UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Freshman Tèa Clèante of women’s basketball and freshman Jeppe Runge of men’s soccer have each been recognized as the October Student-Athletes of the Month, as announced by the Morgan Academic Center (MAC) and PSU’s academic services staff.
Clèante, a Dunkerque, France, native, is in her first semester here in Happy Valley. She is expected to be a contributor for the Lady Lions in her first season, as she already has national team experience under her belt, competing for the French National Team since the U17 level. She helped France to two gold medals at the European Basketball Championships in 2024.
Runge, an Odense, Denmark, native, intends to major in Kinesiology and has posted a 4.0 GPA in his second semester at Penn State. The first year forward has appeared in three games for the Nittany Lions, including making two starts, before suffering a season-ending injury. Despite facing such adversity, Runge turned his attention to his coursework, maintaining a perfect 4.0.
The MAC Student-Athletes of the Month (SAOTM) are students who exemplify the PSU values of Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Discovery, and Community as well as the Athletics values of Tradition, Teamwork, Diversity, Innovation, and Resilience. At least one female and one male student-athlete will be selected each month, and those students must be in good academic standing, demonstrate strong accountability, and be an example of the leadership on campus and in their community. They are nominated and selected by the Penn State academic services staff.