COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Penn State women's ice hockey junior forward Kiara Zanon was named by USA Hockey as one of 10 finalists for the 2023 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as announced on Thursday.
This is the second time in her career that's been named a finalist for the player of the year honor. The full list of 2023 finalists can be found via the Patty Kazmaier award website.
"Kiara is a dynamic player who is having her third phenomenal season at Penn State" stated head coach Jeff Kampersal. "She consistently produces because she has a relentless drive to improve. Her skill, her ability to change speeds, and vision are elite. She deserves this Patty Kazmaier recognition as one of top players in college hockey."
Zanon's third season as a Nittany Lion was an historic one in 2022-23. She broke Natalie Heising's record in single season goals which was 21 as she's currently recorded 25 this season. The Fairport, N.Y., native leads the nation with five shorthanded goals. On Jan. 13 against RIT, the forward equaled and surpassed the 100-career point mark as she scored back-to-back shorthanded goals on the same penalty kill. She hit the mark faster than any Nittany Lion in program history.
Zanon also broke her own single season program record in points from a season ago which was 41 as she's tallied 48 so far. She is a three-time CHA Forward of the Week recipient and captured two CHA Forward of the Month honors. The Fairport, N.Y. native also was named the 2023 CHA Player of the Year and CHA Scoring Champion.
Off the ice, she has performed community service efforts including reading to kindergarten students at Young Scholars Charter School, was a buddy at Night to Shine (prom night experience for people with disabilities) of the Tim Tebow Foundation, volunteered at the Pink Zone opening ceremony for breast cancer awareness, and helped run and coach young girls' hockey clinics and camps in Rochester, N.Y.
An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is annually presented to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey. Selection criteria includes outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness, and a love of hockey. Consideration is also given to academic achievement and civic involvement.
The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League defenseman at Princeton University from 1981-86. An accomplished athlete who helped lead the Tigers to the Ivy League Championship in three consecutive seasons (1981-84), Patty Kazmaier-Sandt died Feb. 15, 1990, at the age of 28 following a long struggle with a rare blood disease.
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