April 4, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - 2010 Penn State graduate and track and field standout Jessica Babcock (Irvine, Calif.) has been named the 2010 women's recipient of the Ernest B. McCoy Award, which annually recognizes a senior man and woman who have successful athletic participation with academic excellence. Ernest B. McCoy was dean of Penn State's College of Physical Education and the University's athletic director from 1952 to 1970. Babcock - a graduate in Elementary and Kindergarten education - was a four-year letter winner on the Nittany Lion track and field and cross country teams. A ceremony to recognize the McCoy recipients, along with several other campus-wide awards, is set for Sunday, April 11.
Babcock, who ended her Penn State academic career with a 3.91 grade point average, was also a standout on the track and on the cross country course, as a member of the Nittany Lions' Big Ten Outdoor Championship track and field teams in 2009 and 2010, and also competing for Penn State during the women's indoor conference title run in 2010. Babcock also enjoyed her highest conference finish during the 2010 indoor season, scoring an eighth-place effort in the 3,000-meter run - in a personal-best 9:37.65 - at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Academically, Babcock was a multiple-time member of the Dean's List, as well as a consistent Big Ten All-Academic honoree. In fact, the Irvine, Calif, native was also a recipient of the prestigious Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award in 2009-10, via a perfect 4.0 GPA in her final semester. The award honors student-athletes who have earned a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.7 or higher during the academic year.
Track and Field/Cross Country Recipients of the McCoy Award
1972 Scott Chapman
1974 Bob Hillman
1981 Kevin Scott
1982 Gary Black
1984 Pamela Schaffer
1987 Lisa Ross
1988 Anne-Louise Shafter
1990 Pam Connell
1991 Leslie Hummer
1994 Jonathan Pritchard
1995 Kimarie Kelly
1997 Rebecca Gusic
1998 Kim McGreevy
2001 Beth Buchheit
2009 James Pagana