Nov. 14, 2013
Big Ten Conference Release | All-Big Ten Teams (PDF)
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Penn State head coach Bob Warming earned his second straight Big Ten Coach of the Year honor and junior Andrew Wolverton (Atlanta, Ga.) was named Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year on Thursday night.
Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.), Martin Seiler (Stuttgart, Germany) and Wolverton earned spots on the first team, while Owen Griffith (Lewisburg, Pa.) captured second-team honors. Midfielders Connor Maloney (Harrisburg, Pa.) and Mason Klerks (Corona, Calif.) were tabbed as All-Big Ten Freshmen.
In his 31st winning season, Warming has guided the Nittany Lions to their fifth Big Ten title behind a 5-1-0 conference record and an 11-5-1 overall record. Penn State was tabbed fifth in the Big Ten preseason poll by the coaches and exceeded all expectations en route to a second straight crown and a top 25 national ranking.
Wolverton excelled in net for the Nittany Lions, earning five shutouts and an 11-5-1 record. He save 79.7 percent of the shots he faced, posting 63 saves, just one off his career high set his freshman year in 22 games. The junior out of Georgia currently ranks fifth all-time at Penn State in shutouts with 20. Wolverton is the first Nittany Lion since 2009 to win an individual Big Ten award (Jason Yeisley, Offensive).
The long road back from an ACL injury resulted in a career year for Tyler, who earned his first Big Ten postseason accolade. Tyler matched his career high in goals (5), while setting new personal bests for game-winning goals (4). Tyler led the Big Ten during conference play with four goals and three game-winners. Tyler's standout performance was a two-goal, title-clinching effort against Northwestern on Oct. 27.
Seiler has been Penn State's lockdown center back this season, helping to guide a defense with Wolverton that has held 15 of 17 opponents to a goal or less. Seiler also was effective on the offensive end of the field, supplying three goals to the Nittany Lion arsenal, which tied for second on the squad. The postseason honor is Seiler's first in his final season of collegiate soccer.
For the second straight season, Griffith garnered a spot on the All-Big Ten Second Team. A midfielder by trade, Griffith moved into the attack this year to help the Nittany Lion offense. Griffith tallied two goals and two assists for six points this season with both his goals coming in critical fashion. The Lewisburg native gave Penn State a 2-0 lead at Indiana on Oct. 6, PSU's first win over the Hoosiers since 2010, and scored the eventual game-winning goal against Michigan on Oct. 11.
Maloney and Klerks teamed up in the midfield as a dynamic duo that gave opposing teams fits. Maloney was a strong candidate for Big Ten Freshman of the Year following his nine-point showing and leading the conference with seven assists. Maloney scored his first collegiate goal at Akron last Wednesday, while providing the game-winning assist to Tyler in a 2-1 overtime win against Northwestern on Oct. 27. Klerks tallied three assists from his central midfield position and logged 1,278 minutes.
Senior midfielder Grant Warming (Omaha, Neb.) was Penn State's honoree for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Warming started all 17 games, scoring a goal and two assists for the Nittany Lions. Both his assists came in a 2-0 win over Indiana.
The Nittany Lions and Hoosiers as set for a Noon showdown on Friday in the Big Ten Tournament at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The match will be shown live on Big Ten Network as Penn State seeks its fourth conference final in the past five tournaments.