June 4, 2015
Untitled Document
ROSEMONT, Ill.; June 4, 2015 - The Big Ten has announced that Penn State seniors Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.), a three-year member of the track & field team, and women's soccer player Kindrah Kohne (Homer, N.Y.) have been named Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2014-15 year, two of 28 student-athletes to receive the honor.
The 28 honorees were chosen from a group of more than 350 students honored throughout the academic year who had displayed positive sportsmanship.
One member of each varsity sports team on every campus was chosen by his or her institution as a Sportsmanship Award honoree, and two Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners were then selected from each institution. All of the Sportsmanship Award winners have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, these honorees must be in good academic standing and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
The vice president of Penn State's Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) this past year, Kohne's involvement in the Penn State community during her four-year Nittany Lion career was extensive. She earned the Student-Athletes Above and Beyond Award at the 2015 SAAB Academic Achievement Awards Banquet, and was also involved with the Athletic Director's Leadership Institute and a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. The three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree was a member of Spiritus Leoninus, the Intercollegiate Athletics honor society, and graduated in May with a marketing degree. On the pitch, Kohne was a member of three Big Ten Championship teams, helping the Nittany Lions to a Women's College Cup championship game appearance in 2012 and a berth to the Elite Eight in 2014. During her senior season, she was a noted leader, integral in easing the transition for the Nittany Lions' 11 freshman while appearing in 15 games in the midfield.
"Kindrah has blessed our program and athletic department over the past four years with her willingness to go above and beyond for the betterment of others," Penn State women's soccer head coach Erica Walsh said. "She possesses all of the best qualities we recruit for in a Big Ten Student-Athlete. Her 'team first' attitude and blue collar mentality has been the backbone of our championship teams. Her legacy on this athletic department will be felt for years to come as she volunteered for virtually every committee. Kindrah takes the word 'selfless' to a completely different level."
Serving as a team captain during the 2014-15 school year, Hill won both Big Ten shot put titles, defended his 2014 Penn Relays shot put title with the No. 2 throw in school history and the No. 3 mark in Penn Relays history (68-2.5) and garnered All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships with his fourth-place finish in the shot put (64-8). In the Penn State record books, Hill owns the school record in the indoor shot put (67-3.50) and ranks second in the outdoor shot put (68-5.25). Next Wednesday (June 10), Hill will compete in the shot put at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Hill currently ranks second in the NCAA with his toss of 68-5.25, but enters as the No. 1 seed via his performance at the NCAA East Preliminary Round (66-8.5). Hill received the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award at the Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He is a member of the Penn State track & field team that took part in the Fit For Fritz event, which is a Walk-A-Thon that raises money for the Be The Match Foundation.
"I am very excited to see Darrell Hill selected as Penn State's Outstanding Sportsmanship Honoree for the men," head coach and director of Penn State cross country and track & field John Gondak said."Not only is Darrell an outstanding athlete, he is a great leader in our program, community and is a proud Penn Stater."
Penn State Female Sportsmanship Honorees
Katie Andrews, Field Hockey
Katia Blik, Women's Tennis
Lexi Carroll, Women's Gymnastics
Karen Chang, Women's Fencing
Katlyn Elliott, Women's Golf
Lacey Fuller, Women's Volleyball
Macy Jones, Softball
Kasey Kemp, Women's Indoor Track & Field
Kindrah Kohne, Women's Soccer
Maggie McCormick, Women's Lacrosse
Amy Petersen, Women's Hockey
Ahmenah Richardson, Women's Outdoor Track & Field
Katie Rodden, Women's Cross Country
Megan Siverling, Women's Swimming & Diving
Tori Waldner, Women's Basketball
Krystal Welsh, Women's Gymnastics
Penn State Male Sportsmanship Honorees
Nobuo Bravo, Men's Fencing
Matt Brown, Wrestling
James Coates, Baseball
Connor Curry, Men's Volleyball
Eli Dennis, Men's Soccer
Christian Elliott, Men's Golf
Wade Endress, Men's Cross Country
Max Gardiner, Men's Hockey
Darrell Hill, Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Trevor Howard, Men's Gymnastics
Ryan Keiser, Football
Brian Leap, Men's Indoor Track & Field
Jonathan Seiferth, Men's Swimming & Diving
Ross Travis, Men's Basketball
Roman Trkulja, Men's Tennis
Kyle Zittel, Men's Lacrosse