UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Head coach John Gondak and the Penn State track & field coaching staff announced their team awards for the 2022 calendar year on Dec. 8 at the annual team banquet.
The 2022 Nittany Lions celebrated many achievements on Thursday night, beginning with Big Ten First Team award winners Allison Johnson (indoor women's 800m), Chloe Royce (pentathlon), and Yasmin Brooks (Indoor 60mH, 100mH), who were presented with their hardware.
Johnson was also presented with the Big Ten Indoor Freshmen of the year, and Tyler Merkley was heralded as the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year.
Mallory Kauffman's performance won her the USTFCCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Women's Field Athlete of the Year honor, and Merkley's First-Team All-America accomplishment rounded out the external awards for the evening.
The coaching staff also handed out the program's 2022 team awards on Thursday night. Each honoree and their accomplishments are as follows:
MOST VALUABLE ATHLETE:
Faith DeMars – Women's Cross Country
Brandon Hontz – Men's Cross Country
Yasmin Brooks – Women's Track
Evan Dorenkamp – Men's Track
Tyler Merkley – Men's Field
Mallory Kauffman – Women's Field
KEVIN DARE MOST INSPIRATIONAL:
Rachel Gearing – Women's Honoree
Olivier Desmeules, Savion Hebron, Korbin Martino, James Onwuka (Men's 4x400m Relay) – Men's Honorees
HEART OF THE LION (First Annual):
Chloe Royce – Women's Honoree
Luke Knipe – Men's Honoree
PROGRAM RECORDS BROKEN:
Luke Knipe – Indoor (17-8.5 (5.40)) and Outdoor (17-8.5 (5.40)) Pole Vault
Katie Jones – Indoor (14-0 (4.27)) and Outdoor (14-1.75 (4.31)) Pole Vault
Allison Johnson – Indoor 800m (2:02.84)
Evan Dorenkamp – Indoor Mile (3:55.02)
Tyler Merkley – Hammer Throw (238-6 (72.70))
Rachel Gearing, Victoria Tachinski, Madaline Ullom, Victoria Vanriele – women's 4x800m relay (8:24.49)
MOST IMPROVED:
Kileigh Kane – Women's Cross Country
Behailu Bekele-Arcuri – Men's Cross Country
Makenna Krebs – Women's Track & Field
Ka'Mere Day – Men's Track & Field
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR:
Libby Benzer – Women's Cross Country
Brendan Colwell – Men's Cross Country
Olivier Desmeules – Ed Moran Memorial Men's Track & Field
Allison Johnson – Women's Track & Field
COACHES AWARD:
Katie Jones
Hailey Zurich
Sophia Toti
Madaline Ullom
Victoria Tachinski
Cecelia Bacon
Lance Hamilton
Kevin Bartosh
Collin Burkhart
