May 7, 2018
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Senior Katie O'Donnell (West Chester, Pa.) has been named the 2018 Big Ten Midfielder of the Year as announced by the league office earlier Monday afternoon.
O'Donnell becomes the fourth Penn State student-athlete to earn a major Big Ten Conference Award as the Nittany Lions have had at least one award winner for each of the first four seasons of Big Ten play. The senior joins Emi Smith '16 (2015 Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year), junior Madison Carter (2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year) and Steph Lazo '17 (2017 Big Ten Attack Player of the Year) as major award winners the past four seasons. Head Coach Missy Doherty was also named the inaugural Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2015.
O'Donnell is currently third in the Big Ten with 56 goals this season to lead all midfielders while ranking tied for 33rd nationally. The senior also leads the team with 15 multi-goal games this season including a team-best 12 games with three or more tallies.
The Tewaaraton Award nominee, is also just two goals shy of becoming just the fourth Penn State player ever to reach the 200 goal milestone. O'Donnell's 198 career goals rank sixth in the nation among active players.
O'Donnell, who just last week earned her third consecutive nod on the All-Big Ten Team, is currently second on the team with 62 points to rank tied for sixth in the Big Ten. The senior's 222 career points place her sixth on the Penn State all-time list and currently rank 20th in the nation among active players.
O'Donnell and Penn State recently earned their seventh-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and will battle the University of Pennsylvania on Friday in a NCAA Tournament first-round matchup at Stony Brook.