WINTHROP, Mass. – The Penn State women's hockey team was picked first in the 2021-22 College Hockey America (CHA) preseason coaches' poll with multiple Penn State student-athletes also garnering preseason recognition by the league as announced Thursday morning.
In addition to earning a first-place nod from conference coaches as a team, sophomore forward Kiara Zanon (Fairport, N.Y.) was named the Preseason CHA Player of the Year.
Zanon was joined by senior forward Natalie Heising (Wayzata, Minn.), senior defender Izzy Heminger (Dublin, Ohio) and sophomore goaltender Josie Bothun (Wyoming, Minn.) on the coaches' Preseason All-CHA Team.
Head coach Jeff Kampersal's squad earned four out of four possible first-place votes among CHA head coaches (coaches could not vote for their own teams) for 20 points.
The full poll breakdown is listed below:
2021-22 CHA Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rk. Team (1st Votes) Points
- Penn State (4) 20
- Syracuse (1) 17
- Mercyhurst 14
- Lindenwood 11
- RIT 8
Coaches could not vote for their own teams. Based on a 5-4-3-2 scale.
The Nittany Lions had a special 2020-21 season that saw them clinch their first CHA regular-season championship with a 16-3-2 overall record.
Each of the four individual honorees for the Nittany Lions garnered regular-season CHA honors in the 2020-21 season, with Bothun, Heising, and Zanon earning first team accolades and Heminger receiving a second team nod.
Zanon was the 2020-21 CHA Player of the Year, a Penn State first, as well as the league's Rookie of the Year winner. Bothun was the first Nittany Lion to win CHA Goaltender of the Year award, also during her freshman season.
View the full CHA release here.
Women's hockey single-game and season tickets are available for the 2021-22 regular season. Ticket purchases can be made via Penn State Account Manager or by calling the Penn State Ticket Office at 1-800-NITTANY.
Get all of the latest updates on Penn State women's ice hockey by following @PennStateWHKY on Twitter, "liking" the Penn State Women's Ice Hockey page on Facebook, and following @pennstatewhky on Instagram.
