UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., May 24, 2012 -- Penn State's Matt Stankiewitch (Orwigsburg) has been named to the Watch List for the Rimington Trophy, presented to the nation's top center.
A fifth-year senior this fall, Stankiewitch is among the initial list of 50 candidates. Penn State All-American A.Q. Shipley won the 2008 Rimington Trophy.
A starter in every game last season, Stankiewitch will anchor the offensive line and is the unit's only returning starter. He was instrumental in helping Penn State lead the Big Ten in fewest sacks allowed last season (14 in 13 games). Stankiewitch played a vital role in helping open running lanes for tailback Silas Redd (1,241 yards), giving Penn State a 1,000-yard rusher for the seventh consecutive season. The former Blue Mountain High School standout led the Nittany Lions in snaps played last year with 966, led by an astounding 97 plays in the win at Indiana.
Stankiewitch earned Dean's List and Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2011 and is one of the squad's premier students. He entered the spring semester with a 3.41 cumulative grade point average and is a potential Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America® candidate. Stankiewitch is on schedule to graduate in December with degrees in management and advertising/public relations.
The Rimington Trophy is named after former Nebraska center Dave Rimington and is presented by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. Since its 2000 inception, the Rimington Trophy has raised more than $2 million for the award's benefactor, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in Nebraska. The Boomer Esiason Foundation has raised more than $100 million for Cystic Fibrosis research.
The 2012 recipient will be honored at the Rimington Trophy Presentation banquet at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Neb. on January 12, 2013.
Coach Bill O'Brien's Penn State squad returns 36 letterwinners and 10 starters for the upcoming season (5 offense, 4 defense, 1 specialist), as well as 17 players that have starting experience.
Season tickets are available for the 2012 season, with the Nittany Lions hosting five teams that played in a bowl game last year and playing 10 bowl teams overall. Penn State will host Ohio State (Oct. 27), Wisconsin (Nov. 24-Senior Day), Northwestern (Oct. 6-Homecoming), Indiana (Nov. 17), Navy (Sept. 15), Temple (Sept. 22-All-University Day) and Ohio (Sept. 1) in Beaver Stadium this fall.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com or call 1-800-648-8269 (1-800-NITTANY) weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The pricing of 2012 Penn State football game tickets and accompanying donation levels is the same as in 2011.