Jan. 30, 2009
University Park, Pa. - Three Penn State student-athletes are nominees for the prestigious Dapper Dan Awards, awarded annually by the Dapper Dan Sports Charities to the figure from the Pittsburgh area who has made the most outstanding accomplishment in sports in the past year.
Senior women's volleyball middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) is one of four nominees for the 2008 Sportswoman of the Year, senior football center A.Q. Shipley (Coraopolis, Pa.) is one of six nominees for the 2008 Sportsman of the Year, and junior quarterback Daryll Clark (Youngstown, Ohio) is one of four nominees for Breakthrough Athlete. Dapper Dan Charities' executive committee will select the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year from the top vote-getters. Winners will be announced Sunday, February 8, 2008 in the Post-Gazette.
Fans can vote for all three categories by visiting http://biz.post-gazette.com/DapperDan. Harmotto joins Pittsburgh women's basketball head coach Agnus Berenato, Robert Morris guard Sade Logan and Pittsburgh guard Shavonte Zellous as the nominees for the Sportswoman of the Year, while Shipley joins Pittsburgh men's basketball head coach Jamie Dixon, Steelers linebacker James Harrison, Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, Penguins head coach Michel Therrien and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin as the nominees for Sportsman of the Year. For Breakthrough Athlete, Clark joins Pittsburgh men's basketball forward DeJuan Blair, Pirates outfielder Nate McLouth and Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley as the nominees.
Helping the team to its second straight NCAA title, Harmotto, a 2008 AVCA First Team All-American and a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten pick, led the team and the nation with a .486 hitting percentage. She aided Penn State in claiming its sixth consecutive Big Ten Championship as the Lions finished the 2008 campaign with an unprecedented 114-2 individual game mark and a perfect 38-0 overall record. Named the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year and an ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-American in 2008, Harmotto averaged 1.47 blocks per game for the year, good for third in the country, while also adding in 2.43 kills per game. An Elementary Education major, Harmotto is spending this semester student-teaching elementary-aged students in England.
A co-captain, Shipley anchored Penn State's best offensive line in more than a decade. He earned first team All-America honors from ESPN.com, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. He also earned second team All-America honors from the Associated Press and SI.com. Shipley was the recipient of the Dave Rimington Trophy, becoming the first Nittany Lion to be selected the nation's Outstanding Center since the award's inception in 2000. The 2008 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, Shipley was instrumental in helping the Lions lead the Big Ten in total and scoring offense, ranking second in rushing and third in passing offense, with three Top 20 national rankings. He played a major role in helping Penn State have a 1,000-yard rusher for a fourth consecutive season and leading the Big Ten (No. 4 in the nation) in fewest sacks allowed in 2008. A first team All-Big Ten selection in 2007 and '08, Shipley started the final 39 games of his career at center.
In his first year as the starter, Clark delivered one of the most impressive seasons by a Penn State signal-caller. A first team All-Big Ten selection, he was runner-up for the Silver Football, presented to the Big Ten MVP. The multi-talented Clark was 192 of 321 for 2,592 yards, with 19 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 2008. He also ran for 282 yards and 10 touchdowns, giving him a school-record 29 touchdowns responsible for, breaking Michael Robinson's mark of 28 from the 2005 season. Clark's 2,874 yards of total offense were No. 2 in school season history, his 2,582 passing yards were No. 3 and his 192 completions were good for No. 4. His 19 touchdown passes were tied for No. 4 on the Penn State season list and his 1.86 interception percentage also was fourth-best in program annals. In the Rose Bowl vs. USC, Clark broke Penn State bowl records with 273 passing yards and 290 yards of offense and tied Robinson's completions mark with 21.
The winners of the Dapper Dan Awards will be honored at the 73rd annual Dapper Dan Dinner and Sports Auction on Thursday, April 2 at the Petersen Events Center on the University of Pittsburgh campus. For more information, please visit http://www.post-gazette.com/dapperdan/dinner/. Proceeds from the dinner and sports auction benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania.
For more information on Penn State athletics, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.