Penn State Update: 5/9/2009

• The men's volleyball team captured another EIVA title last Saturday when they knocked off Juniata. This is the teams 21st conference title. The win got them into the national semifinals, which were held in Provo, Utah this year. The team, seeded #3, faced #2 seed USC. The Trojans got the best of the Nittany Lions, 3-1, and advanced to the national championship game. Penn State, the 2008 National Champions, failed to defend their title. It was another stellar year by the guys nonetheless.
• Last weekend the track and field team was in Columbus, OH for the Jesse Owens Classic. There Megan Duncan, Mike Cadau, Hanif Johnson, John Mahoney, and the 4x400 meter relay team earned bids to the NCAA Regionals. Today the team is back in State College for the Penn State Open. This coming Friday is the start of the Big Ten Championships.
• The softball team participated in a double header last Saturday at University Park, splitting the games with Indiana. The Hoosiers took the opener, 4-3, but Penn State won the night cap 9-1 in six innings. The team has another double header today at Ohio State. These two games are the final regular season matchups before the NCAA Regionals start next weekend.
• After losing the opener to Michigan State last Friday, the Penn State baseball team dropped the next two games to the Spartans completing the sweep. After the demoralizing sweep the team traveled south to Iowa City to face the Hawkeyes. The Nittany Lions got back on track in the opener last night, defeating Iowa 8-6. The team continues their series with the Hawkeyes today and it concludes tomorrow.
• The women's lacrosse team played in the ALC Championship last Saturday against #1 Northwestern. The juggernaut that is the Wildcats vanquished our ladies 13-3. Northwestern went 19-0 this season and is getting ready to try and win their 5th straight National Championship. The postseason tournament begins tomorrow. Look for a finals showdown between the Wildcats and Maryland, who also went 19-0 in the regular season.
• The men's lacrosse team beat Georgetown, 12-10, last Saturday to finish the regular season with a record of 9-5 on the strength of six consecutive victories. Unfortunately the third place finish in the ECAC was not good enough to make the National Tournament.
• When we left our men's golf team last weekend they were tied for sixth place at the Big Ten Championships on their home turf. They fell back to ninth on Saturday but marched back to finish in a tie for fourth at the conclusion on Sunday. They are off until Thursday when the NCAA Regionals begin.
  

Penn State Update - 5/2/2009

I missed last week's Penn State update due to the NFL draft but I'm back this week to give you the lowdown on all Nittany Lion athletes not running around for Joe Paterno.

• Since my last update, the men's volleyball team has stretched their winning streak to 11 matches. The defeated Ohio State in the regular season finale and George Mason in the EIVA Championship opener. The team, ranked 5th in the nation, plays Juniata tonight for the EIVA Championship. Regardless of the outcome of that match, the team is off to Provo, UT for the NCAA Championships which start Thursday and conclude next Saturday.
• Last weekend were the Penn Relays where the track and field team put on a stellar show. Today is the Jesse Owens Classic in Columbus, OH. Next Saturday is their last regular season event, the Penn State Open.
• The men's tennis teams three match win streak came to an end on April 19 when they lost, 5-2, to Northwestern in the regular season finale. The Big Ten Tournament started on Thursday and the Nittany Lions easily dispatched Purdue 4-0 in Ann Arbor, MI. Unfortunately the next day the team was swept by Illinois. Next weekend are the NCAA Regionals.
• The women concluded their regular season with two straight match losses at Wisconsin and at Northwestern, running their losing streak to five. The Big Ten Tournament began - and ended - for them on Thursday. The team fell to Minnesota, 4-0, in Madison, WI. Their season is over.
• The men's lacrosse team has extended their winning streak to five games after defeating Rutgers 9-4 on April 18 and St. Joseph's 17-6 on April 25. They play at Georgetown todat at 1 PM in the regular season finale.
• The women's lacrosse team started a wins treak of their own on April 19 when they hosted and vanquished Ohio State, 13-9. Last weekend they traveled to Johns Hopkins and won 12-11. Last night, in the American Lacrosse Conference Championships, the women beat Ohio State once more (11-7). Today the women play #1 Northwestern at 2 PM for the Championship. The ALC Championship are being played at Penn State this year. Home field advantage! Regardless of today's result, the women will travel somewhere next Sunday for the first round of the NCAA Championships.
• The men's golf team lead at the Boilermaker Invitational after one day of play but fell to, and finished in, second when all was said and done on April 19. Yesterday the Big Ten Championships began. After one day of play the team is tied for 6th. Play resumes today and concludes tomorrow.
• The women's golf team finished day one of the Lady Buckeye tied for 9th and finished in the same spot on the 19th of April. Last weekend, while I was home in Sinking Spring, PA, the women were here in West Lafayette, IN for the Big Ten Championships. The team was last reported to be in 11th place. Not good. Next weekend are the NCAA Regional Championships.
• After beating Indiana on April 17th the baseball started to slide. They lost five straight between April 18 and April 26, two to Indiana and all three to Illinois. They beat La Salle on April 29 but were absolutely hammered by Michigan State last night, 12-1. They continue their series with Michigan State today and tomorrow at 1:05 PM. Including the two remaining games versus Michigan State the team has only nine games left on their regular season schedule.
• The softball team had a double header at Minnesota on April 18th and the teams traded 1-0 victories. The team then split their two game series at Maryland before being swept by Purdue (2-0, 3-2). They had a double header this past Wednesday at Michigan State. The ladies took the opener 6-3 but fell in the night cap 3-2. They host Indiana today in a double header and conclude their regular season next Saturday.

Penn State Update - 4/18/2009

• The softball team, fresh off of a 2-game sweep of Iowa the previous weekend, took both games from Wisconsin last weekend. They ran their winning streak to 5 games by beating Kent State on Tuesday. They lost the first game of their double-header versus St. Francis (PA) on Thursday but won the night cap. They start a 2-game series at Minnesota today. The softball team now has a record of 10-14 on the season.
• After dropping the first game against Purdue last Friday night, the baseball team bounced back and beat the Boilermakers on Saturday, 11-9. They lost the final game of the series on Sunday, 9-3. The match versus Pittsburgh was canceled on Tuesday due to rain. They returned to the field Wednesday and beat Mount St. Mary's, 8-3. Last night they began a 3-game series at Indiana. The Nittany Lions took the first game 9-7. They play this afternoon and finish up tomorrow. The baseball team is 21-14 for the season.
• The women's golf team is currently competing in the Lady Buckeye tournament in Columbus, OH.
• Last weekend the men's golf team competed in the Kepler Intercollegiate. They stood in 12th place at the end of the day on Saturday and worked their way up a spot for an overall 11th finished on Sunday. This weekend they are here with me in West Lafayette, IN competing in the Boilermaker Invitational.
• The women's gymnastics team placed 5th out of 6th teams in their NCAA Championships session and failed to reach the NCAA Finals. They posted a team score of 196.10. Oklahoma finished in 1st with a score of 197.45. Penn State secured three individual All-America awards. Freshman Whitney Bencsko (vault) junior Alexandra Brockway (bars), and junior Brandi Personett (floor) all gained First Team honors. Bencsko also earned a Second Team All-American designation for her floor exercise. The three First Team All-Americans are competing in the individual National Championships today in Lincoln, NE.
• The men's gymnastics team finished 4th in their qualifying session. Unfortunately only the top 3 teams in each session advance to the team finals. This is the first time since 2002 that Penn State will not be in play for the National Title. Top gymnasts Casey Sandy Noam Shaham, Allen Harris, Nick Virbitsky, Josh Borromeo, Matt Greenfield, and Warren Yang all competed in individual events however. Only Casey Sandy did enough last night to advance to any finals, being held today. Sandy finished 9th in the vault and will compete for a National Title today. His finish also guarantees him an All-American designation, the 8th of his career.
• The women's lacrosse team was pounded last Sunday by #1 Northwestern, 17-6. They host Ohio State tomorrow.
• The men's lacrosse team squeaked by St. Johns by a score of 12-11 last weekend. They play at Rutgers this morning.
• The women's tennis team lost to #36 Illinois last Sunday, 7-0. They play at Wisconsin today and at Northwestern tomorrow. These are their final matches before the Big Ten Tournament.
• The men's tennis team lost by the same score to #11 Illinois last Saturday. They also dropped their match versus Indiana on Sunday, 4-3. They returned to University Park and beat Bucknell and Bloomsberg 7-0 on Wednesday. Last night they downed #30 Wisconsin 5-2. They are currently hosting Northwestern in their final match before their Big Ten Tournament.
• The Bison Outdoor Classic was last weekend and the Penn State track and field team was there. After competition concluded on Sunday, Penn Staters accounted for 14 victories and another 5 athletes qualified for the NCAAs later this spring. Today the team is in Auburn, AL for the War Eagle Invite. The Penn Relays in Philadelphia start on Thursday.
• The men's volleyball team stretched their winning streak to 9 games with wins last Saturday at George Mason (3-0) and then last night at Ball State (3-0). The team plays at Ohio State tonight and hopes to extend their W streak to double digits, which would match their season high. This is the final match of the regular season. The EIVA Championships take place starting Thursday at Penn State. After last nights victory the defending National Champions have a record of 24-3.
• The wrestling has been done with competition for a month. However there is a regime change that has just been completed. Legendary wrestler Cael Sanderson has accepted the head coaching job for the Nittany Lions. Sanderson will be Penn State's 12th coach. Sanderson, 29, is leaving his alma mater (Iowa State) where he has lead the Cyclones for the past three seasons. In his three seasons he led the Cyclones to 3 straight Big 12 Conference Championships. Sanderson compiled q 159-0 record as a collegiate wrestler from 1999-2002 and won 4 individual championships plus numerous other awards and honors. This is a huge signing for Penn State. Good things are on the horizon for an underachieving wrestling program.

Penn State Update - 4/11/2009

• The men's volleyball team, ranked 7th nationally, defeated NJIT and Princeton to extend their record to 22-3. Their win over NJIT clinched the Lions 25th EIVA regular season title. They play at George Mason tonight.
  
• The track and field team competed in the Jim Click Shootout last weekend and are participating in the Bison Outdoor Classic today.
• The women's tennis team beat Michigan State last Saturday, 4-3. Unfortunately they fell to Michigan on Sunday, 7-0, and Indiana yesterday, 6-1. They host Illinois tomorrow.
• The men's tennis team lost to Michigan last Saturday but Michigan State on Sunday. They play at Illinois today and at Indiana tomorrow.
• After eight straight losses the softball team is finally back to their winning ways. The team took down Iowa twice last Saturday, 1-0 and 2-1. It was their first win since March 14. They host Wisconsin today and tomorrow.
• The baseball team took two of three from Michigan last weekend, winning the first game of the double header on Saturday 6-4. They dropped the night cap, 9-5, but won on Sunday, 16-5. They squeaked by Bucknell on Wednesday, 12-11, but lost the opener to Purdue last night, 6-4. The three game set continues today and concludes tomorrow.
• The Penn State women's lacrosse team dropped both of their matches in the ACC/ALC Challenge last weekend. They lost to #2 Maryland, 20-12, on Friday and then to #4 North Carolina, 11-7, on Sunday. The team beat Lehigh on Wednesday, 14-10. They play at #1 Northwestern tomorrow. Wow, what a schedule.
• The men's lacrosse team improved their record to 5-5 this past week. They beat Hobart on Saturday and Bucknell on Tuesday. They host St. Johns today.
• The women's gymnastics team finished in 2nd place in the Regional Championships last Saturday and earned a spot in the National Championships, which start this Thursday. This is the women's first trip to nationals since 2005. Good luck ladies!
• The men's gymnastics team will be competing in their National Championships starting Thursday as well.
• The women's golf team finished in 5th place at the Canes and Cardinals Classic last weekend. Their next competition is the Lady Buckeye Tournament in Columbus next weekend.
• This weekend the men's golf team has an event for the first time in nearly a month. The guys are in Columbus, OH for the Kepler Intercollegiate. Next weekend they come to West Lafayette, IN for the Boilermaker Invitational.

Penn State Update - 4/4/2009

• Penn State baseball lost to Ohio State again last Saturday, 12-2, after falling Friday night 8-3. They sought revenge on Sunday and got it with a 15-11 win. They then beat Bucknell on Monday but lost to Kent State Wednesday. Rain postponed the series opener versus Michigan last night. The teams will play a double header today in Ann Arbor and complete the three game series tomorrow. The team is 15-11.
  
• The Penn State softball team remains in a funk, dropping another four games this last week. Their last win came way back on March 14 versus Arizona. They dropped two games a piece to Northwestern and Michigan. Their record has fallen to 9-18. They travel to Iowa City for a two game series versus the Hawkeyes today and tomorrow.
• The men's gymnastics team has been off for two weeks but starting last night they are in Ann Arbor, MI for the Big Ten Championships. The team events took place yesterday and Penn State finished a disappointing 5th. Individual events are today.
• The women have been off fore the last two weeks too but tonight their season is on the line. They are in Raleigh, NC for the NCAA Regional Championships. The top two teams advance to Lincoln, NE for the NCAA Championships in two weeks. Good luck ladies!
• The men's lacrosse team dropped a heart breaker to Massachusetts last Saturday, 9-8. They host Hobart this afternoon. The team is 3-5 thus far.
• The women's lacrosse team snapped their four game losing streak last weekend when they defeated William & Mary 14-12. They played #2 Maryland last night in Columbus and lost 20-12. They play #4 North Carolina tomorrow morning. The team is 5-5.
• The men's tennis team secured a win last Sunday versus Iowa, taking the match 4-3. Their next four matches are all Big Ten contests on the road, starting today in Ann Arbor. Their record is 9-8.
• The women's tennis team also defeated Iowa by the same score last weekend. It was the teams 4th victory of the year. They host four straight Big Ten matchups starting today versus Michigan State.
• The Track & Field team is in Tucson, AZ for the Jim Click Shootout.
• The men's volleyball team swept Mount Olive, 3-0, last Saturday in State College.It is the teams 20th win on the season and 5th straight. They are in Newark, NJ today for a game versus NJIT.
• As has been documented at the site a few times over the last week, the men's basketball team completed their epic run in the NIT. They dispatched Notre Dame on Tuesday, 67-59, and then beat Baylor, 69-63, to capture the teams second ever postseason title. Following the NIT Championship, Talor Battle's younger brother, Taran Buie, committed to Penn State. Buie is the nation's 37th ranked prospect for 2010. [Nittany White Out, Zombie Nation, Black Shoe Diaries, Nittanydelphia, and Crispin and Cream]

Congratulations once again to the 2008-2009 Penn State Men's Basketball team, 2009 NIT CHAMPIONS!!!