March 8, 2018
By Andy Kuros, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - This past fall, Penn State set a new school record when 117 Nittany Lions were named Academic All-Big Ten for getting at least a 3.0 grade-point average. In recording record levels of academic achievement of late, Penn State student-athletes are making it a point of emphasis to strive not only on game day and in practice, but academically as well.
Junior infielder Meghan Williams, who is an engineering major, is a great example of a Nittany Lion student-athlete who takes pride in her work both on the field and in the classroom. Williams recently traveled to Iceland for a week to study abroad through Penn State's GREEN, or Global Renewable Energy Education Network, program, which provides students in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences the opportunity to study internationally.
"I applied through the GREEN program, so it was something I found through my college," Williams said. "They're all about sustainability and understanding energy and its best practices. It was something I was really interested in, so I applied and got accepted," Williams said. "I ended up going to Iceland to study at the Institute of Energy at Reykjavik University, and I studied there for a week and did some exploring."
Head coach Amanda Lehotak talked about Williams' internship and how she believes all student-athletes should take advantage of Penn State's great opportunities and resources.
"To me, it shows what Penn State can do for you as a student-athlete and all the amazing opportunities you have available," Lehotak said. "What I'm proud of Meghan and our kids for is that they seek out those opportunities and they take them. Penn State can give you a lot of chances but there are so many kids that don't take the opportunities when they can. We've been very blessed in our program that the kids have done that, sought it out, and gotten great experiences from it."
Williams noted that beyond the GREEN program itself, she had some of those great life experiences while in Iceland.
"The people I met were completely amazing," Williams said. "I got the opportunity to hike a glacier, so that was a lot of fun."
Williams added: "We also went up to one of the natural hot springs and it was great."
Williams, a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania native, talked about balancing her softball schedule and rigorous academic schedule.
"It's tough, but it's doable. I've been doing it for three years now" Williams said. "There's two other engineers on the team, as well, so we make it work together. We study all day, every day, including in between class and while we're eating. It gets tough but you always find a way because I'm so passionate about both softball and engineering."
Coming off games against Texas A&M and Lamar earlier this week. Williams and the rest of Penn State's softball team will look forward to playing in the five game Houston Tournament from Friday to Sunday this weekend.