UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Senior student-athletes John Harrar (men's basketball) and Jonni Parker (women's volleyball) were named the 2022 recipients of theErnest B. McCoy Memorial Award, while Natalie Heising (women's hockey) is among the 2022 John W. Oswald Award honorees. These accolades are University awards which recognize students for their academic, athletic and leadership accomplishments.
Harrar is the third men's basketball student-athlete to earn the McCoy Award, joining two-sport star Kevin Burke (1975) and John Amaechi (1995). Parker is the fourth women's volleyball honoree, joining Michele Robinson (1992), Nia Grant (2015) and Haleigh Washington (2018).
The McCoy Award has been presented annually since 1971 to one senior female and one senior male student-athlete who have combined successful athletic participation with academic excellence. The award is named for Ernie McCoy, the long-time dean of Penn State's College of Physical Education, who also served as the University's athletic director.
The John W. Oswald Award, established in 1983, annually recognizes graduating seniors who have provided outstanding leadership in at least one of several areas of activity at the University. The award consists of a medallion honoring John W. Oswald, president of the University from 1970-83.
John Harrar
John Harrar will go down as one of the most impactful players in the history of Penn State men's basketball. A leader both on and off the court, Harrar's relentless work ethic, inspiring leadership, and development into one of the Big Ten's best big men has consistently been praised by opposing coaches and national media alike.
Harrar, who elected to return to Penn State for a fifth season, set a Nittany Lions record with 146 career games played in the Blue & White. He is just the sixth player in Penn State history to have 800 points and 800 rebounds in his career and is the first Nittany Lion to average a double-double in a season since 2000. In 2021-22, he earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten accolades for the second-straight year after being one of two players in the conference to average a double-double at 10.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He led the Big Ten in offensive rebounds for a second-straight season, while his 64.0% field goal percentage is tied for second in program history. Harrar became the first Nittany Lion to pull down 20 rebounds in a game in 17 years with an 11-point, 20-rebound effort on Senior Night against Northwestern. As a true senior in 2020-21, Harrar led the Big Ten and ranked 11th nationally with 3.76 offensive rebounds per game. He paced the Lions with 8.8 rebounds per game and a 54.9% field goal percentage.
Harrar's on and off-court leadership has been well-documented as the undisputed heart and soul of the Nittany Lions. The Wallingford, Pa. native is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and three-time Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree. He earned the Big Ten's Outstanding Sportsmanship Award following the 2020-21 season and was named a top 30 candidate for the Senior CLASS Award during the 2021-22 season. Harrar graduated in May 2021 with a bachelor's degree in management and will graduate in May 2022 with a master's degree in management and organizational leadership from Penn State's Smeal College of Business.
Jonni Parker
Parker earned four All-America honors during her time as a Penn State right-side hitter, receiving third-team recognition as a freshman and senior and honorable mention status during her sophomore and junior seasons. She was a four-time All-Northeast Region selection and a four-time All-Big Ten honoree. She made her presence known immediately in the toughest conference in the nation, earning the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award in 2018. Parker was one of the most versatile players in the Big Ten as a six-rotation star for the Lions, finishing with career totals of 1,406 kills, 752 digs, 314 blocks and 94 aces.
A fan favorite off the court, Parker was known for staying at Rec Hall long after matches to meet the younger fans in attendance after both wins and losses. The elementary education major played her senior season while completing a semester as a student teacher at a nearby elementary school and didn't miss a beat while earning a third-straight Academic All-Big Ten honor. Her success in the classroom, as well as her work in the community, helped her land a spot on the Senior CLASS Award first team.
Parker's work in the community included time with the Reading Rewards program, Penn State THON fundraiser, All-Sports Museum Trick-or-Treat, and the Spiritus Leoninus Organization. She played a pivotal role in the volleyball team's annual Silent Set match, which helped raise awareness for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. She went on to start her own non-profit organization to support the same cause, founding Chasing Greatness during her senior season. The organization's purpose is to support persons 18 years and younger with hearing loss by creating funding opportunities for hearing aids and the enhancement of life skills.
Natalie Heising
Heising, a three-time captain for the Penn State women's hockey team, has led the Nittany Lions' program to new heights in her career and capped off her fifth season with Penn State in 2021-22 in sterling fashion. She became Penn State's all-time leading scorer with 147 career points and 74 career goals and tied for the program career lead with 63 assists. Her consistency and lead-by-example tenacity were on display for her entire career as she recorded at least 20 points in all her seasons at Penn State, including a program-record 40 points in the 2021-22 campaign, which earned her CHA Player of the Year honors.
A leader on and off the ice, Heising received her second consecutive CHA Individual Sportsmanship Award in 2021-22 for her leadership and representation of Penn State as a student-athlete. She was also named to the CHA All-Academic Team and All-Big Ten Academic Team in 2020-21 as a chemical engineering major.
