UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Junior Kennedy Martin of women’s volleyball and sophomore Jake Kennedy of men’s swim and dive have each been recognized as the November Student-Athletes of the Month, as announced by the Morgan Academic Center (MAC) and PSU’s academic services staff.
Martin, a Fort Mill, South Carolina, native, is in her first semester here in Happy Valley after transferring from Florida. In her first season, she set program records for the 25-point rally scoring era (2008-present) in kills (634), kills/set (5.42), points (728) and points/set (6.22). She was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in her first season in the conference and was also earned AVCA All-East Coast Region recognition in addition to her two All-Southeast Region awards she won at Florida.
Kennedy, a Springfield, Pennsylvania, native, competed in his first two collegiate meets this season, first against St. Bonaventure in the 2025-26 season opener, and again against Yale in the team. In the two meets, Kennedy has already tallied three finishes atop of the podium. In his first career action, he raced as part of the 400-yard Free Relay which took home first in the meet against the Bonnies. He followed up the win with a first-place finish in the 50 Free and 100 Free against Ivy opponent Yale.
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.