Three Nittany Lions post 4.0 GPA; 285 Honorees in 2013-14 Nittany Lions’ Second-Highest
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – July 8, 2014 – A school record 136 Penn State student-athletes have been recognized as Academic All-Big Ten selections for the spring and at-large sports. The Nittany Lions’ 136 honorees were second-highest in the Big Ten among the spring and at-large sports.
The record total of 136 for the spring and at-large sports breaks the Penn State mark of 132 set last year.
The third and final Academic All-Big Ten announcement brings Penn State’s 2013-14 total to 285 honorees, its second-highest total all-time. The school record is 296 honorees, set in 2012-13. The 285 total was third-highest in the Big Ten this year.
Three Penn Staters posted perfect 4.0 grade-point averages, tied with Michigan State for the most perfect marks in the conference for the spring and at-large sports. Women’s track and field athletes Emily Giannotti (Coudersport) and Katie Rodden (Ardmore) and women’s ice hockey player Lindsay Riehl (Cheshire, Conn.) were Penn State’s 4.0 achievers.
The women’s and men’s track and field teams combined for 34 of Penn State’s 136 Academic All-Big Ten honorees. The women’s track and field team, which won the 2014 Big Ten indoor and outdoor titles, led all Nittany Lion squads with 21 honorees, while the men’s track and field team tied for second-most on the men’s side with 13.
First-year head coach Rob Cooper’s Nittany Lion baseball team led the men’s side with 15 honorees and Coach Jeff Tambroni’s men’s lacrosse team also had 13. Head coach Missy Doherty’s women’s lacrosse team had 15 honorees while head coach Josh Brandwene’s women’s ice hockey squad had 13 as well.
Penn State has had a total of 4,762 Academic All-Big Ten honorees during its 21 year of full membership in the conference.
The Big Ten Conference recognized a total of 1,216 spring and at-large sports student-athletes who were named to the Academic All-Conference team.
To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Penn State student-athletes, who have captured a conference-best 16 Big Ten Championships and four NCAA titles the past two years, have been among the nation’s most successful in earning their degrees. A sampling of recent academic accomplishments includes:
– A school record 468 Penn State student-athletes earned a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher during the 2013 fall semester, with 197 earning Dean’s List recognition;
– Penn State’s Katie Slay (women’s volleyball), David Taylor (wrestling/at-large) and John Urschel (football) earned first-team Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America honors last fall, with Slay being selected the Academic All-American of the Year for women’s volleyball. Penn State has had 186 all-time honorees, the third-highest total among Division I institutions, with 40 Academic All-Americans honorees the past six years.
– A record total of 387 awards were presented to Penn State student-athletes at the 27th Annual SAAB Academic Achievement Awards Banquet in April. The figure topped last year’s record of 356;
– The NCAA’s annual study of institutions nationwide in October, 2013 revealed that Penn State student-athletes at the University Park campus earned a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 88 percent compared to an 81 percent average for all Division I institutions for students entering from 2003-04 through 2006-07;
– NCAA data last October also showed the four-year federal graduation rate average for Penn State student-athletes was 78 percent, significantly higher than the national average of 65 percent, and tied for second among Big Ten Conference institutions.
Penn State’s 2014 Spring/At-Large Academic All-Big Ten honorees:
| Baseball (15) | |||
| Jack Anderson | So. | Division Of Undergraduate Studies | Evanston, Ill. |
| Samuel August | Sr. | English | Needham, Mass. |
| James Coates | So. | Division Of Undergraduate | Studies Girard, Ohio |
| Timothy Dunn | Sr. | Marketing | Coto De Caza, Calif. |
| Zachary Ell | Sr. | Agribusiness Management | Plains, Pa. |
| Alexander Farkes | Sr. | Management | Boston, Mass. |
| Terrance Jann | Sr. | Finance | Westford, Mass. |
| Colin Keefe | Sr. | Energy, Business and Finance | Woodbury, Minn. |
| Alexander Malinsky | So. | Business Administration | Apex, N.C. |
| Timothy Scholly | So. | Business Administration | State College, Pa. |
| Taylor Skerpon | Jr. | Accounting | Sayre, Pa. |
| Richard Smith | Jr. | Communication Arts and Sciences | York, Pa. |
| Steven Snyder | Sr. | Accounting | Malvern, Pa. |
| Gregory Welsh | Sr. | Supply Chain and Information Systems | Holland, Pa. |
| Mike Wilcox | So. | Communications | Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| Men’s Fencing (6) | |||
| Jeremy Goldstein | Sr. | Advertising/Public Relations | Westport, Conn. |
| David Gomez Tanamachi | Jr. | Finance | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Yasser Mahmoud | Sr. | Art | Quincy, Mass. |
| Alex Schneller | Jr. | English | North Billerica, Mass. |
| Kaito Streets | So. | Management | Redwood City, Calif. |
| David Willette | Sr. | Finance | Lafayette, Calif. |
| Women’s Fencing (6) | |||
| Coutinho Ana | Sr. | Toxicology | Brasilia, Brazil |
| Brianne Cavaliere | So. | Animal Science | Wayne, N.J. |
| Kane Gladnick | Jr. | Advertising/Public Relations | Wynnewood, Pa. |
| Nicole Glon | Sr. | Advertising/Public Relations | State College, Pa. |
| Clarisse Luminet | Jr. | Communication Arts and Sciences | Lyon, France |
| Rebecca Stanley | So. | Liberal Arts | Willis, Texas |
| Men’s Golf (7) | |||
| James Dornes | So. | Business Administration | Lancaster, Pa. |
| Christopher Houston | So. | Business Administration | Gilford, N.H. |
| Alexander McDonald-Smith | Jr. | International Politics | Rockaway Park, N.Y. |
| Shane Stewart | Sr. | Finance | Dublin, Ohio |
| Jens Talbert | Jr. | Finance | Little Rock, Ark. |
| Geoffrey Vartelas | So. | Business Administration | Cromwell, Conn. |
| Ryan Worthy | Jr. | Journalism | Chester Springs, Pa. |
| Women’s Golf (7) | |||
| Elyse Archambault | Jr. | Finance | Richeleau, Quebec |
| Ellen Ceresko | Sr. | Marketing | Jefferson Township, Pa. |
| Grace Chung | So. | Undeclared | Richmond Hill, Ontario |
| Katlyn Elliott | Jr. | Science | Peterborough, Ontario |
| Catherine Herrera | Jr. | Accounting | Houston, Texas |
| Erin Michel | Jr. | Psychology | Mason, Ohio |
| Christina Vosters | Sr. | Economics | Chesapeake City, Md. |
| Women’s Hockey (13) | |||
| Jeanette Bateman | So. | Division Of Undergraduate Studies | Greeley, Colo. |
| Taylor Gross | Sr. | Biology | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| Hannah Hoenshell | So. | Science | Plano, Texas |
| Jill Holdcroft | So. | Business Administration | Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa. |
| Paige Jahnke | So. | Liberal Arts | Oakdale, Minn. |
| Emily Laurenzi | So. | Health & Human Development | Townsend, Del. |
| Kendra Rasmussen | So. | Science | Eagan, Minn. |
| Lindsay Reihl | Sr. | Psychology | Cheshire, Conn. |
| Stephanie Walkom | So. | Communications | Moon Township, Pa. |
| Tess Weaver | Jr. | French & Francophone Studies | Windber, Pa. |
| Jenna Welch | Sr. | Media Studies | Austin, Texas |
| Celine Whitlinger | So. | Science | Boalsburg, Pa. |
| Sarah Wilkie | So. | Health Policy and Administration | Ashby, Mass. |
| Men’s Lacrosse (13) | |||
| Steve Aitken | Sr. | Marketing | Wayne, Pa. |
| Kessler Brown | Sr. | Energy, Business And Finance | Springfield, Va. |
| J.P. Burnside | Jr. | Supply Chain And Information Systems | Garden City, N.Y. |
| Jack Donnelly | Jr. | Science | Toronto, Ontario |
| Austin Kaut | Sr. | Management | Morton, Pa. |
| Drake Kreinz | So. | Business Administration | Delafield, Wis. |
| Pat Manley | Marketing | Arnold, Md. | |
| Ryan Mullen | Sr. | Management | Horsham, Pa. |
| Michael Richards | Jr. | Agricultural Science | Skaneateles, N.Y. |
| T.J. Sanders | So. | Division Of Undergraduate Studies | Orillia, Ontario |
| Ryne Sternberg | Sr. | Chemical Engineering | Toronto, Ontario |
| Kyle VanThof | Sr. | Communication Arts And Sciences | Fairport, N.Y. |
| Kyle Zittel | Jr. | Science | Eden, N.Y. |
| Women’s Lacrosse (15) | |||
| Carly Bitzer | Sr. | Management | Doyletown, Pa. |
| Lauren Bosse | So. | Computer Science | Towson, Md. |
| Lizzy Carney | Sr. | Marketing | West Chester, Pa. |
| Tatum Coffey | Jr. | Journalism | Toms River, N.J. |
| Avery Curley | Sr. | Communication Arts and Sciences | Berwyn, Pa. |
| Ali Foulsham | Sr. | Agribusiness Management | Madison, N.J. |
| Evan Foulsham | Sr. | Recreation, Park, Tourism Management | Madison, N.J. |
| Heather Harman | So. | Recreation, Park, Tourism Management | Alpharetta, Ga. |
| Kelly Lechner | Jr. | Rehabilitation and Human Services | Silver Spring, Md. |
| Shannon Lechner | Sr. | Rehabilitation and Human Services | Silver Spring, Md. |
| Maggie McCormick | Jr. | Advertising and Public Relations | Eldersburg, Md. |
| Jenna Mosketti | So. | Communication Arts and Sciences | Fallston, Md. |
| Lauren Purvis | Sr. | Kinesiology | Maple Glen, Pa. |
| Whitney Reddig | Sr. | Rehabilitation and Human Services | Lititz, Pa. |
| Erika Spilker | So. | Communication Arts and Sciences | Severna Park, Md. |
| Softball (9) | |||
| Taylor Abeyta | So. | Health Policy and Administration | San Diego, Calif. |
| Reina Furuya | So. | Energy, Business and Finance | Waipahu, Hawaii |
| Shannon Good | So. | Chemical Engineering | Horseheads, N.Y. |
| Macy Jones | So. | Energy, Business and Finance | Ashburn, Va. |
| Lexis Knief | So. | Undeclared | Ramsey, N.J. |
| Elizabeth Presto | Sr. | Rehabilitation & Human Services | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Maegan Tupinio | So. | Science | Wahiawa, Hawaii |
| Christina Von Pusch | So. | Business Administration | Bryn Mawr, Pa. |
| Alicia Walker | Jr. | Health Policy and Administration | Los Alamitos, Calif. |
| Men’s Tennis (5) | |||
| Russell Bader | Sr. | Accounting | Austin, Texas |
| Matthew Barry | So. | Business Administration | Lido Beach, N.Y. |
| Ramy Labna | Sr. | Architectural Engineering | Doha, Qatar |
| Roman Trkulja | So. | Division Of Undergraduate Studies | Toronto, Ontario |
| Christopher Young | Jr. | Accounting | Melbourne, Australia |
| Women’s Tennis (2) | |||
| Marie-Frederique Bedard | Sr. | Finance | Montreal, Quebec |
| Katherine Whiteaway | So. | Health & Human Development | Sawbridgeworth, England |
| Men’s Track and Field (13) | |||
| Bernard Bennett-Green | Sr. | Journalism | Drexel Hill, Pa. |
| Ryan Brennan | Jr. | Security And Risk Analysis | Chester, N.Y. |
| Robert Cardina | So. | Communications | Lancaster, Pa. |
| Robert Creese | Jr. | Mathematics | Mount Airy, Md. |
| Thomas Damiani | So. | Science | Dalton, Pa. |
| Matthew Fischer | Sr. | Marketing | Kennett Square, Pa. |
| Russell Hedrick | Sr. | Energy Engineering | Schwenksville, Pa. |
| Jonathan Hendershot | Sr. | Supply Chain And Information Systems | Nazareth, Pa. |
| Daniel Jordan | Sr. | Recreation, Park, & Tourism Management | Boalsburg, Pa. |
| Alex Kenney | Gr. | Communication Arts and Sciences | State College, Pa. |
| Michael McClelland | Jr. | Communication Arts and Sciences | Washington, Pa. |
| Aaron Nadolsky | Sr. | Communication Arts and Sciences | Altoona, Pa. |
| Nicholas Scarpello | Sr. | Advertising/Public Relations | Jamison, Pa. |
| Women’s Track and Field (21) | |||
| Leigha Anderson | Jr. | Labor Studies and Employment Relations | Carlisle, Pa. |
| Abigail Benson | Jr. | Nutritional Sciences | Elma, N.Y. |
| Shelley Black | Jr. | Kinesiology | Hanover Township, Pa. |
| Dynasty Boxley-McGee | Jr. | Journalism | Ypsilanti, Mich. |
| Megan Boyer | Sr. | Human Development & Family Studies | Millersburg, Pa. |
| Rachel Casciano | Jr. | Advertising/Public Relations | Wyomissing, Pa. |
| Gabrielle Cocco | Sr. | Journalism | Allentown, Pa. |
| Kelsey Couts | Sr. | Interdisciplinary Digital Studio | Powell, Ohio |
| Emily Giannotti | Sr. | Counselor Education | Coudersport, Pa. |
| Lauren Kenney | Jr. | Kinesiology | State College, Pa. |
| Marta Klebe | Sr. | Supply Chain and Information Systems | Chesterbrook, Pa. |
| Erin Knabe | So. | Science | Califon, N.J. |
| Danielle Kocjancic | Sr. | Communication Sciences & Disorders | Kane, Pa. |
| Melanie Leszcynski | Jr. | Marketing | Audubon, Pa. |
| Olivia Mangan | Sr. | Psychology | Huntingdon Valley, Pa. |
| Lauren Mills | Jr. | Nutritional Sciences | West Chester, Pa. |
| Sarah Palmer | Jr. | Kinesiology | Gansevoort, N.Y. |
| Gwenndolyn Porter | Sr. | Kinesiology | Clearfield, Pa. |
| Kathleen Rodden | Jr. | Kinesiology | Ardmore, Pa. |
| Kiah Seymour | So. | Communications | Washington, D.C. |
| Sarah Underwood So. | Undeclared | Alexandria, Va. | |
| Men’s Volleyball (4) | |||
| Matthew Callaway | So. | Health & Human Development | Wheaton, Ill. |
| Connor Curry | Sr. | Economics | Newport Beach, Calif. |
| Zackary Parik | So. | Communications | Woodridge, Ill. |
| Spencer Sauter | So. | Business Administration | Woodridge, Ill. |
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