes wererecognized for graduating from the Athletic Di-rector's Leadership Institute, a program that has65 student-athlete participants.

Jeffrey Field, the home of Penn State soccer,is scheduled to undergo a renovation to itsplaying surface this offseason.

In late spring/early summer, the current blue-grass will be replaced by ryegrass, providingthe Nittany Lions with the same type of turfupon which the world-class clubs of England'sPremiership compete.

“As a multi-use facility that hosts a large num-ber of events throughout the year and in alltypes of weather conditions, the renovation ofthe playing surface at Jeffrey Field was es-sential,” said Herb Combs, athletic field su-pervisor, who will oversee the project. “Thein-house renovation from Kentucky Bluegrassto Perennial Ryegrass will not only help theoverall speed of the game, but, just as impor-tantly in this day and age, improve the aes-thetic appeal of our facility to our fans whoattend in person or watch on television.”

Widely regarded as one of the finest pitchesin the nation, Jeffrey Field was honored asthe Collegiate Soccer Field of the Year by theSports Turf Managers Association in 2006.The resurfacing will elevate its status evenfurther and afford current and future NittanyLions the best opportunity to develop theirgame.

“I am really excited that our players will be

playing on the same type of fast grass surfacethat they watch the ball zip around on eachweek in the English Premiership and SpanishLeague,” said Penn State men's soccer coachBob Warming. “I believe the fans are going toenjoy it as well. We want to develop the bestlevel of player we can at Penn State and oneof the many important factors in developmentis the surface the players play on each week.Penn State's commitment across the board tomaking the student-athletes experience re-markable is simply unmatched by anywhere Ihave seen.”

Coupled with the soccer-only practice fields(which were opened in the fall of 2008 andfeature separate pitches for the men's andwomen's teams), natural grass surfaces, gridsfor specialty training and a state-of-the-art irri-gation and drainage system, Penn State hasplaced itself at the forefront of collegiate soc-cer facilities.

Most athletic facilities at Penn State fit into thesame category, and staff members regularlywork to improve and upgrade those facilities.Along with offseason upgrades to JeffreyField, improvements are annually being madeto Beaver Stadium, Rec Hall and other ven-ues for competition. Also, Intercollegiate Ath-letics is studying the possibility of additionalstate-of-the-art facilities for competition.

Jeffrey Field, facility upgrades set

16

True Grit recipients Whitney Bencsko (center, left photo) and Brad Pataky (center, right photo) with Nikki Potoczny, associate director of the Nittany Lion Club, and Tim Curley,director of athletics, at the annual SAAB Academic Achievement Awards Banquet. (Photos by Mark Selders)

True Grit Award winners embody determinationSince the Nittany Lion Club created its annualTrue Grit Award to honor student-athletes(one male, one female) who have overcome aa serious obstacle, there have been many de-serving winners.

This yearʼs duo continued that tradition.

Womenʼs gymnast Whitney Bencsko (Pomp-ton Plains, N.J.) and wrestler Brad Pataky(Clearfield, Pa.) walked away with the awards.Ironically enough, they were recognized be-cause there was period in each of their ca-reers when they were not able to walk.

For each, their success started early at PennState.

As a freshman, Bencsko was a first-team All-American on the vault and second-team All-American in the all-around.

She regularly set team-high scores through-out the season and qualified for the event fi-nals at the NCAA Championships. It was astorybook season.

In 2010, though, the story changed.

She competed in just seven meets before aninjury to her posterior cruciate ligament endedher season. That was followed by pain, rehaband determination—some true grit.

She returned to competition this past seasonand was voted a team co-captain.

“She showed that hard work and personalsacrifice pay dividends,” womenʼs gymnasticscoach Jeff Thompson said.

Likewise, Pataky enjoyed success and thenhad to endure recovery. More than one recov-ery, actually.

He started his career at Penn State in 2005and compiled a 15-8 record, including a 6-2mark in dual meets. After a redshirt season in2006 and an Olympic redshirt in 2007, hewent 59-21 and qualified for nationals twicethe next two seasons.

He entered this past season as a reliableteam leader on and off the mat.

Unfortunately, he was off the mat more thanon because of a preseason knee injury. Dur-ing training in November, he damaged bothhis ACL and MCL—often a season-endingprognosis.

In Patakyʼs case, though, the usual self-pityand questioning that accompany such a situa-tion never started. He simply focused on whatwas next and eyed a return to the team.

So, he shunned surgery and returned thelineup Dec. 29 at the Southern Scuffle inGreensboro, N.C., wearing a massive braceand tape to help mask his injury. He went 3-2in that tournament and was 4-0 a week laterat the Virginia Duals—emerging in the na-tional rankings as the 10th-best wrestler at125 pounds.

In addition to his existing injuries, it was re-vealed he had a “horseshoe” tear in hismeniscus. On top of that, his grandfatherpassed away at the beginning of February.

Still, he kept competing.

“Brad Pataky embodies every characteristic ofwhat the True Grit Award symbolizes,”wrestling coach Cael Sanderson said. “He isevery cliché a coach has ever used—heart ofa champion, always gives 110 percent, nicestkid you would ever want to meet, true-mean-ing of a student-athlete.”

Alwaysfind the latestPenn Statesports news

GoPSUsports.com

17

Former Icer Brandwene picked to lead women’s ice hockeyVeteran coach, former Icer and ACHA Hall ofFame inductee Josh Brandwene was named asPenn Stateʼs first varsity women's ice hockeycoach.

Brandwene will lead the Nittany Lions' transitioninto Division I competition, which starts in the2012-13 season.

Brandwene brings 20 years of coaching and ad-ministrative experience at the international, col-legiate and prep school levels to Penn State.He most recently was the head coach of thegirlsʼ ice hockey team (2008-10) at KingswoodOxford School in West Hartford, Conn. Brandwene was then asked tore-build the Kingswood Oxford boysʼ ice hockey team, serving as headcoach in 2010-11.

"We are proud to welcome Josh back to Penn State as the first headcoach of the womenʼs varsity ice hockey team," said Tim Curley, direc-tor of athletics. “His wealth of experience and unique hockey back-ground have prepared him to build our program and we are excited tohave him on board.”

“I am honored, humbled and thrilled to return to Penn State to lead thewomen's ice hockey program at this amazing time in the hockey pro-gram's history,” said Brandwene. “I truly love every aspect of building asuccessful program. To have the opportunity to build a program the

ʻPenn State Way,ʼ here at this place that hasmeant so much to me and shaped who I am asa person and as a coach is a dream cometrue.”

Brandweneʼs previous coaching experiences in-cluded a stint as the assistant coach of theTeam USA menʼs ice hockey team at the 2003World University Games as well as the headcoach of the menʼs ice hockey teams at ACHApower Delaware and top New England prepprogram Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.)School.

A standout defender for the Penn State Icers, Brandwene was a mem-ber of the 1990 ACHA National Championship team. He earned teamMost Valuable Player, league MVP and first team All-Tournament hon-ors his senior season, and broke the Icers' career record for points bya defensemen.

“I have known Josh and his family for almost 25 years," said Joe Bat-tista, the former Icers coach and current associate athletic director foricehockey operations. “He was my first recruit as an Icer coach in 1987and a big part of our early success. He has the perfect skill set to be asuccessful coach and mentor to the student-athletes in our women'shockey program. He has incredible passion for Penn State and coach-ing and has impeccable values, boundless energy and enthusiasm,and shares our culture for Success With Honor.”

Women’s ice hockey coach Josh Brandwene with Direc-tor of Athletics Tim Curley. (Photo by Mark Selders)

Swimming and diving coach John Hargis wasappointed to USA Swimming's UniversityGames coaching staff and will travel to Shen-zhen, China, for the 2011 Universiade alongwith Penn State standout Amy Modglin (FortMyers, Fla.).

“Anytime you can represent your country is ahuge honor,” Hargis said. “I was able to do itas an athlete [in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics]and now as a coach.”

Arizona coach Eric Hansen will lead the U.S.womenʼs team that will compete Aug. 12-23 inChina. Hansen was Wisconsin's coach for 12seasons and returned to his alma mater justweeks ago when hall-of-fame coach FrankBusch left to be USA Swimmingʼs nationalteam director.

“For Eric to select me, Iʼm very honored toserve under him,” Hargis said. “Heʼs one ofthe best coaches in America. What Iʼll be ableto learn from him and the other assistants willbe an education within itself.”

Modglin was added to the team in Novemberand is slated to compete in the 200 back-stroke, her specialty. Modglin earned All-American honors in the event at the NCAAChampionships in March.

The last Nittany Lion swimmer to compete inthe University Games was Patrick Schirk in2009.

Hargis is excited to head to China and repre-sent the United States once again. The Nit-tany Lion coach was part of a gold-medalwinning relay during the 1996 OlympicGames. Hargis looks forward to adding morePenn State success into the national program.

BaseballFour members of the baseball team werehonored for their outstanding achievementsduring the 2011 campaign as Sean Deegan,Steven Hill, John Walter, and Mike Piercewere named the recipients of the program'sannual year-end awards.

Deegan (Readington, N.J.) was honored withthe F. Joseph Bedenk Award, which is be-stowed upon Penn State's most valuableplayer. Hill (Colleyville, Texas) took home theCharles Medlar Award as the team's toppitcher, while Walter (Haddonfield, N.J.)earned the Ed Drapcho Award as the Lions'most improved player. Pierce (State College)rounded out the honorees after earning theShorty Stoner Award for his work in the class-room and on the field.

Menʼs golfFive golfers were appointed to the Division IPING All-Northeast Regional Team an-nounced by the Golf Coaches Association ofAmerica. The group includes seniors T.J.Howe (Osceola, Pa.) and Tommy McDonagh(East Norwalk, Conn.) and the sophomore trioof Anthony DeGol (Hollidaysburg, Pa.),Ernesto Marin (Miami, Fla.) and Jay Wood-ward (Bridgeport, W.Va.).

Menʼs lacrosseTwo lacrosse players earned all-conferencehonors as their season concluded. JuniorMatthew Mackrides (Newtown Square, Pa.)and freshman Austin Kaut (Morton, Pa.) werenamed to the All-Colonial Athletic Associationfirst team. In addition, Kaut was honored asCAA Rookie of the Year and coach Jeff Tam-broni was named co-Coach of the Year.

Womenʼs lacrosseThree members of the women's lacrosseteam—junior Dana Cahill (Towson, Md.) andseniors Maggie Dunbar (Cockeysville, Md.)and Jen Steadman (Sykesville, Md.)—wererecognized by the Intercollegiate Women'sLacrosse Coaches Association. Cahill washonored on the first team while Dunbar andSteadman were named to the second team.

Swimming and diving coach selected for USA Swimming duties

18

The Nittany Lion Club, comprised ofPenn State alumni and friends of theDepartment of Intercollegiate Athletics, wasestablished in 1959 to create greater inter-est in and financial support of Penn Statevarsity athletics. Members of theNittany Lion Club make possible grant-in-aidsupport for more than 800 student-athleteseach academic year and provide opera-tional support for the Universityʼs entire 31-sport intercollegiate athletics program.

— Contact Us —Phone: 1-800-NITTANY (648-8269) / E-mail: nittanylionclub@athletics.psu.edu

Mail: 157 Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, PA 16802

Ken Cutler,NLC Director

of Developmentfor Athletics,

kmc2@psu.edu

John Nitardy,NLC Director of Major Gifts

and Annual Givingjdn13@psu.edu

Nikki Potoczny,NLC Associate Director,

nlw10@psu.edu

Bob White,NLC Director of Marketing/Operations-Suites and Club

Seats, blw6@psu.edu

R.J. Gimbl,NLC Major Gifts Officer,

rjg20@psu.edu

Michelle Davidson,NLC Stewardship

and Events Coordinator,oyd3@psu.edu

Janine Hawk,NLC Development Assistant,

jkh6@psu.edu

Valerie Cingle,NLC Development Assistant,

vjc4@psu.edu

Staff AssistantsJennifer DeAngelo, jxk298@psu.eduStephanie Gordon, slh122@psu.edu

Barbra Marsden, blm18@psu.eduKristin McKee, kmm21@psu.eduCarol Spangler, cmh7@psu.edu

Sharon Ries, sxr33@psu.eduRobin Yeaney, rly2@psu.edu

Casey Keiber,NLC Major Gifts Officer,

cmk184@psu.edu

NLC Calendar

July 1: Start of 2012 giving yearJuly 8: Lift for LifeJuly 15: Nittany Lion Club Golf

Tournament and CookoutAug. 26-28: Women’s soccer,

Penn State InvitationalSept. 3: Football vs. Indiana StateSept. 9: Men’s soccer vs. StetsonSept. 10: Football vs. AlabamaSept. 16-17: Women’s volleyball,

Penn State ClassicOct. 28: Penn State Athletic

Endowment DinnerNov. 11: Penn State Athletic

Facilities Donor RecognitionDinner

1JULY Nittany 9

Nine questions to test your knowledge of Penn State sportsCompiled by Tom Hanifan (’12 Journ)

1. Who was Penn State’s longest tenured men’s basketball coach?

2. Before the creation of the NCAA Tournament for men’s soccer in 1959,

how many outright national championships had Penn State won?

3. Who was the first Nittany Lion to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall

of Fame?

4. When did Penn State wrestling win its first national championship?

5. Which Penn State baseball great has the longest hitting streak in

school history?

6. Who was the first Lady Lion to be drafted into the WNBA?

7. Established in 1964, when did the Nittany Lion field hockey team

record its 200th home win?

8. What 1998 graduate owns the softball team’s HR record?

9. Name the six former women’s soccer players who played Women’s

Professional Soccer.

1.JohnEgli,14seasons(1954-1968);2.Three(1929,1938,1954);3.MikeKichalske,1964OG(Giants,Pack-ers);4.1953;5.MichaelCampo,41games(2000);6.TinaNicholson,thirdround,1997;7.Sept.5.1999(1-0overNorthCarolina);8.ShannonSalsburg,34(1995-1998);9.JoannaLohman,ErinMcLeod,AlyssaNaeher,KatieSchoepfer,TiffanyWeimer,ChristineWelsh.

19

The Penn State University157 Bryce Jordan CenterUniversity Park, PA 16802

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDThe PennsylvaniaState University

Find us on ...

Like us. Get the latest news.Participate in polls, share your opinions and photos.

SAVE THE DATE

28OCTOBER

Penn State Athletic Endowment Dinner

Dear Fellow Nittany Lions,For many of us who were student-athletes at

Penn State, Happy Valley provides a pleasanthome for important memories.We come here and make it our home for four

years or so. And then, in many ways it remains ourhome forever.That’s what makes alumni events, and the

alumni who continue to support Penn State Inter-collegiate Athletics, so special. Thanks to all of you who made the 2010-11

giving year so successful in terms of giving bystudent-athlete alumni. Thanks also to all of you who returned to cam-pus for an alumni event, or shared news about your careers and fami-lies.It’s been a great pleasure to share that news with all our fellow Penn

Staters.It’s also been a great pleasure to help organize the many alumni

events that take place on campus. Getting to knowso many of you, across so many generations ofPenn State teams, has been one of the most enjoy-able aspects of my job.It makes me proud every day to work with you.However, I’m also writing to let you know that

I’m leaving Happy Valley. I’ll be pursuing an op-portunity in Bradenton, Fla., with IMG Academies.It’s an exciting position, and a chance for some dif-ferent challenges. At the same time, it’s bittersweetbecause it means I have to leave Penn State. Inter-collegiate Athletics and the University

will always be in my heart, though, and will always get mysupport. I hope you can always say the same.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Mail from Mike ... For the Glory, For the FutureContact the

Varsity ‘S’ Club(814) 867-2202

varsitys@athletics.psu.edu

Find Varsity ‘S’ on Facebook!

(’05 Baseball)

If you need to update your contact information or wish to submit news for possible inclusion,please e-mail VarsityS@athletics.psu.edu with “VSC Member Update” in the subject line.