April 13, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Representing seven winter sports, 53 Penn State student-athletes have earned Academic All-Big Ten honors. Penn State's 53 honorees brings the Nittany Lions' all-time total to 3,669 during the 17 years of the program.
Penn State's Academic all-conference award winners excelled both academically and athletically. The wrestling team won the 2011 NCAA National Championship. It is the program's first national title since 1953. Sophomore Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) who was named the Wrestler of Championships at the Big Ten Championship claimed the national crown at 184. In addition, sophomore David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year.
The women's basketball team earned the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. With a 75-66 win against Dayton, the Lady Lions earned their first tournament win since the 2003-04 season.
The men's basketball team was selected as the No. 10 seed to the 2011 NCAA Tournament. It was the Nittany Lions' first appearance in the tournament since 2001 and the program's ninth overall. In addition, the Nittany Lions earned a spot in the Big Ten Tournament Final for the first time.
The men's gymnastics team led the conference with nine honorees, which is half of its roster. Sophomore Scott Rosenthal (Clearfield, Pa.) was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, while junior Miguel Pineda (Galloway, Ohio) is a candidate for the Elite 88 with a 3.99 GPA.
The women's gymnastics team finished second at the Big Ten Championship this season and placed third at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. Junior Natalie Ettl (Waukesha, Wis.), who defended her Big Ten uneven bars title in 2011, was named First Team All-Big Ten, and sophomore Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.) picked up Second Team laurels.
The men's swimming and diving team placed sixth at the Big Ten Championship this season and sent five to the NCAA Championship. The 200 Medley Relay team, which included junior Brian Alden (Lansdale, Pa.), picked up All-America honors at the NCAA Championship. Junior Scott Marino (Scotch Plains, N.J.) also advanced to the NCAA Championship this season.
The women's swimming and diving team sent nine swimmers to the NCAA Championships after earning a fourth place finish at Big Tens. Five Academic All-Big Ten honorees were among the nine to attend NCAAs.
The Big Ten recognized 706 fall sports student-athletes. To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners in their second academic year at their institution. They must carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Sophomore Paige Whitmire (Lederach, Pa.) and juniors Erin Thomas (Bangor, Maine) and Katie Pulos (Rosemont, Pa.) were part of the 200 Freestyle Relay team that earned Honorable Mention All-America honors. Sophomore Merritt Krawczyk (Kingwood, Texas) also garnered Honorable Mention All-America honors in both the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke. Sophomore Amy Modglin (Fort Myers, Fla.) also picked up Honorable Mention All-America accolades in the 200 backstroke.
The Big Ten Conference recognized a total of 524 winter sports athletes as Academic All-Big Ten honorees. 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 GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Listed below are Penn State's 2011 Winter Academic All-Big Ten honorees by sport.
Men's Basketball
Timothy Frazer, So., Business
Steven Kirkpatrick, Sr., Finance
William Oliver, Jr., Finance
Men's Gymnastics
Matthew Albrecht, Jr., Kinesiology
Felix Aronovich, So., Engineering
Matthew Chelberg, So., Engineering
Mackenzie Dow, So., Science
Miguel Pineda, Jr., Biology
Miles Raque, So., Health & Human Development
Logan Wyman, Sr., Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Warren Yang, Sr., Marketing
Men's Swimming & Diving
Brian Alden, Jr., Finance
John Austin, Sr., Civil Engineering
James Capparell, Sr., Marketing
Dustin Folio, So., Science
Benjamin Hengels, So., Business
Alexander Marchinski, So., Landscape Architecture
Scott Marino, Jr., Marketing
John Zierenberg, Sr., Biobehavioral Health
Women's Basketball
Nikki Greene, So., Recreation, Park and Tourism Management
Mia Nickson, Jr., Communication Arts and Sciences
Gizelle Studevent, So., Crime, Law and Justice
Julia Trogele, Sr., Management
Women's Gymnastics
Natalie Ettl, Jr., Kinesiology
Danielle Hover, Sr., Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management
Daryl Konsevick, Jr., Biobehavioral Health
Heather McElwee, Sr., Recreation, Park and Tourism Management
Madison Merriam, So., Communications
Women's Swimming and Diving
Diana Greco, Sr., Communication Arts and Sciences
Alexa Hetzel, Jr., Kinesiology
Samantha Jarmul, So., Business
Ann Kearns, So., Communications
Merritt Krawczyk, So., Health & Human Development
Amy Lewis, So., Health & Human Development
Megan Marco, Sr., Advertising & Public Relations
Monika Mialka, Jr., Psychology
Amy Modglin, So., Education
Katherine Oconnell, So., Science
Katherine Pulos, Jr., Elementary Education
Kristen Rodman, Jr., Advertising & Public Relations
Lauren Smart, Sr., Elementary Education
Rebecca Snyder, Jr., Elementary Education
Erin Thomas, Jr., Meteorology
Paige Whitmire, So., Health & Human Development
Emily Wolfarth, Jr., Advertising & Public Relations
Ilana Zeises, Sr., Bioengineering
Wrestling
James English, Jr., Chemical Engineering
Nicholas Fischer, Jr., Mechanical Engineering
Adam Lynch, Sr., Recreation, Park and Tourism Management
David Tayler, So., DUS
Cameron Wade, Sr., Finance
Quentin Wright, Jr., Management