Penn State Sports Weekly Overview

Story posted February 10, 2014 in CommRadio, Sports by Aaron Carr

The following is the Penn State sports overview for the week of February 3rd-February 9th, and features results from every active Penn State athletic team.

Men’s Basketball:

The men’s basketball team had a pair of games this week, losing on the road to Michigan State 82-67 on the 6th. DJ Newbill had 17 points in the loss to the Spartans. The Lions play Illinois today, beginning at 4:15 p.m. Those wishing to get updates on the game should visit GoPSUSports.com. Penn State travels to Indiana to take on the Hoosiers in its next game on the 12th.

Player of the Week: Tim Frazier, senior, guard. Frazier’s scored a team-high 22 points in the loss to Michigan State.

Stat of the Week: Penn State is now 1-19 all time when playing at Michigan State.

Women’s Basketball:

The women’s basketball team had two matches this week, losing to Iowa 73-70 at home on the 6th, and then rebounded by defeating Ohio State on the 9th. Senior Talia East recorded her fourth career double-double in the loss to Iowa after scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. The Lady Lions return to the court on the 13th, when they travel to Indiana to take on the Hoosiers.

Player of the Week: Maggie Lucas, senior, guard. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year scored 23 points to move into fifth place on the conferences all-time scoring list.

Stat of the Week: Iowa became the first team to shoot 50% or better against the Lady Lions this season.

Men’s Ice Hockey:

The men’s ice hockey team lost to Michigan 7-3 on the 7th, but came back to beat the Wolverines 4-0 the following day. Both games were at home. Forward Zach Saar scored a goal in each of the games against the Wolverines. With the 4-0 victory on the 8th, Penn State won its first Big Ten Conference game in program history. The Lions look to ride the wave of momentum into their next match up against Michigan State, on the 14th.

Player of the Week: Matthew Skoff, sophomore, goaltender. The McKees Rocks, Pa., native made 32 saves in the 4-0 victory over Michigan to record his first shutout of the season.

Stat of the Week: The last time Penn State lead by three goals in a game was back on Dec. 1, against Union.

Women’s Ice Hockey:

The women’s ice hockey team hosted Lindenwood for a pair of games this week, losing 2-1 on the 8th, and falling to Lindenwood again on the 9th, after losing 4-3 in overtime. Senior forward Jenna Welch scored the lone goal in Saturday’s game. Penn State hosts Mercyhurst for a pair of games on the 14th and 15th, in its next time on the ice.

Player of the Week: Nicole Paniccia, senior, goaltender. The Oakville, Ont., native stopped 27 of 29 shots in the loss on Saturday.

Stat of the Week: Three of Penn State’s four losses to Lindenwood this season have been one-goal losses.

Wrestling:

The wrestling team fell to Minnesota 18-17 on the 9th. Penn State sophomore Morgan McIntosh defeated Minnesota’s Scott Schiller at 197 in an upset. Schiller was undefeated on the year. Minnesota’s Tony Nelson defeated Penn State’s Jon Gingrich in the heavyweight bout to clinch the win for the Gophers. Penn State takes to the mat against Oklahoma State on the 16th in its next meet.

Men’s Volleyball:

The men’s volleyball team had a dominant week, winning all three of its matches. Penn State defeated Ohio State 3-1 on the 5th, before sweeping Erskine on the 7th, and then Pfeiffer on the 8th, with all three matches being played at home. Redshirt junior Nick Goodell and junior Aaron Russell had double-digit kill performances in all three matches. Penn State looks to continue its eight match winning streak when it hosts NJIT on the 14th.

Player of the Week: Nick Goodell, redshirt junior, outside hitter. The Ambridge, Pa., native had a productive week, highlighted by his 20-kill total in the win over Ohio State.

Stat of the Week: Two of the sets against Ohio State went to extra points with Penn State winning the first set 29-27 and the third set 31-29.

Softball:

The softball team competed in the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Az., from the 7th to the 9th. Penn State lost to Oregon State 12-10 on the 7th, before coming back to beat Appalachian State 10-4 later in the day. On the 8th, Penn State beat Bradley 5-3, before dropping their second game to Arizona State by a score of 9-1. Penn State defeated Seattle 6-1 on the final day of the Classic. The Lions return to the diamond on the 14th, for the first of the three-day Tiger Invitational to be held in Baton Rouge, La.

Player of the Week: Karlie Habitz, sophomore, C/INF. Habitz recorded her first career grand slam in the loss to Oregon State.

Stat of the Week: Penn State began the season 2-2 for the first time since 2011.

Men’s Lacrosse:

The men’s lacrosse team beat Michigan 22-7 at home on the 8th. Senior Shane Sturgis scored a career-high six goals and sophomore TJ Sanders chipped in with five goals in the rout. Penn State hosts Loyola on the 15th, in its next game.

Men’s Gymnastics:

The men’s gymnastics team swept Temple on the 8th. Five different Nittany Lions earned season-high individual marks. Penn State is off until the 15th, when it hosts Illinois.

Women’s Gymnastics:

The women’s gymnastics team lost to Nebraska on the 8th, despite scoring season-high marks on the balance beams, uneven bars and the vault. Penn State is off until it hosts Illinois on the 15th.

Fencing:

The men’s and women’s fencing teams competed in the Notre Dame duals on the 8th, with the men going a perfect 5-0 and the women posting a 5-1 mark. Penn State is off until the Junior Olympics start on the 14th.

Track and Field:

The men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in the Sykes and Sabock Challenge Cup on the 7th and the 8th, with the competition being held at University Park. The women’s team defeated Buffalo but the men fell to Connecticut. Penn State is off until the 14th, when it competes in splits time between the SPIRE D-1 Invitational and the Washington Husky Classic.

Swimming and Diving:

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams competed in the Ohio State Invite on the 8th and the 9th. The men’s team recorded three first place finishes on day one and the women’s team had five top finishes in the first day. Penn State is off until the Big Ten Championships begin on the 26th.

Men’s Tennis:

The men’s tennis team swept both UMBC and Bucknell by the same 7-0 score on the 8th, with both matches being played at home. Penn State hosts Binghamton and Lehigh later today. Those wishing to get updates on those matches should visit GoPSUSports.com later in the day. 

Women’s Tennis:

The women’s tennis team lost to William & Mary 5-2 on the 8th. Penn State plays VCU later today and those wishing to get updates on those matches should visit GoPSUSports.com later in the day.

Aaron Carr is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email adc5230@psu.edu.