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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With Memorial Day weekend approaching, you might wonder what is going on around the University Park campus. The spring semester is now ancient history, but there are plenty of things happening around Penn State Athletics as the calendar nears June.

Let's begin with the lone Nittany Lion team competing this weekend. Just two Penn State teams remain in action - track and men's golf - as the end of the 2009-'10 athletic season draws to a close. The Nittany Lion track team will send 29 competitors to the NCAA Regional Championships in Greensboro, N.C., this weekend.

Coming off its third consecutive Big Ten Outdoor Track title, the Nittany Lion women's track team enters regional competition red hot. Fueled by Fawn Dorr, Bridget Franek and Shavon Greaves, the Lions are poised for a strong showing this weekend. Several men will also be in action.

Bridget Franek

Focus is on the regional championships, but the Lions have sights set on the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. A strong performance this weekend could send a large contingent of the Nittany Lion women's team to the national championships, which run from June 9-12 at Oregon.

Keep an eye on GoPSUsports.com throughout the weekend for results from Greensboro, N.C. Greaves and Franek will be medal contenders in a number of individual events. The Lions also boast a pair of strong relay teams looking for a medal. It has already been an incredible athletic season for head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan and the cross country/track program. The Lions secured a clean sweep of Big Ten titles.

Following the track regionals this weekend, the Lion men's golf team travels to Chattanooga, Tenn., next weekend for the NCAA Golf Championships. As we highlighted earlier in the week, head coach Greg Nye's group caught fire in NCAA Regional.

Led by a medal performance from T.J. Howe, Penn State will be making a team trip to the national championships. Action in Chattanooga begins on June 2 and runs through June 5. Coach Nye and the Nittany Lions are in Happy Valley practicing for a return trip to the national championships.

Those two teams will remain on campus until the championships are wrapped up. As for the remainder of the 27 teams around the Athletic Department, it is the offseason. Nevertheless, do not be surprised to see numerous student-athletes from a variety of teams trekking around campus.

With the first football game officially 101 days away (and counting), the vast majority of the team is on campus taking summer courses and working out in preparation for the 2010 season. Fall camp does not begin until early August, but the Lions are busy conditioning for the upcoming season.

The same is true for a variety of other fall sports teams. There were weekends during the spring with well over half of the sports teams in action on the same day. The calendar of events looks bare for the month of June. However, that is far from the case.

While it may be the offseason, the work to excel in the classroom and on the field of play does not end because it is summer. There is a reason why Penn State Athletics sets a standard in academic and athletic excellence year in and year out.

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May 24, 2010- Men's Golf Team Catches Fire at NCAA Regionals
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion men's golf team manufactured one of the biggest turnarounds of the spring sports season over the weekend by earning a spot in the NCAA Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn.

After a 10th place finish in the Big Ten Championships three weeks ago, the Nittany Lions garnered an at-large berth to get into the NCAA Regional competition. And the Lions made the most of their regional visit to Yale over the weekend.

Heading into the tournament, it was hard to figure how the Nittany Lions would fare. The 10th place effort at the Big Ten Championships raised some questions. Nonetheless, it was clear on day one of regional competition that the Nittany Lions were going to be heard from at Yale.

A red-hot start set the tone for what turned out to be an outstanding weekend for head coach Greg Nye and the Nittany Lions. A pair of seniors posted standout performances throughout the weekend in New Haven, Conn. T.J. Howe fired scores of 69, 68 and 66 to earn a share of first place in the regional. Fellow senior Kevin Foley finished in a tie for fourth with a 67, 67 and 72.

T.J. Howe finished tied for first at the NCAA Regional Championships over the weekend.

Howe made history with his combined 7-under par performance, earning the best individual finish by a Nittany Lion golfer at NCAA Regional competition. The third-round 66 also topped his personal best career round. It was a tremendous performance from Osceola, Pa., native.

The NCAA field is made up of 30 teams. Each of the six regions sent the five low teams into the NCAA field. As a team, the Lions finished fourth in the 14-team field, which will automatically send them to the 2010 NCAA Championships from June 1-6 in Chattanooga. This will mark Penn State's 17th NCAA appearance and fourth under Coach Nye. The Lions last competed in the NCAAs in 2008.

The Course at Yale has been very friendly to the Nittany Lions over the years. Penn State posted a second place finish in NCAA Regional competition in New Haven to earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships in 2004.

In a span of two weeks, the Lions went from a 10th place team at the conference championships to a fourth place team at a 14-team regional with several ranked teams. As we said to kick off this post, it is remarkable to think that the Nittany Lions finished 10th out of 11 at the Big Ten Championships earlier this spring.

Howe and Foley were the catalysts, though. They played some of the best golf of their Nittany Lion careers. Howe was the only player in the field to shoot three consecutive rounds in the 60s. Foley was on Howe's heels throughout the weekend, but a two-over 72 in the final round kept him from potentially giving the Lions a clean sweep atop the leaderboard.

Nonetheless, it was a tremendous performance from the Nittany Lion golf team over the weekend. Three rounds of superb golf firmly put the Lions in the NCAA Championship field. Congratulations to Coach Nye and the rest of the team for an outstanding weekend at Yale.

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May 21, 2010- Two of Penn State's Own Looking to Travel the Globe as Nike's Next Field Reporter
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Two names close to the Penn State family are pursuing an opportunity to interview some of the world's best athletes in a quest to become the next Nike Field Reporter.

Have you ever wanted to go one-on-one with Michael Phelps or Serena Williams?

Former Penn State soccer and field hockey star Aubrey Aden-Buie and Paralympian Maggie Redden might do just that if they become the next Nike Field Reporter. Aden-Buie and Redden are two of the final 100 in Nike's search.

Nike's Field Reporter covers the globe to interview the world's biggest athletes. The reporter will file blogs and conduct one-on-one interview sessions with some of the biggest names in all of sports. Imagine getting to know Kobe Bryant or Diana Taurasi off the court.

Maggie Redden

Aden-Buie and Redden would become a roving reporter talking to sports stars, and even Hollywood celebrities. One day the field reporter could be speaking to an Olympian prior to a gold medal run. The next day, the reporter could be talking to the star of a motion picture. Once the interviews and blogs are conducted, they will all appear on Nikewomen.com. Fans around the globe will have the opportunity to watch the Nike Field Reporter in action.

Aden-Buie and Redden have made it to stage three in the selection process. And now they need some help. After submitting blog entries in the initial application process, Aden-Buie and Redden produced two-minute videos to sell why they should be the next field reporter. Both videos were uploaded to Nike's website and made the cut into the final 100. That is where the fans come into play.

A portion of the selection process includes video ratings, views and comments. Aden-Buie and Redden need the Nittany Lion faithful to get on the Nike website and watch both videos, provide a positive rating and leave encouraging comments.

Aden-Buie was instrumental in leading the women's soccer team to four consecutive Big Ten titles and a College Cup appearance during her time as a Nittany Lion. Following a standout career on the soccer field, Aden-Buie played one season for the Nittany Lion field hockey team.

Redden is a 2007 Penn State graduate, who has spanned the globe as standout member of Penn State's Ability Athletics program. A member of the U.S. Paralympic team at the Beijing Paralympic Games, Redden is currently training for the 2011 World Championships and 2012 Paralympics in London. She is also currently an employee in the Athletic Department.

So, take some time and get to Nike's website to help Aden-Buie and Redden in their quest to become the next Nike Field Reporter. The link to view the videos is listed below. Look for their names. Make sure you pass this along to your friends and family, as well. Let's help two of Penn State's own in their quest to become the next Nike Field Reporter.

Watch the Videos Here

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May 19, 2010- An Inside Look at Football Weather
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Football weather factors into coaching strategies, a fan's gameday experience and often times how a particular team or conference is perceived.

The Big Ten is often regarded as a physical conference with punishing defenses, but when it comes to Big Ten weather, what comes to mind? Steam-breathing players, cold temperatures, frigid wind chills and frozen fields.

How a particular person perceives Big Ten weather is a personal choice, but I think we can all agree that the national perception of the conference's weather is far from a sunny afternoon in short sleeves.

After doing some research, we are going to present some facts that may buck the national perception. When you finish our two-part look at weather on the gridiron, your thoughts on Big Ten weather may change.

We will begin with a look inside the numbers of Penn State's past five seasons. When this idea came to mind, I was curious where the average temperatures of teams in the northern half of the United States compared to the rest of the country. We will get into that in part two.

Today's topic is solely focusing solely on Penn State. Before I go on, there is some background information you need to know. All of the data presented in today's weather statistics has been taken off of the official temperature listings on the final box score.

Prior to each game, meteorologists provide the statisticians with official game time weather information. The temperature and wind figures are then entered into the stats, which are distributed to the media following the game. So, all of the numbers used have been taken directly off of the final stats.

This particular story is going to focus on the past five seasons of weather. All of the averages and figures are derived from the 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons. Also note that the weather figures do not include Penn State's five bowl games. Let's take a look at the numbers.

The Lions have played 57 regular season games since 2005. The average game time temperature for the past five seasons is 58.3 degrees. The average temperature for Penn State's home games over the past five years is 59.8 degrees.

Just four times in five seasons have the Nittany Lions played in weather conditions colder than 40 degrees. The list includes the 2007 game at Michigan State, the 2008 game at Iowa and home against Michigan State and the 2009 homecoming game against Minnesota.

Of the 57 games, just one was played in conditions below freezing. That came in the Big Ten-clinching victory over Michigan State in the final game of 2008. The game time temperature on that snowy afternoon in Happy Valley was 26 degrees.

Here are the average temperatures organized by season:
2005: 11 games - 62.2 degrees, Home games - 64.9 degrees
2006: 11 games - 54.6 degrees, Home games - 52.9 degrees
2007: 12 games - 63.3 degrees, Home games - 65.9 degrees
2008: 11 games - 56.5 degrees, Home games - 58.0 degrees
2009: 12 games - 54.8 degrees, Home games - 57.1 degrees

The two games played in a dome (2006 at Minnesota and 2008 at Syracuse) were not factored into the equation. Additionally, the time of kickoff was not factored into the statistics.

Nevertheless, it is very interesting to take a look at the numbers. One would assume that Happy Valley is home to cold weather during football season. Looking down the list, though, two entire seasons had an average well above 60 degrees.

And with the coldest season being 54.6 degrees, maybe it isn't that cold around the Big Ten after all.

When things are broken down by month, here are the averages:

September: 68.7 degrees
October: 59.1 degrees
November: 48.1 degrees

The only anomaly in the monthly averages came in 2009. October's game time temperatures were 56, 35, 48 and 46 degrees. November's temperatures were 56 and 55 degrees. Other than the abnormally cold October and warm November last season, the monthly breakdown plays out as one would expect.

I think the surprising thing about the weather breakdown is how high November's average temperatures have been over the past five seasons of gamedays. The coldest November belonged to 2008. The average temperature of the three games from '08 was 38.7 degrees.

I will leave you to analyze the weather numbers from the past five seasons on your own, but the perception of the Big Ten being a frigid conference, in terms of football weather, may need an overhaul.

A five-year average temperature of 58.3 degrees is far from being cold. And playing just one game below 32 degrees over the course of five seasons is something to take note of. Stay tuned in the coming days for part two.

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May 18, 2010- Baseball Looking for a Strong Finish; Big Ten Tournament Berth
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Despite three consecutive setbacks at Minnesota over the weekend, the Nittany Lion baseball team returns home for a pivotal Big Ten series against Michigan on Thursday night.

All 10 teams in the Big Ten baseball standings remain alive for one of the six Big Ten Tournament slots. Penn State heads into the weekend two games out of a four-way tie for fifth place. The stakes are clear. The Lions must win at least two, and likely all three, of their games against Michigan to have any type of a chance to play in the postseason.

With the standings so tight from fifth to 10th, anything can happen during this weekend's games. However, the Lions trail the final tournament spot by two games, making victories against second-place Michigan critical for their postseason hopes.

Wading through the potential tiebreaker scenarios is a task in itself.

Ben Heath and the Nittany Lions host Michigan in a critical series, which begins Thursday at Medlar Field.

To give you an idea of how complicated things could get, let's take a look at one specific example. As many as five different teams could be tied for fifth spot in the standings. Should that situation come about, the conference officials would likely be forced to go through four different tiebreaking procedures before the six-team field could be announced.

The last resort of the tiebreaking procedures is a coin flip conducted by the Commissioner. Don't expect things to go that far, but the race for the final two spots in the Big Ten Tournament field is wide open.

Penn State can only control what it does on the field against Michigan. As we said earlier, the Lions will need at least two victories against the Wolverines to have any type of a chance. Michigan enters the weekend with the conference's second best record (31-19, 12-9).

The headliner from last weekend's series at Minnesota was junior catcher Ben Heath, who broke Dave Simononis' 32-year single-season home run record. Heath has 18 homers on the season. He has been a dominant force in the Penn State lineup throughout the 2010 season, and his numbers speak for themselves.

Heath continues to lead the Nittany Lions in nearly every major offensive category. He leads the squad in batting average (.372), runs (50), doubles (15), home runs (18), RBIs (55), total bases (141), slugging percentage (.750) and on base percentage (.453).

The Huntersville, N.C., native will need another big weekend for the Lions against Michigan. The Penn State bats need to come alive, like they did in the sweep of Michigan State earlier in the season. Additionally, the Lions will need solid starting performances from Mike Wanamaker and Steven Hill.

After winning six straight conference games, the Lions have dropped five consecutive outings. The streak must end on Thursday evening when Penn State begins a crucial series against Michigan. The Lions will need some luck to go along with a strong set of outings to find a spot in the Big Ten Tournament field for the first time since 2008.

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May 17, 2010- Back-to-Back-to-Back Big Ten Champions on the Track
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's track team etched its place in the Big Ten record books as back-to-back-to-back champions after a dominant performance at Indiana over the weekend.

Six different Nittany Lions and two relay teams claimed gold medals to lead the Nittany Lions to their third consecutive Big Ten Outdoor Track championship. Just two other teams (Michigan 2002-`04 and Wisconsin (1983-`86) have won three straight outdoor titles in Big Ten history.

Additionally, the Lions won the Big Ten's version of the "Triple Crown" in 2009-'10 with titles in cross country, indoor and outdoor track to become the first team since Michigan in 2002-'03 to sweep all three in the same academic season.

The Nittany Lion women's track and cross country teams have set the standard around the Big Ten Conference. Penn State left little doubt on Sunday afternoon in Bloomington, posting a 10.5-point victory over Minnesota in second.

Head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan has erected an outstanding program in Happy Valley. Winning all three Big Ten titles in the same season is a testament to the program's standard of excellence.

Shavon Greaves claimed the 100 and 200-meters at the Big Ten Championships.

This weekend's third straight outdoor championship was fueled by a stellar performance from junior sprinter Shavon Greaves. The standout easily cleared the field in the 100 and 200-meters and played a key role on the 4x100 and 4x400-meter championship relay teams.

Like Greaves, senior Fawn Dorr notched two individual titles (400-meters and 400 hurdles) and starred on the two championship relay teams. Aleesha Barber won the 100-meter hurdles and senior Bridget Franek tallied the world's fastest time this season in the 3,000-meter steeplechase en route to a gold medal.

The Nittany Lion men's team tied for seventh in the team standings. Casimir Loxsom and Blake Eaton posted individual victories. Loxsom claimed the 800 meters while Eaton won the shot put. The Lions have won the last four Big Ten 800-meter titles.

Penn State's men's squad has a nucleus to become a contender in the conference. However, the Lions head into the offseason looking to add depth to the roster in pursuit of making a jump up the conference standings in the future.

Nonetheless, the weekend belonged to the women's squad. Winning a third straight conference title will send the Lions into NCAA action with a great deal of confidence. Ranked No. 7 in the nation, Penn State has a legitimate shot of making a splash at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. Next up, though, is a trip to the NCAA Regional Championships from May 27-29.

Dorr, Franek and Greaves will lead the Nittany Lions into regional action. All three deserve a lot of credit for their role in three straight titles. Franek's senior season consisted of three Big Ten titles. What a way for the senior to end her Penn State career.

Congratulations to Coach Alford-Sullivan and the Nittany Lions for an incredible run through the Big Ten Conference. Penn State women's track is carrying the banner Big Ten for the third straight season.

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May 14, 2010- Women's Track Team Looking for a Big Ten Sweep
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's track team heads into the weekend looking to make it a season sweep of Big Ten championships.

Additionally, the stage is set for the Lions to vie for their third consecutive outdoor track title. In doing so, the Penn State women would sweep the cross country, indoor track and outdoor track championships in 2009-'10.

It would be a rare Big Ten feat for coach Beth Alford-Sullivan and the women's squad. The clean sweep would apply for the distance runners on the squad, namely national standout Bridget Franek. Franek spearheaded the cross country and indoor titles with superb performances in both championships.

She became just the second athlete in school history to win the individual title at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships in the fall. Franek also took first in the mile run during the indoor season. She heads into her final Big Ten competition look to add another championship to her already glowing resume.

Bridget Franek and the Nittany Lion women's track team will be looking for their third straight Big Ten Outdoor title this weekend.

Several Nittany Lions will vie for a podium spot this weekend. Sprinters Fawn Dorr and Shavon Greaves have won multiple Big Ten titles in the past, and will participate in relay competition. Greaves will be a contender for her second straight gold in both the 100 and 200 meters.

Junior Karlee McQuillen is also in line for a podium finish, entering the weekend as the top seed in the javelin. McQuillen was third as a freshman in 2008 and second as a sophomore in 2009. It is shaping up to be a very intriguing weekend as the Lions go for their third straight outdoor title and a clean sweep in 2009-'10.

The impressive Big Ten streak began in dramatic fashion in 2008 when the Lions clipped Michigan by less than a point after a strong finish in the final event of the championships. Nonetheless, the road will not be easy, as the seventh-ranked Lions will face off with a stiff field in Bloomington this weekend. Illinois comes in ranked 18th in the nation, while the Hoosiers are 22nd.

In addition to the women's team pursuing back-to-back-to-back titles, the Nittany Lion men's squad is poised for a Big Ten run. The Lions have progressively climbed up the conference's ladder in the past few seasons, and they will be heard from this weekend in Bloomington.

Led by Ryan Foster, who has won three consecutive 800-meter Big Ten titles, the Lions are looking for a finish near the top of the final standings. Penn State is the only team in the Big Ten field ranked in the national top 25 heading into the tournament.

Foster is one of numerous Nittany Lions individually ranked. Freshman Casimir Loxsom garnered headlines after a superb finish to the regular season. Loxsom set the nation's top 800-meters time after a standout performance at Stanford. It will be interesting to watch Loxsom duel with Foster in the 800.

The men's squad has a legitimate chance of making a splash at the Big Ten Championships this weekend. Both teams could contend for a conference crown with a strong showing in Bloomington. Action will take place from Friday to Sunday at Indiana. The 2010 Big Ten Outdoor Track champions will be crowned on Sunday afternoon in Bloomington. Good luck to both Nittany Lion squads.

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May 12, 2010- Early Enrollment Becoming a Trend, but Does it Pay Off?
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No fewer than 200 student-athletes across the six BCS conferences (and Notre Dame) graduated from high school in the winter and enrolled in spring classes. Looking to get a leg up on their college football careers, 200 student-athletes are currently foregoing the final half of their senior year in high school.

Keep in mind that all of the early enrollees met all of the requirements necessary for early graduation from high school and admission into college. However, this scenario brings up a number of questions about missing the latter half of a senior year in high school.

It is a debate to ponder as college football moves forward. What we are going to focus on today is how effective the early enrollment process turns out to be on the field of play. Student-athletes graduate high school early to participate in winter conditioning and spring practice in hopes of seeing time on the field come August.

An early enrollee is on campus months before the rest of the incoming freshmen. The experience gained from winter workouts and spring practice is invaluable, but how much does an early start on campus pay off in the fall?

Because this trend is so prominent in the modern state of college football, you would assume the number of early enrollees seeing time during the regular season would be significantly higher than the athletes arriving in the summer.

However, that is not necessarily the case, at least not at Penn State. Penn State had four early enrollees last season. Two of them (Kevin Newsome and Gerald Hodges) saw playing time in 2009. Hodges saw action on special teams in 11 of the 13 games. Newsome played in 10 games last season. But significant playing time in the starting lineup was nonexistent for either player.

Paul Jones was one of seven Nittany Lion freshmen on campus early.

Six other Penn State true freshmen played in 2009. All six arrived on campus during the summer. The list included wide receivers Justin Brown and Curtis Drake, defensive back Stephon Morris, receiver/returner Devon Smith and defensive linemen Jordan Hill and Sean Stanley.

All six played prominent roles in the lineup, at one point or another, throughout the regular season. This is just one example among 66 teams in BCS conferences, but the moral of the story is that early enrollment may seem like a significant advantage, but the best players will get onto the field, regardless of when they arrive at campus.

"There may be a kid every once in a while who comes in during January and is just that good," Coach Paterno said on the Big Ten spring teleconference this week. "But in this league, and with the schedule we have to play - we have some pretty tough games on the road early in the year - I think we would make a mistake to put any one of them in a position where they've got to do a job that is too tough for them."

Fast forward to this offseason, the Nittany Lions had seven new faces on campus this spring. With a number of holes on the depth chart, the quantity of early enrollees on the field in the fall could easily be higher this season.

One thing is certain, Coach Paterno is very vocal about early enrollment.

"I think it is a lousy trend," Coach Paterno said. "I think kids ought to finish up high school. You are only young once. I am not happy we are doing it, to be honest with you. You get pressure all the time because there are kids you are recruiting, and you are recruiting them early. Other people are talking to them about starting early, so you end up (getting them early) to be competitive. But, I don't like it. I really don't. I think the best thing is to finish up high school, go to the prom, have memories of what high school was all about, start in college as a freshman when the rest of the kids do, and go from there. I am a voice in the wilderness..."

It will be very interesting to track the early enrollees throughout the 2010 season, not just at Penn State, but across the country. The number has grown significantly in the past 12 months, but how that will translate into playing time in the fall is a question mark.

Whether or not early enrollment is good for the sport is a question I think we can debate for hours. Even with a high school diploma in hand, missing the last few months of high school is not be an ideal situation for student-athletes.

But whether we agree with it or not, early enrollment is here to stay. It may have its benefits for the betterment of player development, but the correlation between early enrollment and playing time during a freshman season is not necessarily direct.

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May 10, 2010- One Game Out of the Conference Tournament with Six to Play
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The unseasonably cold weather at Medlar Field over the weekend wasn't too kind to the Nittany Lion baseball team. After picking up its sixth straight win behind a superb outing from right-handed hurler Mike Wanamaker on Friday, the Lions suffered back-to-back losses to Iowa.

It was a critical weekend for the Lions' hopes of a berth into the Big Ten Tournament. When the game ended on Friday night, Penn State was within one game of first place. After two losses in frigid Happy Valley, the Lions are one game out of the sixth and final spot in the conference tournament field.

Sitting 8-10 on the season, Penn State is by no means out of the race for one of the top seeds for the tournament, but the margin for error in the final two conference series is quickly shrinking.

Penn State departs for Minneapolis early on Thursday in preparation for its three-game series at the Metrodome against Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are tied for first place with a 10-8 conference record heading into the weekend. Minnesota leads the conference in pitching with a combined team ERA of 4.71.

Mike Wanamaker

Needless to say, it will not be an easy weekend for the Nittany Lions. Playing at the Metrodome will also create an interesting challenge for the Nittany Lions. A domed stadium with an artificial playing surface is unlike anything else in the conference.

Penn State is looking to win its final two series to vault back into a Big Ten Tournament spot. Two wins against Minnesota and Michigan will put the Lions in the thick of things. As we noted before, though, there is a very fine line between advancing to the conference tournament and sitting home at the end of May.

Just two games are separating the four-way tie for the conference lead from the last-place tie between Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State and Penn State (8-10) heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. With the conference standings so tight, a good series can quickly boost a team up the pecking order, but a bad series can send a team to the basement.

Penn State will need more consistency out of its bullpen in the final two conference series. The Lion relievers struggled to get outs against Iowa in the losses on Saturday and Sunday.

The big offensive storyline heading into the Iowa series was Ben Heath's pursuit of becoming the school's season home run leader. He tied the all-time mark with two homers in the series finale against Michigan State. Heath went homer-less against Iowa. However, the power-hitting catcher still leads the team in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.379), RBIs (54) and slugging percentage (.757).

The Lions return to practice later this afternoon in preparation of a critical road trip to Minnesota. As always, we will keep track of all the storylines pertaining to the Lion baseball squad.

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May 7, 2010- Nittany Lions Save Their Best for the National Semifinals
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - As we talked about earlier in the week, it was going to take a near-perfect performance from the Nittany Lion men's volleyball team to advance into Saturday's national championship bout in Palo Alto, Calif.

Cal State Northridge came into the semifinals ranked third in the country with a powerful front line paced by a 7-2 middle blocker. The Matadors swept Penn State less than a month ago in Northridge.

But the Lions sure didn't play like any of that mattered on Thursday night, as they put together their best performance of the season in a commanding 3-0 sweep at Maples Pavilion on Thursday evening. Cal State Northridge never found a rhythm in a dominant performance from the Nittany Lions.

Now, the Lions will play Stanford in the championship match on Saturday night at 7 p.m. (ESPN2). It will mark Penn State's third appearance in the championship in the past five seasons. Penn State won the national championship in 1994 and 2007.

The numbers do not lie in Thursday's route of Cal State Northridge. Behind 18 kills apiece from Will Price and Joe Sunder, the Nittany Lions controlled the net throughout the 3-0 sweep. The Lions tallied 56 kills in the match, while the Matadors managed just 38 kills.

Will Price

The Lions really took control of things in the first two sets, attacking at .233 and .409, respectively. Compare that to just .067 and .154 hitting from Cal State Northridge in the first two sets. With a 2-0 lead, the Lions put things in cruise control in the third.

Cal State Northridge tightened things up in the latter stages of set three, but Penn State finished off the Matadors to punch its ticket to the national championship. The Nittany Lions' experience showed in Thursday's match.

Penn State has been to the national semifinals in each of the past 12 seasons. Meanwhile, the Matadors were making their first appearance in the semifinals since 1993. The Lions played like a team that had been a regular in the NCAA Championships. Penn State was loose from the opening serve and played with a lot of poise throughout the match.

Now, the Lions are prepping for the national title bout against top-ranked and host Stanford. The Cardinal upended Ohio State by a 3-0 margin in the second semifinal match on Thursday night. Stanford will be making its first national championship appearance in 13 years.

Nevertheless, Stanford will be playing for a national title in the comforts of home, and the Cardinal has been a dominant team throughout 2010. Stanford comes into Saturday's bout with a 23-6 overall record. The two teams last met in 2006, with Penn State scoring a 3-0 victory.

The host Cardinal is attacking at.353 for the season. Brad Lawson is the player to keep an eye on in the Stanford offense. The sophomore outside hitter averages nearly five kills per set for Stanford. The Lions will need to slow down his output in Saturday's title tilt.

Penn State's 2,700-mile journey to the NCAA Championship will continue at 7 p.m. on Saturday night. Congratulations to Coach Pavlik and the Nittany Lions for earning a spot in the national championship. Tune in to ESPN2 to watch Penn State compete for its second title in three seasons.

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May 6, 2010- Faces of the Blue-White Game: Nate Stupar and Shawney Kersey
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With the spring practice season now complete after a 17-3 victory for the Blue squad in the annual Blue-White Game, the Nittany Lions will head home briefly before continuing offseason workouts leading up to fall camp in August.

But before we put a cap on the spring practice season, let's take a look at two significant contributors from the 2010 Blue-White Game. The Faces of the Game feature series focuses on a pair of players who played a marquee role for the Nittany Lions. However, the features do not necessarily focus on the big faces from a game.

Rather, we like to dig beneath the surface for a pair of players who played an unsung role. Granted the Blue-White Game presents a unique set of circumstances with it being an intrasquad scrimmage. Nonetheless, we have selected junior linebacker Nate Stupar and redshirt freshman wide receiver Shawney Kersey as the Faces of the Blue-White Game.

Stupar stepped into the starting lineup this spring looking to fill the void at the linebacker spot left by standouts Navorro Bowman, Josh Hull and Sean Lee, who were all drafted over the weekend. The State College native is a hard-working, athletic linebacker who always seems to find a way to the football.

Stupar spent two seasons as a special teams ace and a consistent contributor on defense, but the junior is ready to make the next step in 2010. He capped off a strong spring practice season with a seven tackle performance, including one for a loss at the Blue-White Game. He also pulled down an interception.

Shawney Kersey

"I tried to work on everything in my game (this spring)," Stupar said. "I worked on my speed. I worked on my tackling. I worked on my ball skills. All in all, I feel like I am a better player coming out of the spring. And I am looking forward to the fall."

The 6-1, 236-pound linebacker knows it is going to take time for the linebacker corps to garner game experience, but the entire defense heads into the summer with a great deal of confidence.

"It will take some time to get some game experience, but I thought we did well," Stupar said of the defense's performance. "The coaches asked for consistency and I think we were able to do that."

On the other side of the ball, Kersey proved to be the offensive catalyst for the Blue team's 17-3 victory. The redshirt freshman hauled in a pair of 18-yard touchdown receptions from freshman quarterback Paul Jones.

Like Stupar, Kersey heads into the summer off a strong spring practice season. The Woodbury, N.J., native is looking to be a contributor in the deep receiver corps for the Nittany Lions in 2010. He is a name to keep in mind for the future.

"It felt good to make a couple plays to help the offense put some points on the board," Kersey said. "I feel like the wide receivers could have done a little better, but it feels good to contribute."

After redshirting in 2009, Kersey heads into the rest of the offseason primed to become another weapon for the Nittany Lion offense.

"I am learning," Kersey said. "The main thing I had to work on was catching the ball...I want to be able to contribute and help the team."

With the Blue-White Game in the books, Stupar and Kersey were just two of numerous candidates for the Face of the Game feature. With seven tackles and an interception from Stupar and a pair of touchdowns from Kersey, the duo turned in a pair of strong performances in the final practice of the spring season.

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May 5, 2010- Slowing Down the Matadors
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - For the 12th consecutive season, the Nittany Lion men's volleyball team will compete in the NCAA semifinals. This season's squad heads to Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, Calif., looking to do what the 1994 and 2008 teams did.

Win a national title.

But the road to the program's third championship will not be easy for the third-seeded Nittany Lions. The EIVA champion Lions will meet second-seeded Cal State Northridge in Thursday's first semifinal. The match will air live on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. (ET). Top-seeded Stanford and Ohio State will clash in the second semifinal match. The winners will meet at 7 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2 Saturday in Stanford.

The Matadors came into the postseason ranked No. 3 in the nation with a 21-8 overall record. Cal State Northridge ousted No. 2 BYU in the MPSF semifinals to earn a date with No. 1 Stanford in the conference finals. The Cardinal handed the Matadors a 3-0 setback. Nonetheless, Cal State Northridge earned the lone at-large bid into the national semifinals.

The Nittany Lions and Matadors met once in 2010. Cal State Northridge defended its home court with a 3-0 sweep of Penn State back on April 10 (30-27, 30-24, 30-25). The Matadors' size across the front line will give the Nittany Lions all they can handle on Thursday night.

Max Lipsitz

The dynamic Cal State Northridge offensive attack is led by Theo Edwards, a 6-7 opposite, who averages 3.37 kills per set. However, the focal point of the front line is 7-foot-2 middle blocker Jacek Ratajczak. Anyone over seven feet tall has the tools to significantly disrupt an opposing team's offensive attack.

While Ratajczak is a significant contributor in Cal State Northridge's offensive attack (3.12 kills per set), his defensive prowess can alter the flow of a match. He has 130 blocks this season. Fellow blocker Kevin McKniff has 131 blocks.

Penn State must find a way to hit around the block. Will Price, Joe Sunder and Max Lipsitz need a big night offensively for the Lions to oust Cal State Northridge. Additionally, setter Edgardo Goas must find a way to give the Lion attackers an opportunity to have clean swings.

For the Lions to advance into the national title match, it is going to take a near flawless performance. Cal State Northridge is a powerful team across the net. Nonetheless, Penn State has the tools to make things interesting. Execution is a must, though.

The road to the national semifinals is an interesting one for both teams. Cal State Northridge is 343 miles from the Stanford campus. One would assume the Matadors bussed up I-5 along the Pacific Coast to Palo Alto for Thursday's match. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions are a mere 2,730 miles from Stanford.

Penn State boarded busses from Rec Hall on Tuesday morning. The Lions drove to Philadelphia to catch a flight to Phoenix. After transferring in Phoenix, Penn State flew to San Jose before bussing to Palo Alto. The trip was scheduled to take somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 hours across three time zones.

The road to the national semifinals will be different in 2011, though. Should the Lions return for the 13th straight season, they will play at home, as Rec Hall is set to host the 2011 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championships.

Before we look too far ahead, let's wish the Lions the best of luck at Stanford on Thursday night. Remember to tune in at 9 p.m. on ESPN2 for Penn State-Cal State Northridge in the national semifinals.

NCAA Volleyball Championships Schedule
Match I: No. 2 Cal State Northridge vs. No. 3 Penn State - May 6, 9 p.m. (ET) ESPN2
Match II: No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 4 Ohio State - May 6, 11 p.m. (ET) ESPNU

National Championship: Match I Winner vs. Match II Winner - May 8, 7 p.m. (ET) ESPN2

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May 3, 2010- Hot Bats Lifting the Nittany Lions up the Big Ten Standings
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After spending the vast majority of the first half of the Big Ten season near the bottom of the conference standings, the Nittany Lion baseball team has been on a tear in its last five conference games.

Behind red-hot bats, the Lions have scored 81 runs during a five-game conference winning streak to vault into contention. Penn State is currently tied for sixth in the standings, but just two games out of the top spot in the Big Ten with three series to play.

The 81-run outpouring in the past five games is remarkable to write when you consider that the Lions scored just 55 runs during the first 10 conference games of the regular season. After taking the final two games at Ohio State, the Lions pounded Michigan State over the weekend en route to a three-game sweep of the Spartans.

Michigan State came into the weekend with a conference-best 28-11 record. In a span of just three days, the Lions relegated the Spartans from first to sixth in the standings. Coach Robbie Wine made an interesting comment about the weekend following Sunday afternoon's 9-1 victory.

He said the team talks about trying to win every inning. The Lions have done a superb job of that in the last five games. Penn State has managed to execute in key situations almost flawlessly during the five-game winning streak. Clutch hits were few and far between in the first three conference series.

Steve Snyder was named Big Ten Player of the Week.

Now, Penn State looks like a team that is seeing the ball as if it was a beach ball. The Nittany Lions manufactured 25, 22 and 13 hits, respectively, in the sweep of Michigan State. The dominance at the plate fueled Penn State to a 49-13 edge in run totals during the series.

Freshman outfielder Steve Snyder put up outstanding numbers from No.2 spot in the lineup. The center fielder went 12-19 at the plate last week. Snyder and leadoff man Elliot Searer have been the offensive catalysts during the Penn State surge.

Coach Wine moved Searer and Snyder to the top of the lineup in the second game of the Ohio State series. As we highlighted earlier, the 81-run onslaught began when the lineup shift was made. Searer is batting .383 on the season, which is tied with Ben Heath for the team lead. Snyder is averaging .354. Both players have on base percentages well over .400.

When the top two players in the lineup are executing like Searer and Snyder are, it opens the door for the heart of the order to put runs on the board. And for the past five games, the Lions have been taking advantage of the opportunities in front of them.

You can't talk about the bats without mentioning Heath, who tied the all-time home run mark for a single season. The junior slugger hit two homers in Sunday's 9-1 victory to give him 17 on the season. Heath's numbers are eye-popping. He is batting .383 with a slugging percentage of .772. Heath has 53 RBIs, an on-base percentage of .457 and 129 total bases. He will be going for the home run record against Iowa this weekend.

On the mound, David Lutz was the ace last week for the Nittany Lions. Just two days after a relief appearance, Lutz tossed a complete game one-run gem in his first start of the season on Sunday afternoon. For the week, Lutz had an ERA of 0.8 in 11 innings of work. He has yielded just two earned runs in his last 23.2 innings of work.

The Lions are getting hot at the right time. With three Big Ten series remaining, Penn State is in contention for a berth in the conference tournament. The top six teams advance into the Big Ten Tournament at the end of the month. Heading into the upcoming weekend, here is a look at the standings:

1. Michigan 9-6 - 27-15

Northwestern 9-6 - 18-25
3. Ohio State 8-7 - 24-15
Purdue 8-7 - 26-17
Minnesota 8-7 - 19-25
6. Michigan State 7-8 - 28-14
Indiana 7-8 - 21-21
Penn State 7-8 - 20-23

9. Illinois 6-9 - 20-20
Iowa 6-9 - 18-24

This week's three-game set against Iowa will be televised live by the Big Ten Network. If you can't make it to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, tune in to the BTN on Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. for all the action.

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April 30, 2010- Big Weekend for Several Nittany Lion Sports Teams
By Tony Mancuso

Gia Motyl's Bio
Email Gia Here

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - This is the time of year things usually slow down on the University Park campus. The academic semester has drawn to a close. Penn State student-athletes will be taking final exams next week.

Nevertheless, several Penn State teams will be in action to make this a very interesting weekend for Nittany Lion sports fans to track. Specifically, Saturday is shaping up to be a big day for Penn State sports.

Headlining the list is the EIVA Championship match for the 12th-ranked Nittany Lion men's volleyball team. Behind a balanced offensive attack, the Nittany Lions ousted Springfield in the EIVA semifinals on Thursday night at Rec Hall. Ryan Wolf and Max Lipsitz led the Lions to a sweep of the Division III national champions to earn a date with Princeton, which knocked off George Mason in Thursday's first semifinal.

The stage is set for a championship clash between the Nittany Lions and Tigers in a steamy Rec Hall on Saturday night at 7 p.m. A trip to the national semifinals is on the line. Penn State is seeking its 12th consecutive EIVA Championship final victory. Get to Rec Hall. You won't want to miss a chance to see if Penn State can punch a ticket to the final four.

Max Lipsitz

Five hours before the first serve at Rec Hall, the Nittany Lion baseball team is hosting Michigan State in its first Wounded Warrior benefit game at Medlar Field. Penn State will wear special camouflage jerseys in honor of the Wounded Warrior Project. Officials are expecting a crowd in excess of 3,000 for the 2:05 first pitch.

In addition to the Wounded Warrior festivities, the Nittany Lions welcome conference-leading Michigan State to Happy Valley. It is a critical Big Ten weekend series for Coach Wine and the Lions. The Spartans bring a Big Ten-best overall record of 28-11. All three of Michigan State's pitchers slated to start this weekend have an ERA under five.

Additionally, Penn State is just two games out of sixth spot in the standings. Keep in mind the top six teams in the regular season standings play in the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus. Inside the team's storylines, Nittany Lion catcher Ben Heath is within three home runs of becoming the season record holder. After blasting three homers at Ohio State last weekend, Heath has 15 for the season. The school record is 17.

Heath is an elite power hitter. It is rare to have a catcher with numbers like Heath's. The junior is batting .369 with a .745 slugging percentage. Heath has 47 RBIs and 14 doubles to go along with his 15 home runs. He has also reached base safely in 37 of the Lions' 39 games this season.

The women's lacrosse team will host Temple in its final home game of 2010. The softball team is at Northwestern for a critical two-game series against the Wildcats. The track team is also in action. It may be the end of the academic semester, but there are plenty of Penn State sporting events to follow this weekend.

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April 28, 2010- My Blue-White Experiencel
By Gia Motyl

Penn State freshman Gia Motyl is new to the GoPSUsports.com staff and to get her feet wet, literally, she spent Saturday's Blue-White game shadowing our own Jess Parness. Here's what she thought of her experience:

I walked into Beaver Stadium on the day of the Blue and White game not knowing what to expect. I was giddy, but also very nervous. I knew I was going to be on the field and could not believe it. The anticipation during the time leading up to Joe Paterno's press conference was killing me. When I finally arrived, I could not fathom that within seconds Joe Paterno was going to be five feet away from me. As he entered the room, the chatter stopped and all I heard was the clicking of cameras. There I was, sitting in a room with Joe Paterno, the head coach of the Nittany Lion football team, the coach that has been with us for 45 seasons, who has aided in breaking records and winning big games. None of that came to my head. Now I'm sitting here writing and thinking about all of this. I could have asked him a question, but I didn't do that. How dumb was I?

Anyway, the football game. This was my first Blue and White game, since I am only a freshman here at PSU, and I was very pleased with the weekend and the festivities. I was hearing all of these things about previous years and nice weather, but I was rather disappointed. It was cold, rainy, and not very nice out which, in turn, caused many people to leave the game early. But it was so cool that I was on the field at Beaver Stadium. I stood on the sideline and watched the game in clear view. Nobody was standing in my line of vision, so I saw true freshman Paul Jones throw a touchdown pass for the Blue team. I was so close I saw the little pieces of grass fly up when someone was tackled. I turned to Jess Parness and said, "This is the coolest thing I have ever done. Definitely the highlight of my year." And what I said was true. Yes, it was only the Blue and White game, but it was my first time feeling the fresh grass underneath my feet instead of the metal bleachers.

After the game, we went back to the media room and got to meet with some of the players. It was a free-for-all. At one point it got really crowded in the front and I went to the back of the room just to relax for a couple of minutes. I was sitting down when all of a sudden Graham Zug was sitting right next to me. I felt like all of these college football players were big celebrities that everyone was dying to talk with. I also thought that all of the players I heard were well spoken, knew exactly what to say, and were extremely calm.

I know this was only my first experience doing this so I am overly excited, but it was a great experience and I cannot wait to continue with it.

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April 28, 2010- Men's Volleyball Prepping for EIVA Championship
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 12th-ranked Nittany Lion men's volleyball team will play host to the EIVA Championships this weekend at Rec Hall.

Two wins stand between Penn State (21-7) and its 22nd EIVA postseason championship. Additionally, a berth to the NCAA semifinals will be on the line Saturday night at 7 p.m. The structure of NCAA men's volleyball is very unique in that three conferences garner an automatic bid into the national semifinals. One at-large berth is handed out, as well.

Just 23 institutions in NCAA Division I athletics offer men's volleyball. A number of Division II and III programs are also lumped into the Division I men's volleyball championship picture. They are broken up into three conferences: Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA), Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). The EIVA, MIVA and MPSF champions all earn automatic slots into the national semifinals. Ohio State is the top seed in the MIVA and Stanford is the top seed in the MPSF.

Will Price

Nonetheless, before we start looking too far down the road, the Lions have an EIVA semifinal match against Springfield (Division III) slated for 8 p.m. on Thursday night in Rec Hall. Penn State is 30-0 against the Pride, which includes a pair of victories this season.

Should the Lions advance on Thursday, they would meet either George Mason or Princeton in the championship match. The Patriots and Tigers will clash in the first semifinal at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Penn State is 85-14 all-time against George Mason. Penn State swept the Patriots in 2010. Additionally, the Lions are 40-2 against Princeton after sweeping the Tigers this season.

Overall, the Nittany Lions have won 18 out of a possible 20 sets against the rest of the field at the EIVA Championships. In addition to the strong mark against the potential opponents, the Lions have been virtually automatic in EIVA postseason play. Under head coach Mark Pavlik, Penn State is 31-0 in EIVA tournament matches at Rec Hall.

The Lions are the EIVA favorites heading into the tournament. Penn State leads the nation with 16.30 kills per set. Senior Will Price led the team with 7.25 kills per set, while redshirt sophomore Edgardo Goas averages 13.25 assists per set and 2.00 blocks per set. Junior libero Dennis Del Valle has a team-best 3.50 digs per set.

Penn State has hosted postseason men's volleyball for 12 consecutive seasons. The Lions have won 11 straight conference title matches in Rec Hall. You won't want to miss this weekend's action as the Lions look to make it 12 straight championships.

Should the Lions advance, the NCAA semifinals will take place on May 6 at Stanford. The national championship bout will take place on May 8, also at Stanford. Tickets are just $8 for adults and $5 for students. Get to Rec Hall to support the Lions in their quest for another postseason conference crown.

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April 27, 2010- Wrapping Up the Blue-White Game
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - As the Nittany Lion football team heads back into the offseason, it's time for the All Sports Blog to offer our take on Saturday's Blue-White Game.

Saturday drilled home the point we have been talking about since the Capital One Bowl in January. The 2010 season is going to feature a vastly different squad from 2009. As Coach Paterno has repeatedly said this spring, the Lions have a lot of work to do between now and August. The quarterback race is just one of numerous places on the depth chart with work to do.

Five different quarterbacks took the field on Saturday - Kevin Newsome, Matt McGloin, Paul Jones, Shane McGregor and Garrett Venuto. The five QBs combined for a 24-of-50 performance with 266 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

McGloin got the most work in the passing game, going 10-of-23 for 110 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Newsome was 5-of-12 for 50 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. Jones was the most productive of the bunch, going 5-of-8 for 67 yards, which included the games only two touchdowns.

Paul Jones

Jones looked good while running the offense. His two touchdown passes to Shawney Kersey were very nice throws. However, Jones did not have a series against the top of the defensive depth chart. Nonetheless, the early enrollee looked very comfortable in his first collegiate experience.

As we move towards the summer, all of the candidates have a lot of room for growth with decision-making, reads and mechanics. Like the quarterbacks, the fresh offensive line has plenty of work to do, as well.

As for the skill spots, the four leading rushers from Saturday's game - Hykeem Brodie, Curtis Dukes, Silas Redd and Derek Day - are all new faces in the lineup. The four top rushers combined for zero career carries. Granted Evan Royster sat out of the spring game and Stephfon Green saw limited action, but the four backs from Saturday all showed a lot of upside. Talent in the backfield is not going to be an issue. The Lions are loaded.

Sophomore Justin Brown and redshirt freshmen Kersey and Brandon Moseby-Felder led the way for the receivers. Go-to receivers Derek Moye and Graham Zug didn't see too much action on Saturday, which opened the door for the young faces. Like the running back corps, the receiving corps has superb depth. The receivers have a few things to iron out over the summer (avoiding drops, running crisp routes), but the group is poised for a good season.

We will touch on more about the defense in a later blog post.

Faces to Remember: Silas Redd and Eric Latimore
Redd could technically still be in high school. The early enrollee is just two months into college, but he looked like anything but a rookie throughout spring practice. He is going to bring elite speed to the Penn State backfield when his day comes. Redd is going to be a fun player to watch.

Latimore has the tools to become a big-time player for the Penn State defense in the fall. He had two tackles, including one sack on Saturday. Latimore has endless potential with great size and speed off the edge.

Game Ball
It would be easy to give the Blue-White game ball to either Paul Jones or Shawney Kersey. Those two combined for the game's only two touchdowns. However, a walk-on who joined the program through try outs this spring is deserving of some recognition. Walk-on defensive end Cody Castor has been in the Penn State program for just a matter of weeks. He earned a roster spot through tryouts. In his first game, Castor made two tackles and hauled in an interception. Not a bad way to start a career.

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April 26, 2010- Two Big Series Victories on the Diamond
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - As the dust settles following Blue-White Weekend in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lion baseball and softball teams can celebrate a pair of strong series victories.

Both teams head into mid-week contests with a great deal of confidence. In Columbus, the baseball team slugged its way to its first ever series victory against Ohio State. Meanwhile, the Lion softball team rode two strong pitching performances to a home sweep over Iowa.

Let's begin with the baseball team. The Lions suffered a narrow 3-1 defeat to Big Ten ace Alex Wimmers on Friday. Wimmers is regarded as one of the top pitchers in America, but Nittany Lion freshman Steven Hill went toe-to-toe with the Buckeye ace. Hill went seven strong, but it was not enough to oust Wimmers and the Buckeyes.

Nonetheless, the Nittany Lion bats came alive on Saturday and Sunday. Penn State exploded for 32 runs over a two-day span to win the series. After an 18-10 triumph on Saturday, the Lions registered a 14-8 victory to close things out on Sunday afternoon.

Lion slugger Ben Heath was the offensive spark plug against the Buckeyes. Heath blasted three home runs over the weekend, including two in Saturday's victory. The junior catcher now has 15 long balls on the season, which is just two shy of Penn State's season record. Heath is now batting .379 on the season with a slugging percentage of .765.

Ben Heath

As a team, the Lions pounded 19 hits in Saturday's victory, which included five from redshirt freshman right fielder Elliot Searer. Penn State scattered 15 hits in Sunday's game. Penn State is now 17-22 on the season and 4-8 in the Big Ten. Six teams advance to the Big Ten Tournament. The Lions are now just two games out of sixth heading into a seven-game homestand.

As for the softball team, Jackie Hill and Lisa Akamine starred in the circle to lift the Lions to a sweep of visiting Iowa. Hill tossed a one-hitter on Saturday afternoon in Penn State's 7-1 victory over the Hawkeyes. Freshman center fielder Cassidy Bell posted a 3-for-4 afternoon at the plate.

Sunday's matinee proved to be much of the same for the Nittany Lions. Akamine allowed just two runs (one earned) on five hits. She fanned seven and walked just one in a 5-2 win for the Lions. Akamine's strong outing handed the sophomore her 15th victory of the season. Freshman Lauren Rossi provided the offensive spark with a three-run homer in the Nittany Lion win.

With the sweep, Penn State is 28-16 on the season and 7-7 in Big Ten play. There is no postseason tournament in Big Ten softball. The Lions are battling for a berth into the NCAA Tournament. With eight games to play (six Big Ten games), the Lions need a strong finish to put themselves in position to earn a slot in the NCAA field.

Looking down the schedule, five or six wins from the Nittany Lions in their final eight games will put them in the mix for a spot in the NCAA field. The softball tournament is comprised of 64 teams split over 16 regional sites. Nonetheless, there is a lot of softball to be played.

It was a solid weekend on the diamond for Penn State teams. Both squads will be home on Tuesday. The softball squad hosts a doubleheader with Syracuse at 3 p.m. The baseball team is slated to meet La Salle at 6:35 p.m.

Stay tuned to the All Sports Blog tomorrow as we take a look back at the Blue-White Game and offer some insight and analysis as the Nittany Lions head into the summer.

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April 23, 2010- Blue-White Preview Part II: Five Things to Watch
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Blue-White Game is the first and only game-like situation for the 2010 Nittany Lions prior to taking on Youngstown State in the season-opener on September 4.

The wait is over. The Nittany Lions will return to Beaver Stadium for the first showing since the Capital One Bowl in January. Expect somewhere in the neighborhood of 70,000 Penn State enthusiasts to fill one of college football's greatest shrines. And for the first time, ESPN 2 will televise the game live on national TV.

The stage is set for an interesting afternoon of football in Beaver Stadium. With the game just one day away, let's take a look at some of the storylines to follow. Whether you are going to watch the culmination of 15 days of spring drills at Beaver Stadium or at home on ESPN 2, here are five things to watch on Saturday.

1. The Quarterbacks
It is impossible to start this list with anything but the quarterback battle. All eyes will be on Matt McGloin and Kevin Newsome. The sophomores have split time this spring with the first time. Do not be surprised if a large chunk of the plays called are passing plays. The coaching staff wants to see what both players can do in a game-like situation. McGloin is a pure pocket passer. Newsome is a dual-threat player. Neither quarterback has significant game experience. McGloin and Newsome have a lot of room for growth, but are very young. Keep an eye on both players' mechanics. Newcomer Paul Jones will see some time under center as well, but the focal point of the Blue-White Game will be McGloin and Newsome.

Kevin Newsome

2. Reshuffled Offensive Line
How well McGloin and Newsome perform on Saturday will largely depend on the execution of a revamped offensive line. We have documented the numerous changes in the trenches. The reshuffled offensive line will have its hands full trying to block Devon Still, Ollie Ogbu, Jack Crawford, Eric Latimore and the rest of the talent on the defensive front. With that in mind, it may be tough to gauge the offensive line's play against the talented defensive line. Nonetheless, protecting the quarterbacks and creating holes in the running game is a must for the new look offensive line.

3. The Kicking Game
Coach Paterno labeled the kicking game as "terrible" on his Big Ten teleconference two weeks ago. Despite Collin Wagner returning as the primary place kicker, the Lions will be breaking in a new punter and long snapper when the 2010 season rolls around. Look for sophomore Russell Nye to be the first team punter on Saturday. As for the second team punter, wide receiver Graham Zug has been getting reps. It could be an interesting afternoon on special teams. The entire special teams unit has a lot of work to do between now and September.

4. Fresh Faces in the Backfield
The Nittany Lions are loaded with talent at the running back spot on the depth chart. Like the defensive line, Penn State is going to have significant depth in the backfield. We know what to expect from Evan Royster and Stephfon Green. Don't expect to see much from either player on Saturday. However, fans will be intrigued to watch a number of new faces in the backfield. The likes of redshirt freshman Curtis Dukes, sophomore Hykeem Brodie and early enrollee Silas Redd will see the bulk of the carries. All three have impressed this spring. Brodie is at Penn State after leaving Old Dominion when it cancelled its football program. Redd is a player with game-changing speed on the perimeter. Keep an eye out for the newcomers in the backfield.

5. Revamped Linebackers
You will not see Navorro Bowman, Josh Hull or Sean Lee on the field, but the Nittany Lions have a talented cast eager to make its mark in the linebacker corps. Chris Colasanti, Bani Gbadyu and Nate Stupar will line up as the starters. All three players may be lacking game experience, but they are veteran players ready to make the next step. Michael Mauti will join that list in the fall when he resumes contact drills after tearing an ACL prior to last season. Keep an eye on the second team linebackers. Mike Yancich, Gerald Hodges and James Van Fleet are all talented sophomores. All three have been impressive throughout the spring.

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April 23, 2010- Odrick Headed to Miami
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Former Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Jared Odrick became the 36th Penn State player to be picked in the first round of the NFL Draft when the Miami Dolphins called his name with the 28th overall pick on Thursday night.

The 6-5, 304-pound defensive lineman will join fellow Nittany Lion alum Cameron Wake in Miami. Odrick was widely speculated as a first round pick throughout the months leading up the NFL Draft. The smile on his face when the Dolphins made the selection told the tale in Radio City Music Hall on Thursday night.

Jared Odrick

Odrick, who was in New York for the selection, is eager to get to work for the Dolphins leading up to training camp in July. To me, it speaks volumes about the type of player Odrick is when a front office man like Bill Parcells pulls the trigger.

It will come as a surprise if Odrick is not a solid pro. He has the tools to become a very good player for the Dolphins. A number of different teams in the bottom half of the first round were very impressed with Odrick, but Miami will be a very good fit for the former Nittany Lion. Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland indicated that he expects Odrick to play both inside and outside on the defensive line.

Look for Odrick to play end in Miami's 3-4 defensive scheme, but his versatility will put him in the interior in certain situations. Granted that is just our speculation, but the consensus is that Odrick will not be just a situational defensive lineman for the Dolphins. He is a three down guy.

What sold Odrick to the Dolphins is the versatility and willingness to play anywhere on the defensive line. The former Nittany Lion has said multiple times that he is capable of adding or losing weight to line up at a particular place on the defensive line.

To me, this is a win-win situation for Odrick. The Dolphins need some depth up front on defense. And Odrick is willing to be versatile. Things are lined up for the Lebanon, Pa., native to give the Dolphins an immediate impact when the 2010 season rolls around.

Congratulations to Odrick on being a first round pick. We wish him the best of luck in Miami.

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April 21, 2010- Blue-White Game Preview Part I: More Than Just a Scrimmage
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Casual college football fans do not understand why spring football games garner so much attention. They think it is simply an intra-squad scrimmage open to the public without a whole lot at stake.

But you are not casual football fans. You turn to the GoPSUsports.com All Sports Blog to increase your knowledge base on the Nittany Lions. While most fans are going to treat this weekend like a day to take in the football atmosphere on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Happy Valley, we will be there to examine battles for starting spots and players fighting for playing time in the rotation next fall.

While it is just a casual scrimmage, there is still plenty at stake for the Nittany Lions and the coaching staff. We will look to quench your thirst as Penn State fans to take you inside the bigger story of the Blue-White Game and discuss what this final day of spring drills means for the 2010 season.

Derek Moye

All eyes will be on the sophomore quarterback duo of Matt McGloin and Kevin Newsome. Neither player has any significant game experience, but one of the two will likely be the starting quarterback when the Lions take the field on September 4 against Youngstown State.

Both players have spent the spring practice period getting acclimated to taking the bulk of the snaps under center. It will continue to be a learning experience for McGloin and Newsome, but Saturday's Blue-White Game will be the closest thing to a game-like setting before the fall. Expect to see a lot of reps for both players on Saturday afternoon.

Up front, the Nittany Lions are breaking in a number of fresh faces, as well. The offensive line will be critical in Penn State's success in the fall. We already talked about the shuffling up front with Stefen Wisniewski back to guard, Doug Klopacz at center, DeOn'tae Pannell will play guard and Quinn Barham and Lou Eliades will play tackle.

Nonetheless, the positions are still wide open. The Lions are seeking five cohesive players up front. Based on what we saw at the scrimmage, the unit has plenty of room to grow. It is only April, but the offensive line must play well for the Lions to succeed in the fall.

The two veteran groups of the offense are the running backs and receivers. Both spots are loaded with talent. Evan Royster and Stephfon Green will anchor the backfield. Royster will see very little, if any action on Saturday. He has little to prove. Green will play a limited role on Saturday, as well, which will leave the door open for redshirt freshman Curtis Dukes, true freshman Silas Redd and sophomores Hykeem Brodie and Derek Day to see plenty of carries.

Nate Stupar

Derek Moye, Graham Zug and Brett Brackett bring a wealth of experience back to the starting lineup at receiver. Behind the three veterans, look for sophomore Curtis Drake, and redshirt freshmen Shawney Kersey and Brandon Moseby-Felder to see plenty of action. We know what to expect from a talented receiver corps. Keep an eye on tight ends Andrew Szczerba, Jonathan Stewart and Garry Gilliam. Those two are vying for the starting spot.

On the defensive side of the ball, a stout defensive line could steal the show on Saturday afternoon. With the talent and depth in place, Larry Johnson's unit has the pieces to become one of the best defensive lines in the Big Ten this fall. Jack Crawford and Eric Latimore bring great speed of the edge. Ollie Ogbu is a veteran in the middle. And junior Devin Still has been virtually un-blockable this spring. And the talent doesn't drop off much on the second team.

The linebacker corps will be replacing the likes of Navorro Bowman, Josh Hull and Sean Lee. The starting rotation for Saturday will be Chris Colasanti, Bani Gbadyu and Nate Stupar. Michael Mauti, who is being held out of contact drills this spring, will be in the mix when fall camp begins, as well. Keep an eye on this group of players.

The secondary returns three starters from 2009, including cornerback D'Anton Lynn and safeties Nick Sukay and Drew Astorino. Astorino will sit out on Saturday. Look for Andrew Dailey in Astorino's spot with the first team. The second cornerback slot will be vacated by sophomore Stephon Morris. Look for Chaz Powell, who is making the transition to corner, with the second team.

It may just be the culmination of spring drills, but a lot of players are battling for playing time they have worked their entire life for. The atmosphere will be low-key around the stadium, but there will be no shortage of intensity on the field of play.

Stay tuned for more.

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April 20, 2010- Two Big Wins for Lacrosse Teams
By Tony Mancuso

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Before we shift gears into Blue-White weekend, we cannot overlook two marquee wins for the Penn State lacrosse teams.

A crisp Saturday night at Jeffrey Field provided the setting for an overtime thriller for the Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team. Playing in their first season in the CAA, the Nittany Lions welcomed 11th-ranked Hofstra to Happy Valley for the first meeting in 20 years.

Boosted by an game-winning goal from freshman Nick Dolik, the Nittany Lions walked away with a thrilling 11-10 overtime victory on Saturday night. Trailing 7-4 at halftime, Penn State clawed back into contention with a big third quarter. The Lions outscored the Pride by a 4-1 margin in the third to tie the game at 8-8 heading into the fourth quarter.

Each team scored two goals in the fourth before Dolik's game-winner in overtime handed the Lions an upset victory. Give the Nittany Lions a lot of credit for a gutsy performance against a talented Hofstra squad.

Nick Dolik

Penn State needed a statement victory to boost the confidence level after a hard-luck start to the 2010 season. The Lions were just 1-9 overall and 0-2 in CAA games heading into Saturday, but the record was not indicative of how well they have played. Penn State has five losses by three goals or less.

Needless to say, Saturday night's win will go a long way with the team's confidence as it heads into the final two games of the regular season. The top four teams from the CAA advance to the conference tournament. The Lions now face a must-win on Saturday at Towson.

Like the men's squad, the Nittany Lion women's lacrosse team tallied a superb victory to its resume heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. The Lions used a dominant second half to knock off 19th-ranked Ohio State in Columbus. The Lions have now beaten the Buckeyes on four straight occasions (two regular season, two postseason).

Down 9-7 at the break, the Lions exploded for 11 goals in the second half en route to an 18-12 victory over the rival Buckeyes. Penn State's defense was equally impressive as its offense in the second half of Sunday afternoon's road victory, which aired on the Big Ten Network.

With the win, the Lions moved up in the national poll this week to No. 17. Penn State has one conference game remaining on the schedule. John's Hopkins will come to town on Sunday afternoon. The Lions are vying for the third seed in the upcoming ALC Tournament.

And with a win over John's Hopkins, Penn State would likely be the No. 3 seed, making Sunday's game a must-win. The ALC Tournament begins on May 6.

Nonetheless, before we begin to talk about the postseason, let's congratulate the two lacrosse teams on a pair of superb ranked victories over the weekend.

Remaining Schedules
Men's Lacrosse:
April 24 - at Towson, Noon

April 30 - vs. Delaware, 7:30 p.m.
May 5-8 - CAA Tournament

Women's Lacrosse:
April 25 - vs. John's Hopkins, 1 p.m.
May 1 - vs. Temple, 3 p.m.
May 6-8 - ALC Tournament, Columbus, Ohio

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April 19, 2010- Youth and Experience Headed to the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships
By Tony Mancuso

When Brandi Personett marches into the 2010 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships next Thursday at Florida, she will be doing it for the final time in her storied career.

The standout Nittany Lion gymnast will be competing on the grandest stage in women's collegiate gymnastics for the fourth time in as many years. Needless to say, Personett is no stranger to competing alongside the nation's elite student-athletes.

Brandi Personett

For fellow teammate Sharaya Musser, next Thursday will be a different story. It will be a learning experience for the Nittany Lion rookie in Gator country, who will be competing at the national championships for the first time.

Personett and Musser took first and second, respectively, in the all-around competition at the NCAA Regionals in Rec Hall over the weekend. By virtue of a top two finish, the Nittany Lion duo punched a ticket into the national championships.

It came as no real surprise that Personett earned a top-two finish at the University Park regional competition over the weekend. The four-time first team All-Big Ten honoree scored a 39.550, which was the top regional score among the 12 individual qualifiers. She is ranked No. 5 nationally in all-around competition.

Musser turned in the eighth best score among regional qualifiers with a 39.200 score in the all-around at regionals. Musser's performance on Saturday night was .100 points clear of LSU standout gymnast Susan Jackson in the race for the final transfer spot in the all-around.

It is a superb accomplishment for a freshman to earn a spot in the national championship field. Personett has a realistic chance of a podium finish at the national championships. Personett and Musser will now spend the two weeks training for a run at the national championships.

As for the schedule at Florida, the Lions will be grouped with a team competing at the national championships. Musser will rotate with Utah in the first session, which begins at 1 p.m. in Gainesville next Thursday. Personett will be with the host Florida Gators in the second session, which begins at 7 p.m.

As for history at the national championships, just three times in program history has a Lion gymnast won a national championship in the all-around. Karen Shuckman won the all-around in 1974. Ann Carr was a two-time national champion in the all-around (1977 and '78).

Personett and Musser will be looking to add their names to the distinguished list of Penn State gymnasts. The top four individuals from each session in each event (plus ties) from the preliminary team and all-around competition will compete in the individual event competition on Saturday, April 24 at 6 p.m. in Gainesville. Good luck to Musser and Personett.

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April 16, 2010-Coming This Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

We're one week away from the Blue-White game, and things are really busy here with spring sports action. Softball, men's tennis and men's lacrosse are all home this weekend. So grab a coat and come check out some action!

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April 15, 2010- News and Notes from Saturday's Football Scrimmage in Beaver Stadium
By Tony Mancuso

The Nittany Lion football team reached the mid-way point of spring practice on the finely manicured sod of Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Sunny skies greeted the Nittany Lions and several hundred football coaches, who were in town for Penn State's annual Coaches Clinic. Penn State completed its eighth practice of the spring on Saturday, which included a scrimmage.

Along with the coaches, we took in the action from the press box on Saturday afternoon. The new-look Penn State offense is still a work in progress behind a new man under center and a reshuffled offensive line. All eyes were on quarterbacks Kevin Newsome and Matt McGloin as the team kicked off the scrimmage.

Matt McGloin

Newsome and McGloin were the only two players to spend time under center with the first team. Newsome started the scrimmage, but was shaky in the first few possessions. Most of his early throws sailed wide of his intended targets. He made two very nice plays with his legs, including a 25-yard scamper.

After a slow start, Newsome led a 65-yard touchdown drive, which was capped on an option play. Newsome connected with early-enrollee Silas Redd on a 2-yard option pitch touchdown. Redd looked impressive throughout the scrimmage with hard-nosed, shifty running.

McGloin had a few shaky moments when the pass rush got into his face, but did connect with receiver Graham Zug for a pair of deep completions, including one of 40 yards where Zug dove parallel to the ground to make the catch. He also found redshirt freshman receiver Shawney Kersey on a 45-yard pass in his first series. With time in the pocket, McGloin made a number of solid throws.

Freshman Paul Jones ran with the third team offense, but was limited to just a couple throws in his possessions. Quarterback Shane McGregor was the fourth signal-caller in the scrimmage. He found receiver A.J. Price for a 45-yard completion.

What may have been more interesting than the quarterbacks during the scrimmage were the changes on the offensive line. In all fairness to the quarterbacks, they spent most of the day avoiding a significant pass rush from a relentless defensive front. (There is no shortage of elite talent and depth on the defensive line.)

As for the offensive line, there were plenty of unexpected adjustments. Lou Eliades, who played guard all of last season, spent Saturday at right tackle. After playing center for two seasons, Stefen Wisniewski was at right guard on Saturday. Fifth-year senior Doug Klopacz was the center. DeOn'tae Pannell (LG) and Quinn Barham (LT) filled out the first teamers.

Did you get all of those adjustments?

Former linebacker Michael Zordich scored a pair of touchdowns from the fullback position during the scrimmage. Running back Curtis Dukes also scored on a powerful run. Collin Wagner booted a 34-yard field goal.

Nonetheless, the scrimmage signaled that it is very early. Spring practice is a time to experiment with new players. The Lion offense is young, and it will continue to grow.

Saturday's depth chart is listed below. The biggest name absent is Evan Royster. The Virginia native saw limited action in 7-on-7 drills, but sat out during the scrimmage. Royster has little to prove this spring. His role will be limited until preseason camp.

Kevin Newsome

Depth Chart
Offense: (First team, second team)
QB: Kevin Newsome, Matt McGloin
RB: Stephfon Green, Curtis Dukes

FB: Joe Suhey, Michael Zordich
WR: Derek Moye, Brandon Mosby-Felder
WR: Graham Zug, Curtis Drake
WR: Brett Brackett, Shawney Kersey

TE: Andrew Szczerba, Garry Gilliam
LT: Quinn Barham, Mike Farrell
LG: DeOn'tae Pannell, Johnnie Troutman
C: Doug Klopacz, Matt Stankiewitch

RG: Stefen Wisniewski, John Urschel
RT: Lou Eliades, Chima Okoli

Defense: (First team, second team)
DE: Jack Crawford, Kevion Latham

DT: Devon Still, Jordan Hill
DT: Ollie Ogbu, James Terry
DE: Eric Latimore, Sean Stanley
LB: Nate Stupar, James Van Fleet

LB: Chris Colasanti, Michael Yancich
LB: Bani Gbadyu, Gerald Hodges
CB: D'Anton Lynn, Derrick Thomas
CB: Stephon Morris, Chaz Powell

S: Andrew Dailey, Jacob Fagnano
S: Nick Sukay, Stephen Obeng-Agyapong

Note: Linebacker Michael Mauti, safety Drew Astorino and receiver Devon Smith did not participate in Saturday's scrimmage. Mauti, who is recovering from a torn ACL, participated in drills, but will not partake in anything involving contact this spring. He should be 100 percent by the time fall camp rolls around. Astorino had offseason shoulder surgery. Like Mauti, Astorino participated in drills, but will not take part in anything involving contact. Devon Smith tweaked an ankle last week. Defensive end Pete Massaro and early-enrollee linebacker Dakota Royer were also banged up.

We will have much more leading up to the Blue-White game, which is now less than two weeks away.

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April 12, 2010-This Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

It was another busy weekend and so much more on the horizon- we tell you all about it as always in this week's edition of This Week in Penn State Sports. NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regional action highlighted a weekend of action that included Nittany Lions heating up the track as well as a victorious men's golfer in the land of the Buckeyes. Hope you enjoy this week's edition- and dust off your tailgate stuff! The Blue-White Game is less than two weeks away- see you there!

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April 9, 2010- The New Face of Linebacker U
By Jon Schneider

As we all know, the linebacker unit is going to look a bit different this year. All three starters are gone to the NFL draft, and three current Penn Staters will be taking their places on the starting defensive front seven. Although only three will start, expect a multitude of players to rotate in and out as the season rolls along.

There are only two true seniors in Linebacker U's core of backers, both of whom could expect their contributions and workload to increase mightily. Both Bani Gbadyu and Chris Colasanti are entering their last official seasons as Penn State backers, and both are primed for big seasons.

Besides the seniors, Penn State fans could look towards a great group of young, talented guys, headed by sophomores Michael Mauti and Michael Yancich. Here's a look at the group of guys gearing up for 2010:

Bani Gbadyu

No. 15 Bani Gbadyu (Sr./Sr.) 6-1, 231:

Perhaps the most seasoned and experienced among the Penn state backers this year, Bani Gbadyu steps in this year as one of two seniors along with Chris Colasanti.

Gbadyu played in every game last season, earning starting nods in five of those contests. He recorded 37 total tackles and one forced fumble. Most of his experience thus far comes at the OLB position as coach Paterno and the rest of young linebacking core will certainly look his way for any kind of senior leadership he could provide.

No. 48 Chris Colasanti (Sr./Sr.) 6-2, 238: Along with Gbadyu, Colasanti comes into this season as a "man among boys" so to speak. The senior, who is in his fourth and final year of eligibility, has been playing since his freshman year, mostly getting most of his reps on special teams and also on defense.

In '09, Colasanti increased his workload, playing in 11 games, recording 18 tackles and a sack vs. Eastern Illinois. Coming into spring workouts, coach Paterno mentioned Colasanti's name, along with Stupar and Yancich as guys he thinks can make strong contributions at linebacker this season.

No. 34 Nate Stupar (Sr./Jr.) 6-1, 236: Although he's technically a senior, LB Nate Stupar still has junior eligibility because of his redshirt season freshman year.

Nate Stupar

In '08, Stupar took his redshirt off and started getting to work on game days. He was a crucial component of the special teams corps, blocking two punts, and diverting another.

Come 2009, Stupar saw his first real action as a starting LB. Stupar played in all 13 games on the defensive side of the ball, starting in games against Syracuse and Temple. In culmination, Stupar finished the season with 31 total tackles, one sack, one interception, and what seems like an inside track on getting one of the vacant starting spots here at Linebacker U.

No. 42 Michael Mauti (Jr./So.) 6-2, 231: In the 2008 season, linebacker Michael Mauti was only one of three freshmen to play in every game. He had 26 tackles, one behind the line of scrimmage, and one fumble hit. Mauti was a true force for Paterno's Nittany Lions and was expected to contend for legitimate playing time in '09.

Fast forward to '09. Just weeks before the season opener, Mauti tore his ACL and sat out the whole season. He's still being held out of workouts, but has done some light running drills to rehab the leg. It's expected that he will be ready for the 2010 season this fall and could have a large role within the linebacker corps.

No. 33 Michael Yancich (Jr./So.) 6-2, 223: Yancich, who's entering his sophomore year of eligibility, played in nine games last season as he got his feet wet and ready to contribute for 2010. Although it's early in spring practices, coach Paterno didn't shy away from mentioning the young Pittsburgh native's name when asked about the linebacker position.

"He should be ready to be a good football player," Coach Paterno said in his spring press conference last week.

Yancich is part of a large group of young talented linebackers all vying to fill the holes left by future NFL pros Navorro Bowman, Sean Lee, and Josh Hull.

No. 6: Gerald Hodges (So./So.) 6-2, 220: Sophomore Gerald Hodges is another guy who's looking to increase his PT in the 2010 season. In '09, Hodges mostly played on special teams, seeing action in 11 of 13 games and recording three total tackles.

We all have a while to wait before the 2010 season officially gets underway, but don't worry we don't have to wait too long to see these guys in action. The Blue-White game is less than two weeks away, and I am as excited as ever to see what the new face of Linebacker U is going to look like.

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April 8, 2010-This Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

Don't miss the highlight of the home schedule this weekend when Penn State hosts NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regionals at Rec Hall on Saturday, April 10, at 7 p.m. Come cheer on Brandi Personett and the No. 3 seed Nittany Lions as they fight to earn a place as a team at the 2010 NCAA National Collegiate Championships! Also at home this weekend is the baseball squad, who hosts Northwestern, and the men's tennis team. Come out and support your Nittany Lions! Check out this week's edition of "Coming This Week in Penn State Sports" to make sure that you don't miss a moment of home or away action!

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April 5, 2010-This Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

Welcome to this week's edition of This Week in Penn State Sports! So much happened over the weekend from Big Ten competition to a plethora of spring sports! Check it all out here and leave a comment below!

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April 4, 2010-GoPSUTV Special Feature- Meet Jon Schneider
With Jess Parness

Check out this special feature as I chat with senior blogger Jon Schneider about the GoPSUsports.com All-Sports Blog and find out a little bot about his professional experiences to date as well. Hope you enjoy this special look at our blog staff!

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April 1, 2010-Coming This Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

In addition to our weekly look forward, we also took a trip to Penn State football spring practice this week. Only two teams are in Happy Valley this weekend, with women's tennis hosting Iowa Friday and Minnesota on Sunday. Men's lacrosse hosts UMASS Saturday to round out the Nittany Lion home schedule for the weekend. As always, GoPSUsports.com can keep you up with our traveling teams this weekend for live stats, live audio and complete recaps. Enjoy the football preview this week and if you're in town, head to tennis or lacrosse- the weather is going to be beautiful!

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March 31, 2010- Directors Cup: Penn State Making its Run
By Jon Schneider

Off the top of your head, if you had to guess, what collegiate program would you rank as the best all around collegiate athletics program in the country? If your initial guess was Penn State, it wouldn't have been a bad one.

Since the 1993-1994 collegiate athletics season, the Learfield Sports Directors Cup has been a way for people to know, and not guess, as to which college had the most successful all-around collegiate athletics program.

In its first year, the University of North Carolina won the accolade, which is awarded after the College World Series during the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Convention at the Directors Cup Luncheon, and took home what's called the Waterford Crystal.

Anyway, back to who is the best. The Cardinal of Stanford University have taken home the award the past 15 straight years, leaving the Tar Heels as the lone other recipient.

In regards to this year, Penn State may have its chance to end the Cardinals run at the top. Make no mistake, the Nittany Lions have always been among the more premier all-around Universities registering Top 25 finishes every year including eight Top 10 finishes throughout the Cup's 16-year lifetime.

At this point, however, the closest Happy Valley has ever come to being home to the trophy was in the 1998-99 season when they finished third in the standings.

Heading into the winter sports season, the Nittany Lions were in fourth, however a national title from fencing as well as strong performances from wrestling, both indoor track & field teams, and points from women's swimming & diving have propelled Penn State into a virtual tie with perennial powerhouse Stanford for first place, with the Nittany Lions only trailing by 0.05 points.

Here's a look at how each team contributed to Penn State's climb:

Men's and Women's Fencing: 100 points (Recorded for winning the National Collegiate Championship)

Wrestling: 69 points (Finished ninth at the NCAA championships)

Men's Indoor Track & Field: 60 points (Finished 14th at the NCAA championships)

Women's Indoor Track & Field: 63 points (Finished 13th at the NCAA championships)

Women's Swimming & Diving: 11 points (freshman Amy Modglin earned honorable mention All-America honors)

After fencing, to which Stanford finished ninth and earned 63 points, the unofficial total sees Stanford with 622 and Penn State at 621.50 Director's Cup points.

Men's and women's gymnastics should result in additional points for Penn State. NCAA National Collegiate competition for the ladies is set to start with Regionals April 10 here at Penn State. On the men's side, the Big Ten Championships will be taking place on April 2-3, with the National Collegiate Championships on April 15-17.

Besides the gymnastics teams, there are several other Penn State programs that could make a contribution in the standings before everything's said and done.

So while the final count is still months away, Penn State's current position has it primed for another quality finish.

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March 30, 2010- This Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

Congratulations to the men's and women's fencing team, whose National Collegiate Championship was a huge highlight of this past week's action! Not to be overlooked herself was three-time Big Ten all-around champion Brandi Personett, who was also named conference Gymnast of the Year. Personett helped the Nittany Lions to a second place finish. The week's recap was just beginning, however, as baseball and softball were both home for their first weekend series of the year. Both lacrosse teams also enjoyed playing on their home turf this past weekend and men's volleyball honored three seniors on Friday night. In case you missed anything, check out all of the action below in our latest edition of "This Week in Penn State Sports."

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March 26, 2010- FedExField to Go Down as Nittany Lions' Next Neutral Site Game
By Jon Schneider

Would you consider playing Temple at the old Vet, Rutgers at (the now old) Giants Stadium, or Pittsburgh at the old Three Rivers Stadium playing on neutral territory?

If your answer is yes, then Penn State's has played 28 neutral site regular season games since Joe Paterno took the helm in 1966.

If your answer is no (like me), then Penn State has really only played six true neutral site games, with the first one in 1979 against Syracuse at Giants Stadium.

This year, on November 20, the Nittany Lions will play their seventh true neutral territory game when they travel to FedExField in Washington D.C. to play Indiana. Despite being closer in location to Happy Valley then Bloomington, Ind., the game is a home game for the Hoosiers.

Previously, all eight of the neutral site games were played at Giants Stadium. In these six true neutral site games, the Nittany Lions currently hold a record of 3-3, with the three wins coming against Syracuse (1979), No. 8 Georgia Tech (1991), and Temple (1996).

The three losses were all against good programs, which include No. 1 Nebraska (1983), No. 2 Texas (1984), and No. 15 USC (2000).

Of course, Penn State is no stranger to playing in large venues, so the size of FedExField surely won't change the team's approach much. The D.C. area turf is currently the largest professional sports stadium in the United States with seating for 91,704.

Having the game at FedExField gives PSU alum around the D.C., Maryland and Virginia areas a great chance to see their team. I've personally never been to FedExField, however, I've only heard good things about its facilities. The only negative comments were derived from D.C. natives complaining about getting there.

"The traffic is awful," D.C. resident and current Penn State sophomore Kevin Logan told me. "But once your there, it's worth the drive." Logan also didn't neglect to tell me the concessions are much better than you'd expect, which in my book is always a plus.

Personally, I take that traffic comment with a grain of salt, for driving to any NFL stadium is pretty much always a hassle. Regardless, on November 20, the Nittany Lions will try to redeem their last neutral-site game with a win...and what better place to do it than in the nation's capitol.

Note: The public ticket sale for FedExField will begin on Monday, March 29, 2010.

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March 25, 2010- Coming This Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

We just posted our latest installment of Coming this Week In Penn State Sports and it's that special time of year where winter sports are wrapping up and spring sports are heating up. Head coach Emmanuil G. Kaidanov and our defending champion fencers are at nationals this weekend as is Brian Alden of the men's swimming and diving team. After traveling for most of the spring, both baseball and softball are home for their first weekend series of the year. Additionally, it's Senior Night as men's volleyball hosts Princeton Friday night. If you haven't yet, be sure to check out their Online Experience Covering All Angles. Lots of great team blogs, audio podcasts and videos. See you next week!

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March 25, 2010- Fencing: It Runs in the Family
By Jon Schneider

This weekend, the Penn State fencing team will look to become back-to-back NCAA champions as they compete in the National Collegiate championships at Harvard University.

Heading into the event, Penn State qualified the maximum of 12 competitors (6 men, 6 women) to vie for NCAA gold. Both the men's and women's teams are flooded with NCAA All-Americans, former NCAA champions and Mid Atlantic/South Regional title winners. It almost seems too bland to talk about how much success they've enjoyed as a team, so how about the success one particular family on the team has had.

David Willette

Meet Doris and David Willette of Lafayette, California. Older sis' Doris is returning to the NCAA tournament for her third time in three attempts and is looking to become a three-time individual champion in women's foil.

Doris is a redshirt junior who took the 2008 season off. No... not because she was sick of fencing, but because she participated in the 2008 Beijjing Olympics. Previous to that, as a freshman, Doris posted a perfect 33-0 record on her way to her first national championship.

Now meet David: This year, David came to Penn State as a freshman. In his first full season, he did not disappoint, going 23-8 and winning the men's foil title at the Mid Atlantic/South Regional tournament.

Although it didn't quite beat his sister's 33-0, David surely didn't tarnish the Willette name. In fact, he's even following in his sister's footsteps in terms of national notoriety earning a spot on the U.S. junior Olympic team in February.

Doris Willette

This brother/sister combination looks the part of perhaps being one of the best brother/sister athlete combinations in the history of sport. I scoured the Internet for what I could find, and here's a look at some other quite successful brother/sister athletes.

1. Marat Safin and Dinara Safina: The two tennis players are the first ever brother and sister to both - at one point in their careers - hold a No. 1 overall ranking in professional tennis. Pretty impressive.

2. Reggie and Cheryl Miller: These days, you can hear the two swapping comments on TNT during NBA games. Cheryl is already a part of her respective Hall of Fame, and pretty soon, the HOF will come knocking on Reggie's door, too.

3. Carl and Carol Lewis: Carl, whom we've all heard of for more reasons than one, was a multiple-time gold medal winner. His sister Carol was a bronze medal winner in the long jump in 1993.

Doris has already broken into the Olympics, and most likely will be participating for years to come. Perhaps, in about two years, we could see younger brother David represent the US as well.

Their parents must be so proud.

Oh... and by the way... Penn State fencing is awesome (in case you didn't already know).

Make sure you follow up on your Penn State Nittany Lions as they go into the ivies of Harvard University this weekend to try and become back-to-back champs.

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March 23, 2010- This Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

Hello again, everyone! As always, there's a lot to talk about this week and we've captured it in one place again just for you, right here in the All-Sports Blog with "This Week in Penn State Sports." For starters, Penn State added several more All-Americans to its storied history when our wrestlers finished ninth as a team, highlighted by a runner-up finish from Dan Vallimont, and freshman swimmer Amy Modglin earned honorable mention All-American honors with her finish at NCAAs. Both gymnastics teams rounded out their home schedules and baseball had one more away weekend before they join the softball team in home action this week. Make sure you don't miss anything and watch our weekly recap show now. Oh- and check out my new duds in upcoming episodes, courtesy of our friends at the Penn State Bookstore! We Are!

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March 22, 2010- New Softball Stadium Now a Reality

After years of work and planning, Nittany Lion softball head coach Robin Petrini will finally see her team move into a sparkling new facility for the 2011 season.

The Penn State Board of Trustees officially approved the construction of a new softball stadium on the University Park campus, Friday afternoon. The project will begin in the next two weeks, and is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2011 season.

Beard Field

"We are tremendously excited of the Board of Trustees' approval," coach Petrini said. "We have been waiting for this day for a long time. Everyone is looking forward to being a part of this project and the student-athletes can't wait to play in one of the best facilities in the nation."

The new stadium will give the Lion softball program a major boost heading into the future. Coach Petrini's program is a deserving recipient of a much-needed new facility.

"I'm very excited," Coach Petrini said earlier this spring. "I haven't shown any of the blueprints to the younger kids. I've shown them to a couple of the seniors because it's not a facility that they are going to play in. It's been a two-year process of this is in, this is out, this is a go or not. It's been such an up and down rollercoaster that I didn't want to put them through it before I knew exactly what it was that we are going to build. What is going forward, I have."

Penn State received a $500,000 donation from William and Lee Beard as the lead gift for the new softball facility in the fall. The $10.2 million stadium will be known as Beard Field. Plans call for the new facility to be built in the same location as Nittany Lion Field, the team's present home.

The new stadium will have 1,084 permanent seats, as well as clubhouses, coaches' offices, locker rooms, a training room, media center and outdoor and indoor training areas. The new softball facility will be a major boost for the program. Additionally, the new home of the Nittany Lions would allow Penn State to host NCAA and high school competition.

"It's very exciting," Coach Petrini said earlier this spring. "I've been in on all the meetings. We've even met with the woman who does that furniture. She's coming back next week to nailed down everything we picked out to make sure all the colors, carpets, furniture is what we want. It's been really exciting. It's going to be a nice place."

With that, the softball team will be counting down the days to opening day at Beard Field. Penn State heads into its home opener on Wednesday night against Saint Francis with 17-7 after its spring break trip to Florida.

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March 20, 2010- Football Friday with Daryll Clark - Part II

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March 19, 2010- Football Friday with Daryll Clark - Part I

Former Nittany Lion great Daryll Clark was back in Happy Valley this week, and we had a chance to catch up with the two-time All-Big Ten first team quarterback as he prepares for a career in the NFL.

As was the case throughout his Penn State career, Clark buttoned up his chinstrap and did his talking on the field during the 2009 season. After leading the Nittany Lions to the Rose Bowl with a Big Ten title in 2008, the Youngstown native put together a record-setting senior year. Despite replacing three of the program's all-time great receivers and three senior starters on the offensive line, Clark set single season Penn State records for most touchdown passes and yardage.

There was a time when Clark wasn't sure if he was going to play college football when he spent a season at Kiski Prep school, and the hard-working Ohio native left as a two-time first team All-Big Ten player. He finished 22-4 as a starter for Penn State. And Clark will leave as the all-time leader in career touchdown passes.

In addition to his accolades on the field, Clark is even better off the field. He is always a pleasure to talk to, and we wish him nothing but the best in the future. You won't find a bigger competitor than Clark. He will find a place in the NFL. Enjoy our conversation with one of the greatest quarterbacks in Penn State's storied history.

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March 18, 2010- Wrestling Team to Kick Off NCAA Championships

Six Penn State wrestlers will begin their quest at the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Omaha, Neb., later today.

Headlining the list of Cael Sanderson's grapplers is his brother Cyler Sanderson, who recently claimed the Big Ten title at 157 pounds. The three-day event will crown the team and individual NCAA champions inside the Qwest Center.

Cyler Sanderson

Four of Penn State's six participants garnered a seed in their respective weight classes. Sanderson heads into the tournament as the No. 4 seed at 157 pounds. The 2010 Big Ten champion will open the NCAA Championships against Northern Illinois' Bryan Deutsch. The winner of that bout will face either Tyson Reiner of Northern Iowa or Dan Gonsor of Virginia in round two. Sanderson is 28-4 on the season.

Nittany Lion sophomore Frank Molinaro is close behind with a No. 5 seed at 149 pounds. Heading into the tournament with a 29-5 record, Molinaro will meet Binghamton's Donald Vinson in the opening round. The winner will meet either Pitt's Eric Albright or Minnesota's No. 12 seed Mario Mason in the next round.

Senior Dan Vallimont enters the tournament as the No. 6 seed at 165 pounds. The 2008 All-American faces off with Oklahoma's Erich Schmidtke of in the opening round. Erwin ousted Schmidtke by a score 9-3 back in January. The winner of the Erwin's opening round bout will face off with either Zack Giesen of Stanford or No. 6 seed Max Askren of Missouri.

Unseeded Brad Pataky heads into the NCAA Championships with a 26-8 record on the season. Pataky is slated to face No. 9 seed Jarrod Patterson of Oklahoma in the first round. Pataky beat Patterson 8-6 earlier this season The winner of that match-up takes on the winner of the James Knox (Maryland) and No. 8 seed Matt Steintrager (Central Michigan) bout.

Frank Molinaro

The sixth Nittany Lion participating this weekend is heavyweight Cameron Wade. Wade will open the championships with third-seeded Zach Rey of Lehigh in the opening round. Wade lost to Rey (5-2) back in November in Penn State's season-opening dual. The winner of the Wade/Rey match will face either Kurt Klimek of Cal State-Fullerton or David Wade of Eastern Michigan.

After a fifth place effort at the Big Ten Championships, the Nittany Lions head into the NCAA Championships looking to make a run towards placing handful of wrestlers in their respective weight classes.

Cyler Sanderson is the wrestler to keep an eye on. After winning the Big Ten title, Sanderson is confident heading into nationals. With his draw, the stage is set for Sanderson to make a run in the tournament. However, he has come up on the short end of bouts against each of the top three seeds in his career.

Molinaro is another Nittany Lion to watch. He is positioned to make some noise in the 149-pound bracket in Omaha.

Action will take place in six different sessions at the NCAA Championships. Competition begins this morning for 34 participants in all 10 weight classes. Penn State's quest towards a solid showing at the NCAA Championships begins today. Good luck to Coach Sanderson and the Nittany Lions in action.

2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships Schedule
Session I: Noon today (First Round)

Session II: 7:30 p.m. tonight (Second Round)
Session III: 10:30 a.m. Friday (Quarterfinals)
Session ! IV: 7 p.m. Friday (Semifinals)
Session V: 11 a.m. Saturday (Wrestlebacks)
Session VI: 7:30 p.m. Saturday (Finals)

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March 17, 2010- A Pure Scorer Since the Day She Arrived

Lost in Penn State's quarterfinal loss to Iowa at the Big Ten Tournament two weeks ago was a major milestone for one Lady Lion senior.

Veteran guard Tyra Grant eclipsed the 2,000-point plateau for her career against the Hawkeyes. To put that figure into perspective, she joined Lady Lion greats Kelly Mazzante, Susan Robinson and Kahadeejah Herbert as the just the fourth member in the 2,000-point club. And she did it in fine fashion, scoring 32 points in Penn State's quarterfinal game against Iowa. I just doesn't do Grant justice to overlook career numbers that place her among very elite company in the program's storied history. With that, let's take a look through some of Grant's stats, which may raise your eyebrows and force you to consider buying a ticket to Thursday night's WNIT game against Hofstra.

Tyra Grant

Let's begin with the basics. The Youngstown native is averaging 16.7 points per game over the course of her four seasons in the Lady Lion program. The 16.7 average ranks fourth on the all-time list of highest scoring clips for a career. With 121 games of experience, Grant was the third quickest player to reach 2,000 points in her career.

Going a little deeper inside the numbers, the senior has reached double figures 105 times. It is hard to imagine just 16 times in her Penn State career that she did not reach double figures. What is even more impressive, Grant failed to reach double digits just eight times against Big Ten teams while wearing the blue and white. And it is not like Big Ten defenses are a slouch, yet Grant has scored double digits in all but eight conference games over the duration of her career. She is currently riding the second longest Big Ten streak of consecutive games in double digits with 40.

After looking through her career numbers, to me, Grant does not get the credit she deserves. She is a prolific scorer in every sense of the word. Of all the stats listed above, the Big Ten double digit scoring mark is the most impressive to me. The conference is predicated on sound defense. Going down the list of teams in the Big Ten, you will have trouble finding anyone who does not play solid defense.

Another impressive facet to Grant's game is how she scores her points. It is not like Grant is a post player turning shooting layups every night. Not to take anything away from good post players, but the Ohio native scored a large chunk of her points off of jump shots outside the lane. To me, that makes her 16.7 scoring average and 105 double figure games even more notable.

Tyra Grant

Grant is a match-up problem for anyone on the schedule. There have been nights throughout her career where she single-handedly has taken over a basketball game to will the Lady Lions to victory. For the past two seasons, Grant has averaged north of 19 points per game.

Her efforts throughout her career have made Grant one of the most respected players in the conference. Night-in and night-out, the senior guard is the focal point of a scouting report for an opposing team. She is the player Penn State's opponents are looking to shut down. Yet, she continues to put up impressive numbers. It speaks volumes about Grant's talent level.

As the Lady Lions prepare for their first postseason in five years, no player on the roster deserves a postseason berth more than Grant. She has weathered three seasons of results below what she had hoped. But she will go out on the hardwood in a well-deserved postseason appearance. Grant will lead the young group of Lady Lions into a favorable draw in the postseason WNIT. The Lions meet Hofstra, who finished fifth in the CAA, in the first round. Potential second round opponents include St. Joseph's and VCU. Should the Lions win, they will play at home on Saturday. Grant and the Lady Lions are poised to make a run through the WNIT draw.

Penn State's fourth women's basketball player to reach 2,000 points is well worth the price of admission. If haven't done so already, buy a ticket to Thursday's WNIT game. Win or lose, you will be witnessing a player who will go down as one of Penn State's all-time best.

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March 16, 2010- This Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

We just posted our latest installment of Coming this Week In Penn State Sports and it's that special time of year where winter sports are wrapping up and spring sports are heating up. The students here at Penn State have come back from spring break just in time to see the Lady Lions return to postseason action in their WNIT first round game vs. Hofstra on Thursday! After traveling for spring break, many of our teams are back on campus this week and with the snow gone, a lot of squads have taken advantage of the spring weather to get outside. The crack of the bats could be heard loud and clear from Medlar Field at Lubrano Park meaning baseball and softball can't be far away. For now, though, let's take a look at what happened This Week in Penn State Sports.

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March 16, 2010- Lady Lions playoff Bound
By Jon Schneider

The Lady Lions are playoff bound for the first time in five years. This Thursday night, the Bryce Jordan Center will be home of the first round of WNIT action as the Lady Lions will host Hofstra University. Led by senior and first team All-Big Ten selection Ty Grant as well as unanimous all-freshman teamer Alex Bentley, the Lady Lions will look to take advantage of the fact that they still have a chance to be champs.

Tyra Grant

As the men's basketball team proved last year, winning the NIT is no easy feat. I know teams change drastically every year, but the men's team beat a team currently ranked as a three seed in this year's NCAA tournament in Baylor. Other very solid teams like Florida, Notre Dame, New Mexico, and Kentucky participated in the NIT last year. Now, those teams are some of the favorites to win the big dance.

Coquese Washington

This year was the Lady Lions' best season since head Coquese Washington has taken over. Washington is no stranger to success. In 2001, she helped lead Notre Dame to its national championship. There's no doubt that Coach Washington will look towards her big-time playmakers Grant and freshman standout Bentley for as much contribution as possible. Bentley, who as well as being on the All-Freshman team, was also named third team All-Big Ten, had a tremendous freshman year. She ranked sixth in the Big Ten in assists, eighth in field goal percentage, and sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio.

This Thursday marks the start of what hopes to be a long, tiring, and bountiful journey to victory. If the ladies pull off the win this Thursday, their next match-up will be against the winner of St. Joseph's and VCU.

And hey, wouldn't it be something if the Lady Lions could win the NIT the year after their male counterparts on the basketball court did? I haven't checked the record books, but I wouldn't be surprised f it were something that has ever happened before in consecutive seasons. Sounds like a rarity if I've ever heard one.

Oh and one more thing... the Lady Lions have only participated in the WNIT one other time. The year was 1998; and the champions were the Lady Lions.

Let's see `em go 2-for-2!

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March 12, 2010-Track Team Set for Indoor Championships
By Tony Mancuso

The NCAA track season is unique in that there are two distinctly different championships. Following a Big Ten title for the Penn State women's team, the Nittany Lions will take part in the indoor portion of the NCAA Championships this weekend.

Led by Shavon Greaves and Bridget Franek, the women's team finished seventh in the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2009. Head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan and the Nittany Lions head to Fayetteville, Ark., confident of another strong performance at the national championships.

Shavon Greaves

It has already been an impressive 2010 season for Greaves, who won the 60 and 200-meters at the Big Ten Championships last month. She also ran a leg on the winning 4x400-meter relay team. The junior clocked a nation-leading 22.98 in the 200 en route to winning the event at the Big Ten Championships. She will be a favorite in the 200 meters. Fellow sprinter Fawn Dorr will also be heard from in the 200 and on the relay team.

On the distance side, Franek is coming off a stellar performance at the Big Ten Championships. She won the Big Ten title in the mile run, finished second in the 3,000 and runner-up in the 5,000 meters. With 26 points for the Lions, championship effort, the senior was named Athlete of the Championships. Keep an eye on Franek in all three events this weekend.

Ryan Foster is the name to watch in men's action this weekend. The distance runner recently won the 800-meters at the Big Ten Championships with a time second best among athletes in the nation. Joe Kovacs ranks fourth in the nation in shot put after a second place effort at the Big Ten Championships. He is also a name to keep an eye on.

It has been quite a recent run of success for Alford-Sullivan and the Nittany Lions. Penn State ! women's track has won a triple crown, of sorts, in the last three Big Ten events. After a narrow victory at the outdoor championships in May, the Lions claimed top honors in the Big Ten cross country championships in the fall. Greaves and Franek then led the Lions to a Big Ten indoor title earlier this season to make it three straight Big Ten titles.

Alford-Sullivan claimed Big Ten Women's Coach of the Year honors. Additionally, she was named regional coach of the year by the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches' Association. Coach Alford-Sullivan has erected an outstanding track program for Penn State Athletics.

The Nittany Lions head to Arkansas looking for another strong showing. With Greaves and Franek in the field, look for another good weekend on the track for Alford-Sullivan's group.

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March 11, 2010- Coming This Week in Penn State Sports
With Kylie Nellis

Email Kylie Here

Hello, everyone! I'm Kylie Nellis and this spring break episode of "Coming This Week in Penn State Sports" is my first. While there are no home contests due to spring break, plenty of our teams are in action on the road including men's basketball that starts their Big Ten Tournament run on Thursday night vs. Minnesota at 7:30 p.m. Check out the latest episode below to get the latest on all of the action!

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March 11, 2010- Big Ten Tournament Primer: Meet the Field
By Tony Mancuso

It is championship week in college basketball. If you aren't going to be making the trip to Indianapolis on Thursday, plant yourself in front of the TV and watch 10 Big Ten games in four days from Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Big Ten Tournament will punch one ticket into the NCAA field of 65. All 11 teams head to Indianapolis with one common goal. While four teams are locks in the NCAA field, seven teams are treating this weekend as their chance to punch their ticket on the floor. Beginning in reverse order of seeding, let's meet the Big Ten Tournament field.

No. 11 Penn State
Record: 11-19 overall, 3-15 Big Ten
Big Ten Tournament Record: 6-12
Tournament Championships: 0
NCAA Hopes: Needs four wins in four days

The Nittany Lions head into the Big Ten! Tournament having won three of their last six games. The three losses came against the three teams who shared the Big Ten title - Ohio State, Purdue and Michigan State. All three setbacks were by a combined 14 points. Penn State is playing its best basketball heading into the tournament. For the past three weeks, the Lions have looked like anything but the No. 11 seed. With Talor Battle on the floor and clean slate to work with, the Nittany Lions are looking to make a wave in Indianapolis this week. First up is Minnesota, who the Lions lost twice to this season by a combined seven points. The Lions are confident they can make a run.

No. 10 Indiana
Record: 10-20 overall, 4-14 Big Ten
Big Ten Tournament Record: 8-12
Tournament Championships: 0
NCAA Hopes: Needs four wins in four days

Indiana had lost 11 consecutive games coming into the regular season finale against Northwestern. The Hoosier! s edged the Wildcats in overtime to snap the streak. The two teams wil l meet again tomorrow evening in Conseco Fieldhouse. The Tom Crean era of Hoosier basketball is still in the early stages of its transformation of the program. Like the rest of the bottom seeds, Indiana is looking to use the conference tournament as an opportunity to carry some confidence into the offseason. Look for plenty of crimson in Conseco Fieldhouse on Thursday night. Indiana has some of the most loyal fans in college basketball. Keep an eye on Verdell Jones III in the matchup with Northwestern.

No. 9 Iowa
Record: 10-21 overall, 4-14 Big Ten
Big Ten Tournament Record: 13-10
Tournament Championships: 2 (2001, 2006)
NCAA Hopes: Needs four wins in four days

The Hawkeyes opened the season 0-2, and things have snowballed since. Iowa's four Big Ten wins came at the hands of Penn State, Northwestern and Indiana twice. The Hawks open play with eighth-seeded Michigan on Thursday afternoon. The! two teams played an overtime game in February, but the Wolverines swept the season series. Guards Matt Gatens and Anthony Tucker are going to need to play well for the Hawkeyes to earn a date with the top-seeded Buckeyes. Nevertheless, Iowa is going to need a drastic turnaround from its last two outings. The Hawkeyes dropped its final two games of the regular season by a combined 62 points.

No. 8 Michigan
Record: 14-16 overall, 7-11 Big Ten
Big Ten Tournament Record: 5-10 (9-11 without NCAA sanction)
Tournament Championships: 1 (1998) - without NCAA sanction

NCAA Hopes: Needs four wins in four days

After opening the season in the Top 25, Michigan has been one of the biggest surprises in 2009-'10. Everyone thought Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims would carry the Maize and Blue into the NCAA Tournament without much of a problem. However, five non-conference losses foreshadowed things to come in! the Big Ten season. Michigan lives and dies by the 3-point shot. When the Wolverines are on, they can play with anyone. When they are off, they can lose to anyone. Michigan has the pieces to make a run in the postseason tournament. Hot outside shooting could make things interesting in a second round matchup with rival Ohio State. However, Michigan must move past Iowa first, and beating the Buckeyes would be a chore.

No. 7 Northwestern
Record: 19-12 overall, 7-11 Big Ten
Big Ten Tournament Record: 4-12

Tournament Championships: 0
NCAA Hopes: Needs four wins in four days

For the vast majority of the season, Northwestern had hopes that this was going to be the year the Wildcats would get into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. After going 10-1 in non-conference play, Bill Carmody and the Wildcats thought this was going to be the year to break the ice. Nevertheless, February losses to Iowa, Penn State and Wisconsin derailed! NCAA hopes. The Wildcats will be looking to avenge their loss at Indiana last weekend in the first round. John Shurna and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Michael Thompson need to shoot well if the Wildcats are going to advance for a second crack at Purdue. Don't forget Northwestern beat Purdue in Evanston.

No. 6 Minnesota
Record: 18-12 overall, 9-9 Big Ten
Big Ten Tournament Record: 9-12

Tournament Championships: 0
NCAA Hopes: On the outside of the bubble - likely needs three wins at least

Like Northwestern and Michigan, the Golden Gophers opened the season on the list of teams Big Ten followers expected to be in the NCAA Tournament. But overtime losses to Indiana and Northwestern and a 27-point blowout at Michigan last week has Minnesota on the outside looking in. The Gophers could vault back into the field of 65, but they are going to need a very strong showing in Indy. They will meet a dangerous P! enn State team in the first round. Minnesota beat the Lions twice, but it took a buzzer beater from Lawrence Westbrook to do so. Ralph Sampson is the key figure to watch. He can be dominant in the paint, but the big man needs to stay out of foul trouble.

No. 5 Illinois
Record: 18-13 overall, 10-8 Big Ten

Big Ten Tournament Record: 22-10
Tournament Championships: 2 (2003, 2005)
NCAA Hopes: Work to be done - need at least one more win

Having lost five of their last six games, the Illini enter championship week with some work to do. Two weeks ago, Illinois looked like it was a safe bet for the NCAA Tournament. Now, the Illini face a must-win against W! isconsin on Friday afternoon. A loss to the Badgers will likely knock Illinois out of contention all together. The two teams met in the regular season finale, with Wisconsin picking up a 15-point victory. Illinois will go as far as guard Demetri McCamey takes it. The first team All-Big Ten player leads the team in scoring and is second in the nation in assists. It will be interesting to see how Illinois reacts in a must-win.

No. 4 Wisconsin
Record: 23-7 overall, 13-5 overall
Big Ten Tournament Record: 14-10
Tournament Championships: 2 (2004, 2008)
NCAA Hopes: Locked into the field

Like they seem to do every March, the Badgers enter the tournament flying under the radar. Wisconsin is back to full strength with Jon Leuer back in the starting lineup. Leuer, point guard Travon Hughes, Jason Bohannon and Jordan Taylor are underrated players. Wisconsin does not play flashy basketball, but! the Badgers are built for success in March. Head coach Bo Ryan always has his teams prepared in the month of March. If the Badgers are able to fend off Illinois, do not be surprised to see a heated battle with the top-seeded Buckeyes in Saturday's first semifinal. Wisconsin is beginning to play its best basketball of the season and it is coming at the right time.

No. 3 Michigan State
Record: 24-7 overall, 14-4 Big Ten
Big Ten Tournament Record: 13-10
Tournament Championships: 2 (1999, 2000)
NCAA Hopes: Locked into the field

The Spartans would be Penn State's second-round opponent on Friday night if the Lions are able to move past Minnesota. Tom Izzo has a knack for having his teams ready to win in the postseason. Like clockwork, the Spartans always seem to find another gear when the calendar turns to March. However, the road has not been easy this season. Michigan State has not played its best basketball, yet. That could be dangerous for the Big Ten Tourn! ament field. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of talent across the rotation. Kalin Lucas, Raymar Morgan, Durrell Summers, Chris Allen and Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Draymond Green are no strangers to the big stage. Michigan State will be heard from before things are all said and done in Conseco Fieldhouse.

No. 2 Purdue
Record: 26-4 overall, 14-4 Big Ten
Big Ten Tournament Record: 7-11
Tournament Championships: 1 (2009)

NCAA Hopes: Locked into the field

Purdue's Final Four hopes took a major blow when Robbie Hummel suffered a season-ending ACL injury. However, the Boilers still have plenty of talent on the floor. JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore make up a stout scoring tandem. Throw in Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Chris Kramer and Purdue will be competitive in the tournament. The Boilers may not be the same team that they were with Hummel, but they are 3-1 without him ! 4; 26-4 overall and still play great defense. Purdue will meet either Northwestern or Indiana in the quarterfinals. It would be interesting to see the Boilers meet rival Indiana. At any rate, expect a large contingent of black and gold in Conseco. Anytime one of the Indiana schools is a contender, you can bank on a large following and a loud crowd.

No. 1 Ohio State
Record: 24-7 overall, 14-4 Big Ten
Big Ten Tournament Record: 15-10

Tournament Championships: 2 (2002, 2007)
NCAA Hopes: Locked into the field

The hottest team down the stretch in the Big Ten was Ohio State. Although three teams shared the conference title, you have to say the Buckeyes are the slight favorite this week. Sure Ohio State's rotation is just six players, but when you have the best player in the conference on your team in Evan Turner, you do not need much depth. Ohio State's starting five is a very talented group capable of making a run in the NCAA Tournament. Keeping center Dall! as Lauderdale out of foul trouble will be important. Nonetheless, Turner has a knack for making Jon Diebler, David Lighty and William Buford better. Ohio State will play either Michigan or Iowa in its first game on Friday. The Buckeyes' only question mark is the 10-day layoff between their last game and the Big Ten Tournament. Expect to see a focused group of Buckeyes, though.

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March 10, 2010- Penn State News and Notes: Looking to Become Second Team to Win Four Games at Big Ten Tourney
By Tony Mancuso

With the Big Ten Tournament just two days away, all 11 teams are packing their bags for Indy with one common goal. They all want a piece of hardware on Sunday afternoon. Eleven teams have a common goal, but 10 will come home empty. Penn State heads to Indianapolis knowing its only shot of getting into the NCAA Tournament is winning the conference tournament.

Last season, we spent countless hours projecting who the Lions were fighting with to earn an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. This season, things are much clearer. Penn State needs four wins in four days to play in the NCAA Tournament.

That being said, the Lions will join the likes of just one other Big Ten team if they are able to run the table in Indianapolis. The 2001 Iowa Hawkeyes won four games in four days to cement their case as an NCAA Tournament qualifier at the Big Ten Tournament. The circumstance, however, were slightly different with the Hawkeyes that year. They came into the tournament with a strong resume, and would have likely played in the big dance without winning the Big Ten Tournament.Nevertheless, they are the only team in the conference's tournament history to have won four games in four days. Penn State will seek to become the first team to win all four games knowing that is its only hope of continuing the season.

This week, the Nittany Lions have continued to make preparations in Happy Valley before heading to Indy Wednesday. Four wins in four days and the Lions will be playing in March Madness. It is a lofty goal, but anything can happen come tournament time.

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March 8, 2010- Cyler Sanderson Wins Big Ten Wrestling Title, Lions Finish Fifth
By Tony Mancuso

The Penn State wrestling program took another step towards becoming a national power under the direction of head coach Cael Sanderson on Sunday afternoon at the Big Ten Championships inside Crisler Arena.

Cyler Sanderson

Nittany Lion senior Cyler Sanderson handed his brother the first Big Ten individual title in the Cael Sanderson Era at Penn State. Sanderson downed top-seeded Colton Salazar from Purdue by a score of 8-4 to claim top honors at 157 pounds. Sanderson's win marked Penn State's 20th individual Big Ten championship victory.

Sanderson's triumph fueled the Lions to a fifth place finish in the overall team standings with 91.0 points. Iowa repeated as Big Ten champions. The Hawkeyes have now won 34 Big Ten wrestling titles.

In all, Penn State had seven wrestlers place in the top eight, including Dan Vallimont in third, Brad Pataky, Frank Molinaro and David Erwin in fourth and Cameron Wade fifth. With the Big Ten Championships complete, six Nittany Lions have qualified for the NCAA Championships.

Nonetheless, the day belonged to Sanderson, who turned in a superb performance in the 157-pound finale. Wrestling a childhood friend and former high school teammate, Sanderson took control right from the opening whistle.

The Utah native picked up a 2-0 lead after an early takedown in the opening period. After a one-point escape from Salazar, Sanderson added to his lead with another aggressive takedown move to set the score at 4-1 heading into the second period.

The second period opened with a Sanderson escape, which gave the Lion a 5-1 advantage. The Purdue veteran notched his only takedown of the championship bout to slice Sanderson,s lead to 5-3. After another escape point from Sanderson, the Nittany Lion senior! notched a pivotal takedown as the second period expired to take an 8-3 advantage into the final frame.

From there, Sanderson rode out an 8-4 victory to claim Penn State's only Big Ten title of the afternoon. After winning a Big 12 title at Iowa State as a sophomore, Sanderson added a Big Ten title to his resume heading into his final showing at the NCAA Championships.

"It feels great," Sanderson said. "I love wrestling for my brother. It feels great to be my brother's first Big Ten champion."

The key to Sanderson's victory was his aggressive start to the championship bout. He notched two key takedowns to open the first period. Leading 4-1 after the first, Sanderson wrestled a smart second and third period en route to his first Big Ten title. He will rest and regroup before gunning for a strong showing at the NCAA Championships in Omaha.

Cael Sanderson

In addition to Sanderson, six Nittany Lion wrestlers took part in the consolation semifinals on Sunday afternoon. Vallimont led the group with a third place finish at 165 pounds. The Lion senior ousted Minnesota's Cody Yohn to earn a spot in the third place bout against Iowa's Ryan Morningstar. Vallimont and Morningstar were tied at 2-2 when the Iowa veteran pulled out due to injury, handing Vallimont third place.

Pataky, Molinaro and Erwin also wrestled in the third place bouts in their respective weight classes, but came home with fourth place finishes. Pataky cruised past Ohio State,s Nikko Triggas with an 11-2 major decision at 125 pounds. In the third place match, third-seeded Zachary Sanders from Minnesota mustered a 13-11 decision to edge Pataky.

Molinaro shut out Minnesota's Mario Mason to get into the third place bout at 149 pounds. However, the Lion All-American was pinned in a surprising finish against Wisconsin's Kyle Ruschell. At 184 pounds, Erwin wrestled his way into the third place bout with a 6-2 win over Wisconsin's Travis Rutt. He then fell to Ohio State's Mike Pucillo by a score of 4-1.

Wade finished off the Big Ten Championships with a fifth place effort at heavyweight. The sophomore was stunned by Eric Bugenhagen (2-1) in the consolation semifinals, which sent Wade to the fifth place bout. He rebounded with a pin at the 1:13 mark against Michigan's Ben Apland.

Penn State's list of NCAA qualifiers could grow this week when wildcard berths are handed out. Nonetheless, having six competitors as NCAA locks is a superb accomplishment for Coach Sanderson in his first season at Penn State.

Sunday's milestone victory for Cyler Sanderson is the first of many good things to come for the Penn State wrestling program. Look for the Lions to move further up the final finishing order at the 2011 Big Ten Championships.

For now, Penn State shifts focus towards the NCAA Championships in Omaha, Neb. Action will take place from March 18-20.

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1: Iowa - 156.5
2: Minnesota - 118.5
3: Wisconsin - 109.0
4: Ohio State - 102.5
5: PENN STATE - 91.0
6: Purdue - 76.0
7: Michigan State - 68.5

8: Indiana - 64.0
8: Illinois - 64.0
10: Michigan - 57.5
11: Northwestern - 20.0

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March 4, 2010-Coming This Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

Congratulations to the Lady Lions, who advanced in the Big Ten Tournament with a decisive win over Minnesota Thursday afternoon! The team next meets No. 3 seed Iowa on Friday at 2 p.m. in Indianapolis and as tournament action continues to heat up for the women, Penn State's men's basketball team hosts No. 6 Purdue in the regular season finale Saturday- students will get in free!. These two contests represent just a small snippet of action as Penn State's campus prepares for spring break. Check out the latest "Coming This Week in Penn State Sports" to get the scoop on all of our teams' upcoming action.

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March 4, 2010- Favorable Draw Awaiting Lady Lions at Big Ten Tournament
By Tony Mancuso

For teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble, a postseason conference tournament can prove to be a double-edged sword. A good showing can vault a team into the field of 64. An early exit can relegate a bubble squad out of the picture completely. But for a team on the outside looking in, the conference tournament provides an opportunity to decide their NCAA Tournament fate on the floor. And the best part about it- everyone is on equal footing. The slate will be wiped clean for all 11 Big Ten teams heading to Indianapolis this week.

The Lady Lions are in a position where they must likely win the conference tournament to be in the NCAA field. It is going to take four wins in four days, but the Lions head to Conseco Fieldhouse with a favorable draw awaiting them.

First up is a clash with No. 11-seed Minnesota. It is odd to write that the 11th-seeded team beat the sixth-seeded team twice this season, but that is the case for Penn State's first round game. The two foes met in early December to open the Big Ten season. Minnesota scored a 56-48 win on its home floor.

The Gophers made it a season sweep with a 59-52 triumph in the Jordan Center on Feb. 11. Granted the Gophers won both meetings, but the match-up provides the Lady Lions with a very winnable game to open the tournament.

We don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves because the Lions need to take care of business on Thursday afternoon first, but No. 3-seeded Iowa awaits the winner of Penn State's game against Minnesota.

The Hawkeyes are one of the hottest teams heading into the Big Ten Tournament, but Penn State beat Iowa twice this season. Both games were close, including an overtime win for the Lions in Happy Valley, but the second round match-up is another winnable game for the Lady Lions, should they advance on day one.

Coquese Washington

Looking further down the road, the highest seed in Penn State's half of the bracket is Michigan State. The second-seeded Spartans await the winner of the Michigan-Northwestern game. Should Michigan State advance and Penn State rattle off two victories, the Lions and Spartans would play in the first semifinal on Saturday.

Again, we don't want to get too far down the road, but Penn State earned a season split with Michigan State. The Lions downed the Spartans in a 68-60 game in the Jordan Center in January. Michigan State returned the favor with a 65-44 victory in the Breslin Center. Nonetheless, the Lions have already shown they can play with, and beat, Michigan State.

The tournament's top seed is Ohio State. The! regular season champion Buckeyes are the favorites to win the postseason tournament, but do not forget what happened when the two teams met in the Jordan Center for their only meeting of the season.

Penn State led by as much as 15 before the Buckeyes used a 17-4 run late in the second half to score an 86-73 win over the Lions. Ohio State needed 55 percent shooting from the floor and an eye-popping 65 percent from 3-point range (17-26) to oust the Lions.

Lightning would need to strike twice to see shooting figures like those for a second time this season. Needless to say, Penn State may need four wins in a span of four days, but the road to a Big Ten Tournament title is favorable for the Lady Lions. Penn State will need to turn things around after a pair of tough losses to end the season, but the opportunity is there for a run through the draw.

The Lions have nothing to lose heading into their trip to the Circle City, and head coach Coquese Washington is eager to play Minnesota on Thursday afternoon.

"That is the beauty of the tournament," Coach Washington said. "Everybody gets a fresh start. Everybody gets a clean slate. It is a four-day season. It's a four-day tournament. Anyone can get on a roll. With our conference, I really think that (any team can win it) this year."

Notes:

Congratulations toTyra Grant for earning first team All-Big Ten recognition for the second consecutive season. Averaging 18.8 points per game, Grant finished second in the Big Ten scoring title. The Youngstown native is only the eighth Lady Lion to be on the first team in multiple seasons. Additionally, freshman Alex Bentley was named to the All-Big Ten third team by the coaches. Both were deserving of recognition. Congratulations.

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March 3, 2010- It's Baseball Season
By Jon Schneider

The Phillies are in Clearwater, the Pirates are in Bradenton, and the Penn State Nittany Lions are gearing up for a trip to Texas this weekend.

For the Phils and Bucs, March means meaningless games in beautiful weather. For collegiate baseball players, it means much more. Although the games are not conference contests, the late days of February and the month of March are about winning games.

Like the players of the MLB, for colleges across the country it's officially baseball season; which in the month of March means it's time to head to the South. The Nittany Lions are coming off a weekend in Florida, playing in both St. Petersburg and the Phillies' spring training home, Clearwater. There, the squad held strong in its opening weekend, going 2-1 in neutral, non-conference play winning games against Seton Hall and Cincinnati, and losing in extras to Notre Dame.

On this date last year, Penn State baseball had a record of 2-5 after playing four more games than they have this year. Don't let that record fool you, however. Four of those games were in a three-day stretch against No. 4 Texas on its home field, with the Nittany Lions losing all four.

This weekend when the team travels to Texas they will face some stout competition. The teams on the Lions' slate this weekend were ranked as high as No. 40 in last year's RPI rankings (Dallas Baptist), while No. 118 Lamar and No. 189 McNeese State round out the schedule.

Unlike last season, the Nittany Lions don't have to worry about playing at Texas four straight games. Especially to start a season, that's as tough as it gets.

Ben Heath

This year, the Nittany Lions hope to improve on last season and junior Ben Heath's early success at the plate is a sign of good things to come. Heath, who split time with fellow junior Bobby Jacobs in 2009, stepped up to the plate 18 times to Jacobs' three this past weekend.

Heath showed he deserved the PT, going 6-18, including three home runs; two of which were in back-to-back at-bats. Heath's performance earned him the honor of being named to the Johnny Bench award watch list, a list that is comprised of the top 53 catchers. The list is narrowed down as the season rolls along.

On the pitching side, sophomore Ryan Ignas started just his third career game and pitched beautifully. Ignas started the season opener, going seven strong innings letting up just five hits and two earned runs. Last season, Ignas never pitched more than four innings in a game.

Ignas, who was third team All-Big Ten last season, was one of only 10 pitchers in the nation to lead his team in both wins (5) and saves (5). Although he didn't earn the win last week, the W's will be there in games to come.

Like the Phils and the Pirates, Penn State baseball won't be seen in the state of Pennsylvania for about a month. However, unlike the major leaguers, baseball means something right now. The warm weather is just a bonus.

Here's a look at this weekend's action:

Fri, March 5: Penn State vs. McNeese State at 2:00 p.m.
Sat, March 6: Penn State vs. Dallas Baptist at 12:00 p.m.
Sat, March 6: Penn State vs. Lamar at 3:30 p.m.
Sun, March 7: Penn State vs. Lamar at 2:00 p.m.

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March 1, 2010-This Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

What a weekend in Happy Valley! Congrats to the Big Ten Women's Track & Field team on winning the 2010 Indoor conference championship! The weekend action took place at Penn State and the women didn't disappoint the home crowd one bit! Men's basketball swept the season series with Northwestern, baseball and softball enjoyed success on the road and we've also got complete wrap-ups of women's basketball, tennis, lacrosse, and so much more. Enjoy a look back and don't forget to take advantage of our look forward, Coming Up In Penn State Sports, which will post this Thursday. Have a great week, everybody!

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March 1, 2010- With or Without Historical Data: Big Ten Dominates Wrestling Landscape
By Jon Schneider

On June 24, 2008, well after the 2007-08 Division I wrestling season was over, the NCAA division I Championships/Competition Cabinet had it's meeting in Oak Brook, Illinois to review a new qualifier allocation formula for wrestling.

On July 2, 2008, the cabinet approved and commended the Division I wrestling committees' new formula, in which the biggest change came in the relinquishing of historical data as a criterion for wrestlers to qualify.

What historical data means is that a conference would earn a certain number of bids to the championships based on their performances in the NCAA championships in the five years previous. This data, along with wining percentage, RPI, and coach ranking were used in order to accumulate the amount of spots each conference would have in the tournament.

This season will be the second one since the use of historical data has been taken out of the mix. With the deletion of this certain criteria, it was assumed that conferences such as the ACC would have a more fair chance at being represented while divisions like the Big Ten, Big XII, and Pac-10 would no longer be able to use their historical success as a fallback plan.

Well, the ACC definitely has gained from the new system. From 2006-2008, the ACC only had 14 qualifiers, largely in part of the use of historical data. Last year, and now this year, the ACC has seen it's number of qualifiers grow, with 27 in 2009, and 24 this year.

Although the ACC has and most likely will continue to have more success, the Big Ten's (and midwest's) stranglehold on the wrestling landscape still doesn't seem to be effected. Even without the use of it's history, the Big Ten still managed to have the most bids into the tournament both last year and this year, earning 61 and 56 spots respectively.

In '09, Penn State gained six of those 61 allocations. This year, Happy Valley received one more bid, earning seven overall bids.

Earning this bid does not automatically guarantee a spot in nationals however. All the bid means is that the wrestler earned an automatic spot for his conference in the national tournament. Obviously, the more bids the better the chance of getting in so it's still an accomplishment, both for the wrestler, and the conference itself.

Here's a look at who earned those NCAA qualifying bids for the Big Ten. All seven will represent the Nittany Lions in about two weeks in Ann Arbor; four of which ended the year within the top ten in their weight classes:

Frank Molinaro: sophomore, 149 lbs. Ranked 6th in RPI and 4th in coach's poll.
Cyler Sanderson: senior, 157 lbs. Ranked 9th in RPI and 6th in coach's poll.

Dan Vallimont: senior, 165 lbs. Ranked 8th in RPI and 7th in coach's poll.
David Erwin: senior, 184 lbs. Ranked 4th in RPI and 10th in coach's poll.
Brad Petaky: junior, 125 lbs. Ranked 7th in RPI and 11th in coach's poll.
Cameron Wade: sophomore, heavyweight. Ranked 10th in RPI and 14th in coach's poll.
Adam Lynch: senior, 141 lbs. Ranked 30th in RPI and 28th in coach's poll.

Along with the seven qualifying wrestlers, the Nittany Lions' other three starters will also be action come the Big Ten championships. Freshman Bryan Pearsall (133 lbs), freshman Justin Ortega (174 lbs), and sophomore Clay Steadman (197 lbs) will all be vying for one of those bids the Big Ten earned as well.

So, if Steadman were to finish in the top seven for the 197 lbs, he would earn a bid into nationals, even though he didn't earn one of the allocations.

On Mar. 5-6, these ten Nittany Lions will get a chance to earn their NCAA bids when they compete in the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After all the conference tournaments are over, there will be 46 more at-large qualifiers added to the final mix. This will take place on March 10th.

Each weight at nationals will feature 33 wrestlers for a total of 330 competitors.

So as March 14th is selection Sunday for the NCAA basketball tournament, March 10th is its counterpart for NCAA division I wrestling.

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February 23, 2010-Coming this Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

What a busy week in Happy Valley we have for you guys! In addition to hosting Big Ten Women's Indoor Track & Field, men's basketball, women's lacrosse, and men's tennis are also all competing at home this weekend. Check out our new video post to see what's up.

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February 24, 2010- My Case to Combine the Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships
By Jon Schneider

Both the men and women's Big Ten indoor championships are being held this weekend; the problem is...they're both this weekend... in different places.

Penn State is one of a handful of conference teams that has one coaching staff that oversees both the men and women's teams. Therefore, the guys up in Minnesota competing, with the ladies taking action here in State College, may be competing without the guidance and support of the coaches and trainers that have been with them throughout the season.

"We're really hoping this is going to be the last year of this challenge," said Penn State Director of Track & Field and Head Coach Beth Alford-Sullivan.

The coaches staying here at Penn State with the women's team are Sullivan, associate head coach Chris Johnson, and jumps and mulit-events specialist Fritz Spence.

"As the director of the program, it tears me apart to have to pick but since we're hosting, it has been an easy decision to just stay with the host team," said coach Alford-Sullivan.

Bridget Franek

The coaches traveling to Minnesota with the men's team are middle distance coach John Gondak, throws coach T.J. Crater, and vertical jumps and multi-events coach Drew Hardyk.

"We're sending athletes to Minnesota without coaches and we're having athletes competing at home without their coaches," said coach Alford-Sullivan. "It's really a student welfare issue for us to have to continue to move down this path and it affects over half of our conference schools."

One has to understand that track and field, like football, has a coach for every position. As a linebacker develops a special relationship with the linebackers coach, the shot-putters have a specific relationship with coach Crater, and the jumpers with coach Hardyk.

So this weekend, when sophomore Anna Muzio competes in the shot put and tries to top her personal best, she will be without her mentor- a notable disadvantage.

Redshirt-freshmen jumpers Hanif Johnson and Dan Sandrowicz will be competing for the first time at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. Both will be without their coach, Fritz Spence.

Meanwhile in Minnesota, Kyle Dawson, an NCAA provisional qualifier in the 5,000-meters and a Big Ten scorer last year, will be running without Sullivan, who is his mentor. He'll have to overcome what senior standout Bridget Franek did last year when Sullivan was in Happy Valley to coach at the men's championship.

In one more example, although there are many more, Ryan Foster ran to a Big Ten title last year despite his coach, John Gondak, traveling with the women's team.

Heading into the weekend, the women's team ranks 10th in the country, highest within the Big Ten. For the men, they come in ranked 11th in the country, second in the Big Ten to Indiana, who currently stands ranked seventh.

In no way am I trying to discredit the ability and talent of our men and women's teams, because with or without their coaches, I'm sure they will perform excellently. However, I do think it is a sham to have these collegiate athletes perform on such a big stage without the guidance of the people that helped them get to where they are.

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February 23, 2010-This Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

So much happened last week, I barely know where to start! Both basketball teams got back to their winning ways and wrestling wrapped up its Big Ten dual meet schedule. The start of the spring sports season continued with the beginning of lacrosse for both the men's and the women's teams and gymnastics held a double dual meet at home, splitting Rec Hall with homestanding men's volleyball. Enjoy our weekly review- and don't forget to check back here or to our YouTube channel, GoPSUTV, for our weekly preview this Thursday! Until then- have a great week!

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February 20, 2010- Meet the Candidates for the Starting Quarterback Job
By Tony Mancuso

February is always a slow month for college football fans. With signing day in the books and spring practice still a month away, there is little going on in the football world.

But that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of things to analyze and talk about. The Nittany Lion football team is beginning one of its most intriguing offseason periods in recent memory. Still riding high from the Capital One Bowl win over LSU, the Lions opened conditioning in Holuba Hall and weight lifting in the Lasch Building just days after returning from the bowl trip.

Winter workouts will lead right into spring practice, which begins on March 26 or 27. The Blue-White Game is slated for April 24. There are plenty of storylines to track between now and the end of April, but you can't overlook the importance of the battle for the starting quarterback spot.

As we all know, filling Daryll Clark's shoes will be a hefty task. Replicating what Clark brought to the table last fall won't likely happen in 2010, but the Lions have plenty of talent to build towards the future. As we near the beginning of a new football season, let's take a look at who might be under center when the Lions take the field for the 2010 season opener.

Kevin Newsome

The Returnees:

Kevin Newsome
6-2, 220, Sophomore
When Kevin Newsome arrived at Penn State last January, he had the luxury of knowing he was going to spend a year learning from a first team All-Big Ten quarterback. After enrolling early, Newsome benefited from offseason workouts,15 spring practices and the Blue-White Game, all before fall camp began. Of all the candidates, Newsome is the most experienced. However, the Virginia native attempted just 11 passes in 10 regular season appearances. Newsome did the bulk of his damage with his feet in his rookie season, rushing for 95 yards and two touchdowns.

While he is the most experienced returning quarterback on the roster, Newsome's ability to lead an offense is still largely a mystery. The athletic signal-caller saw very little time with the first team offense during a game situation. Newsome has a quick first step and good speed in the open field. In his time last season, he looked like a run-first quarterback in the pocket, but I expect that trend will change significantly this spring as he has shown signs of very good arm strength. Most of all though, as we said before, he is the most experienced quarterback on the roster.

Matt McGloin
6-1, 204, Redshirt Sophomore

Matt McGloin served as the No. 3 quarterback throughout the 2009 season. Seeing action in three games, the Scranton, Pa., native is the only quarterback other than Clark and Newsome to take a snap in a game last fall.

McGloin has the tools to become a possession passer in the pocket and has the ability to scramble when he needs to. The biggest question mark with McGloin is his accuracy and arm strength. With a year under his belt, it will be interesting to see where McGloin stands when spring practice rolls around.

The Rest of the Returnees:
In addition to Newsom and McGloin, who seem the most likely candidates, sophomores Steven Hill, Sean Kelly and Shane McGregor were also quarterbacks on the roster last fall.

The Newcomers:
Paul Jones
6-3, 226, Freshman

One of two highly-touted quarterbacks in Penn State's 2010 signing class, Paul Jones is known to have an arm many high school football players just do not have. While he is an athletic player with the ability to move well with the ball in his hands, Jones is a drop back quarterback. He can make defenders pay with his legs, but the Pennsylvania native wants to make plays with his big arm. Jones ran a pro-style offense at Sto-Rox high school. In the video I have seen, Jones showed good accuracy and the ability to lead receivers.

Jones enrolled in classes at Penn State in January. He has gone through winter conditioning drills and will play in the spring game. It will give Jones a significant leg up on fellow freshman Robert Bolden. However, like Newsome and McGloin, there is a lot to still learn about Jones. He does look like he has the tools to be in the heart of the quarterback battle, though.

Robert Bolden
6-4, 205, Freshman
Like Jones, Bolden was a highly-touted prospect out of Orchard Lake, Mich. Bolden was not only a good athlete, he was a very good quarterback in high school. Although he is labeled as a "dual threat" player, Bolden has sound mechanics, good footwork and an outstanding throwing motion. Watching a video of Bolden, you immediately notice his natural feel for the game. Although his high school offense was run-happy, Bolden illustrated the ability to hit the open man in the passing game. And there is no question that he has the tools to leave the pocket and run when he needs to.

The biggest disadvantage Bolden is going to face is arriving to Penn State in late July. It will be an uphill battle to earn the starting spot when camp begins. While Jones is on campus now, Bolden will be learning the ropes of the Penn State offense in the summer.

My Take

The quarterback race is wide open. There is no question about that. Based on experience, Newsome is the leading candidate heading into spring practice. However, do not expect to hear who the starting quarterback is until Coach Paterno's weekly press conference before the first game. Unless Newsome truly establishes himself as a go-to player under center, the race for the starting spot will come down to who performs well in fall camp.

Penn State has not seen a true freshman quarterback take the field as the starter since Wally Richardson against Cincinnati in 1992. While it seems highly unlikely that a Joe Paterno-led football team will field a rookie quarterback at defending national champion Alabama in week two, anything is possible with this race. Prep standout quarterbacks Brett Brackett and Curtis Drake will even get a look this spring. The race is truly wide open. Stay tuned for what is shaping up to be a very interesting offseason.

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February 16, 2010-Coming This Week In Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

THON may have taken over the BJC, but don't forget that there's still plenty of Penn State sports action at home and on the road! Check out our latest video post on GoPSUTV, "Coming This Week in Penn State Sports" to get the scoop.

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February 17, 2010- Brandi Personett: Struttin' her Stuff in 2010
By Jon Schneider

March 1, 2006. That's the date of the last time a Penn State women gymnast won Big Ten Gymnast of the week and wasn't named Brandi Personett. Midway through her senior year, Personett has earned the coveted title 13 times.

Just to put that into a little perspective, there's 11 weeks in the regular season of gymnastics, which means there's 11 "Gymnast of the Week" awards to win. Of the 39 times Personett has been eligible for this accolade, she has taken it home 13 times.

In other words, Personett averages being the best overall performer in the Big Ten once every three weeks.

If you take a quick look at Personett's college career, you'll not only notice that she is real good at what she does, but that she's actually getting better.

As a freshman in 2007, she won the award just once. She also, however, won Big Ten Freshman of the Year and competed in every meet of the season on vault, beam, and floor.

Brandi Personett

In '08, Personett was First Team All-American on Beam, First Team All-Big Ten, and a three-time winner of Big Ten Gymnast of the Week.

Wait ¬-- it gets better. In 2009, Personett was First Team All-American on floor, First Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten Women's Gymnast of the Year, and a five-time recipient of Big Ten Gymnast of the Week.

How can she possibly top all this in 2010 you ask? Well, with six meets in the books, Personett has already received the award for Gymnast of the Week four times, only one less than what she did all of last year.

With five meets to go, Personett and the No. 15 ranked Lady Lions are poised to make a run at the NCAA national championships. As of now, only Michigan of the Big Ten schools is ranked above the Lady Lions at No. 13.

Obviously the yearly awards haven't been handed out yet, but I think it's safe to say Personett is on the right track.

Now, obviously I know this weekend is THON. However, the women's gymnastics team has a home meet this Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in Rec Hall. For those of you who aren't dancing in the philanthropy, I encourage you to take a break and take a trip down to the other side of Curtin Road.

Come see what Ms. Personett can do. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

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February 16, 2010- Time to Snap the Streaks on the Hardwood
By Tony Mancuso

Needless to say, the Penn State basketball seasons have not transpired as everyone had hoped when the calendar turned to 2010.

The men,s hoops squad enters its week of games with a 0-12 mark in the Big Ten.

Having lost six straight, the women's team is 7-8 in conference games.

When you combine the losing skids, the Penn State basketball teams are looking at a string of 18 straight losses.

The crazy thing about the streak is that it seems like the 18 losses have come in about 18 different ways. With the exception of maybe two games, both teams have been in a very good position to win every contest. With a defensive stop here or a key basket there, we could easily be talking about a women,s team looking like an NCAA lock and a men,s team near .500 in the Big Ten.

That is the harsh reality of competing in the Big Ten. There is a very fine line between winning and losing conference games this time of year.

Nevertheless, at some point, this string of luck is going to end. As I mentioned last week, if both teams continue to put themselves in a position to win, like they are now, the streaks will end. It would be one thing if we were sitting here wondering how both teams could avoid getting beat by 20 points every night.

That couldn't be farther from how things have transpired in the past few weeks. With the exception of the Wisconsin men's game at home and the Michigan State women,s game on the road, the Lions have been in a position to contend for a victory in every ballgame, at one point or another.

The common theme on both streaks is the ability to close out a ballgame. Each team has been in a position to close out a victory multiple times, but has been unable to do! so. The noticeable attribute missing from those situations has been a lack of the killer instinct needed to put a game away.

It is hard to figure out why the same trends continue to creep into the decisive moments of close games, but both teams have lacked a signature play or two to win. It's not like we are talking about five or six possessions separating a win from a loss. In most cases, it has literally been a possession or two keeping both teams from putting a win on the board.

Tyra Grant

The teams enter a week of three winnable games (two men's and one women's). The men's team heads to Northwestern tomorrow night for its first look at the Wildcats during the 2009-10 season. Saturday features a match-up at Michigan. The women's team hosts Michigan on Thursday.

Although Northwestern is battling for its NCAA Tournament life, the Lions match-up pretty well with the Wildcats. As for Michigan, Penn State built a 16-point lead in the second half of the first meeting before being out-scored 38-13 to close the! game. The women,s squad cruised to a 15-point cushion in the first half of its road loss at Michigan.

Sure the streaks are beginning to wear on everyone. No one on the rosters or coaching staffs wants to be in the midst of a losing skid. And wins are not going to come easy in a conference like the Big Ten. But the recent slides are due to end.

Both teams are long overdue for some luck. Get in front of your TV and cheer on the Lions this week. All three games will air live on the Big Ten Network. If you are in town Thursday, get to the Jordan Center to give the Lady Lions the support they deserve.

Let,s break the streaks and begin a strong push towards the Big Ten Tournaments in Indianapolis.

One thing to ponder as the basketball teams search for a victory. Victories in major college sports are tough to come by. You cannot just show up and win games. To me, those points further illustrate how incredible the women's volleyball team's streak of 102 straight victories really is.

Notes on the Recent Slide
- Of the 18 combined losses between the men's and women's hoops teams, 10 of the games (four women's, six men's) have been decided by eight points or less.

- Penn State held a lead in the second half in 11 (five women's and six men's) of the 18 games.

Remaining Schedules
Nittany Lions

2-17 at Northwestern 2-20 at Michigan 2-24 vs. Ohio State 2-28 vs. Northwestern 3-4 at Michigan State 3-6 or 3-7 vs. Purdue

Lady Lions

2-18 vs. Michigan
2-25 vs. Wisconsin
2-28 at Indiana

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February 16, 2010- This Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

Hello again, Nittany Lion fans! We just posted this week's installment of "This Week in Penn State Sports" on Penn State's YouTube channel- GoPSUTV. Despite the snow on the ground, several of our spring teams opened competition last week including softball and women's lacrosse. Against rival Pitt, senior Brandi Personett found perfection and became the Big Ten's Gymnast of the Week, and our Top 10 wrestling team continued its hot streak with a big win in its final home match of the season. There's so much more packed into this week's episode, though. You've just got to watch!

If you want to keep better track of when we post new video content, including "This Week in Penn State Sports" subscribe to GoPSUTV on YouTube. We'll also let you know when we've posted each new episode of "This Week in Penn State Sports" on the Penn State Nittany Lions' Facebook page.

A lot of our student-athletes are involved in THON this weekend. Look for more on that next week. "See" you then!

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February 11, 2010- At Least They're Warm: Penn State Softball Opening Up in New Mexico Tomorrow
By Jon Schneider

With all that snow on the ground around Happy Valley, it's kind of hard to believe that the softball season is a day away from beginning.

Well, actually it's not that hard to believe once you look at the schedule for the 2010 season. It won't be until March 24 that one could see the softball team playing at home. The Nittany Lions will be participating in four tournaments leading up to the March 24 home opener taking place in New Mexico, California, Florida, and North Carolina.

Kicking off the season, Penn State will be playing its first game tomorrow at 2 p.m. in Las Cruces, N.M., for the start of the Hotel Encanto Invitational.

The Lions will play five games during the three-day event; two on Friday, two on Saturday, and then one early Sunday morning.

Here's a look at the weekend schedule (All times ET)
2/12 (tomorrow)
2 p.m.: Penn State vs. UTEP
9 p.m.: Penn State vs. Colorado State

2/13
11 a.m.: Penn State vs. Texas-San Antonio
6:30 p.m.: Penn State vs. New Mexico State

2/14
11 a.m.: Penn State vs. Nebraska

There are many storylines to follow heading into the season. For starters, the softball team will strive to gain its ninth 30-win season through the last 12 years. Or how about the Nittany Lions' attempt to get back into the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments after missing both in the past two seasons? (Note: Last season there was no Big Ten tournament)

Ashley Griffith

Both of the above stories are going to be fun to watch as the season rolls along, but perhaps the most intriguing and accomplished story coming into this season is head coach Robin Petrini's pursuit of 400 career wins, all of which have come at Penn State.

With 395 Ws coming into this season, it's a possibility that by Sunday afternoon, the milestone could be met. It's no secret how much Petrini has changed the landscape of Penn State softball, leading them to the NCAA tournament in just her fourth season as head coach in 2000. Previously, `Penn State' and `NCAA tournament' weren't seen in the same sentence since 1985.

Look for Petrini and the 2010 Nittany Lions to make the 2009 season seem like an aberration as they aim their sights directly on an NCAA tournament berth.

The 2010 squad is made up of 11 returnees and seven newcomers. All-Big Ten second team outfielder Ashley Griffith is back for her senior year, along with 2009 All-Big Ten third team pitcher and utility player Lisa Akamine.

Griffith, who was the team's batting leader last year (.311), also returns as the reigning team defensive player of the year. Griffith and senior pitcher Jackie Hill are the captains of this year's team.

Akamine, who was named to the All-Big Ten third team as a freshman last year, reached base successfully in 30 of 44 games. Ultimately, what makes Akamine so valuable is her versatility as both a pitcher and outfielder.

To the girls down in Las Cruces, good luck, go get `em, and enjoy that warm weather.

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February 9, 2010- This Week in Penn State Sports
With Jess Parness

Be sure to check out our first installment of "This Week in Penn State Sports" on Penn State's YouTube channel- GoPSUTV. This week, there were more honors for football, victories for wrestling and so much more. Check back regularly for our updates or subscribe to GoPSUTV on YouTube. You can come back here or keep track of when we post by becoming a fan of the Penn State Nittany Lions' Facebook page.

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February 6, 2010- Five Keys to the Minnesota Game
By Tony Mancuso

Penn State begins its final eight games of the 2009-10 regular season this afternoon against Minnesota.

Following a 13-point road loss at Ohio State, the Nittany Lions (8-14, 0-10) enter today's game with nothing to lose. Despite its 0-10 mark in the Big Ten, Penn State is long overdue for a victory. The Lions have put themselves in position to win throughout the Big Ten season. Eight of the 10 losses were very close in the second half.

If a team keeps putting itself in close ballgames, it is going to get over the hump. This afternoon's game will be a good opportunity for the Lions to score their maiden victory in the Big Ten. After battling Minnesota (13-8, 4-5) to the final whistle of a five-point game in Minneapolis, the Nittany Lions will enter today's game feeling as though they can win.

Tipoff inside the Bryce Jordan Center is slated for 2 p.m. on the Big Ten Network. Despite the snowstorm in the area, the Lions and Gophers will do battle inside the BJC. Let's take a look at the OSR "Starting Five."

Luck from the Throwbacks?
The Nittany Lions will don uniforms from the mid 1970s later this afternoon. Let's hope the throwbacks bring some luck to a team needing a victory. The entire uniforms will be raffled off to fans that can purchase a chance to win one for just $2. Nevertheless, the Lions are focused on how to snap the 10-game slide heading into a full week off before Michigan State enters the Jordan Center. A win today would go a long way for the team's confidence heading into the break. Road games at Purdue and Ohio State were contests the Lions knew were going to be difficult to win. Today's game is another story. With a late stop, Penn State could have beaten the Gophers on the road at the end of December. If the Lions snap the streak today, will the throwbacks be worn again? That remains to be seen, but let's just worry about getting a victory.

Talor Battle

Battle Off the Dribble

Talor Battle put on quite a display in the second half of Wednesday's game in Columbus. The junior guard had his way with Buckeye defenders while driving to the basket. Not only did Battle's penetration fuel a 24-point scoring night, it allowed for open looks for other players on the perimeter. That theme needs to continue today. David Jackson and Chris Babb are beneficiaries of Battle's penetration in the paint. It just comes down to whether or not the Nittany Lions can knock down open looks from the outside. The Gophers will do a better job defending Battle on the perimeter, but the junior still needs to be aggressive taking the ball to the basket. The Lions are not going to beat Minnesota with contested jump shots.

Turnovers, Turnovers, Turnovers
Minnesota leads the Big Ten in forcing turnovers (17 per game). The Gophers thrive on pressure defense, like all of Tubby Smith's teams have done throughout his coaching career. Penn State committed 16 turnovers in the first meeting between the two teams. Keep an eye on the turnover column of the stat sheet in today's game. The Lions must keep the turnovers manageable if they are going to be in a position to win. Crisp offense is a must against a team that lives off of points from turnovers.

Defending the Three
In addition to keeping the turnovers to a minimum, the Nittany Lions must play good perimeter defense. Simply put, Minnesota is an excellent 3-point shooting team. The Gophers lead the Big Ten in 3-point shooting (39 percent). Gopher guard Blake Hoffarber leads the conference individually by shooting 50 percent. Hoffarber broke a school record with eight 3-poin! ters in a game earlier this season. He has drilled 55 percent of his s hots beyond the arc in the past 14 games. The Nittany Lions must keep a hand in Hoffarber's face throughout the afternoon. Fellow guard Lawrence Westbrook is another player to keep an eye on from the perimeter. Limit Minnesota's clean looks from the outside.

Meet the Gophers
Minnesota comes into today's game with all five members of its starting lineup averaging eight points or more. Led by guard Lawrence Westbrook's 13.3 scoring average, the Gophers have a well-balanced offensive attack. Tubby Smith plays the entire bench on a nightly basis. Expect to see 11 different players on the floor for Minnesota. Not only do 11 players see time, the Gopher bench has been very productive this season. The non-starters have out-scored Minnesota's opponents 547-339 this season.

As a team, Minnesota leads the Big Ten in scoring with 75 ppg. The Gophers shoot 48 percent from the floor, and allow just ! 40 percent shooting from their opponents. In addition to Westbrook, expect to see Blake Hoffarber and Devoe Joseph at the guard spots today. Damian Johnson and 6-foot 11-inch Ralph Sampson III will be the forwards.

The Final Word: With 13 wins, Minnesota is playing for its NCAA Tournament life. The Gophers have spent the last six days thinking about a 22-point loss at Ohio State last Sunday. Having lost four of their last five ballgames, they are going to be desperate to get a victory. However, the Gophers are just 1-5 away from home.

Penn State is at its best when the transition game is firing on all cylinders. It begins with Battle on the perimeter. The junior guard needs to get to the basket and the foul line this afternoon. In doing so, Battle will open things up for the rest of the players in the rotation. The Lions are due for a complete game. Tune in at 2 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

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February 5, 2010- Six Lions Prepare Their Bodies, Brains for NFL Combine
By Jon Schneider

In just a day shorter than three weeks, the 2010 NFL scouting combine will be taking place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. For the second straight year, Penn State will be the most represented Big Ten school with six players expected to be in attendance.

Of those invited to show off their stuff include OLB Navorro Bowman, DT Jared Odrick, ILB Sean Lee, ILB Josh Hull, TE Andrew Quarless, and QB Daryll Clark. All six players will look to impress in a variety of areas ranging anywhere from speed to strength, to even mental aptitude.

Yes, I said brains. Among one of the "tests" at the combine is something called the Wonderlic test. The test, which is used in all sorts of prospective employee applications ranging anywhere from chemists to journalists, is a 12-minute 50 question application used to assess one's aptitude for critical thinking and problem solving.

Here's a look at some of the most recent Penn State players and how they fared on this specific brain stimulation. Keep in mind, a score of 10 means the person is literate (or maybe just not illiterate) and the average score of an NFL player is said to be 20. The following are the scores recorded at the most recent NFL combine by Penn State players:

1.A.Q. Shipley: 40 (An absolute genius by NFL standards)
2.Gerald Cadogan: 26
3.Lydell Sargeant: 26
4.Aaron Maybin: 25
5.Jordan Norwood: 22

6.Maurice Evans: 21
7.Deon Butler: 19
8.Derrick Williams: 19

Although it's still used, the Wonderlic test has lost some of its significance primarily because of the college athletes' ability to extensively prepare for it. The position it's most looked into for is the quarterback position, however even that data has been having trouble holding its ground as several good NFL quarterbacks have scored poorly on the test.

Just to name a few, Mark Sanchez, Vince Young, and Dan Marino all scored a 15, which is considered extremely low for a quarterback.

Heading into the combine, both Odrick and Bowman are considered to have pretty good shots at going in the first round however one doesn't have to look too far to see that a good or bad outing at the combine can surely have a huge effect on a player's draft stock.

We've seen it in the recent past, with players like Ohio State's Vernon Gholston and Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey skyrocketing up the charts as Alabama's OL Andre Smith felt the negative result.

For the projected first-rounders, some may see the combine as an obstacle. For the projected mid-round guys who get invited (like Lee, Quarless, Hull, and Clark), it's an opportunity.

Come the end of the month, there will be over 900 NFL coaches, GM's, and scouts on hand at the home of the potential Super Bowl champion Colts. Guys like Odrick and Bowman already got their attention, guys like Sean Lee, who have something to prove because of injury or another reason, sure hope they could earn it.

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February 5, 2010- Penn State Wrestling's Progress Under Cael Sanderson
By Jon Schneider

Hailing from perennial wrestling powerhouse Iowa State is Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson, who in his first year has already made giant strides for the Nittany Lion wrestling program.

For those who may not know, Sanderson is the epitome of not only wrestling excellence, but the whole NCAA sports landscape as a whole. As a competitor, Sanderson posted a record of 159-0, which is considered by many to be the single greatest athletic achievement in the history of all college sports. Sanderson wrestled from 1999-2002 winning four awards for most outstanding wrestler in each of those years.

Now, in his fourth year as a head coach, Sanderson comes to Penn State to further his achievements in the wrestling world, and to help Penn State do the same. Anyone who knew anything about wrestling knew that the addition of Cael Sanderson wouldn't go unnoticed. However, I don't think everyone expected his first season to be as successful as it has so far.

Before the men even took their places on the mat, Sanderson had already secured the sixth best recruiting class in the country. In that recruiting class, was David Taylor of St. Paris, Ohio, who was considered almost unanimously as the number one freshman wrestler and recruit heading into this season.

Cael Sanderson

This past weekend, Cael and the Nittany Lions faced their toughest task when they headed back into Sanderson's home state of Iowa to face the No. 1 ranked Hawkeyes.

Unsurprisingly Sanderson heard it from all the Hawkeye faithful throughout the match, saying things such as "Cael's a Sellout" and "Cael's for Sale" repeatedly.

Sanderson and the Nittany Lions were certainly riding high coming into the hostile environment, coming in off wins vs. Big Ten ranked opponents Ohio State and Illinois.

Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions fell to the No. 1 team in the country, 29-6, marking their fourth loss of the season. Regardless of this single loss, the Penn State wrestling program still ranks 13th in the country after redeeming their defeat with a win against Wisconsin this past Sunday.

It won't be for another two years before Sanderson and his wrestling squad gets a chance at redemption in his home state. Maybe then, the Hawkeye community will perhaps be singing a different tune:

"Come Back Cael, Come Back Cael." Until then, all I can say is welcome to wrestling country Penn State.

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February 3, 2010- National Signing Day
By Tony Mancuso