The National Soccer Coaches Association of America recently named Penn State junior midfielder Joanna Lohman (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) NSCAA/adidas College Scholar Athlete of the Year, becoming the first junior to ever win the award. She is also the first Nittany Lion to receive the award.

A first team NSCAA All-America for the second year in a row, Lohman has compiled an impressive 3.97 grade point average in business management. She helped the Nittany Lions to a 19-4-1 record in 2002 and a berth in the NCAA College Cup in Austin, Texas, where Penn State fell to eventual NCAA Champion Portland. This year, she scored a career-high 10 goals and was second on the team with 11 assists for 31 points. Named first team All-Big Ten the last three years, she ranks second in the Penn State career record books with 31 assists and is eighth with 22 goals and 75 points.

Lohman was voted first team Verizon Academic All-America the last two years and was named Big Ten Academic All-Big Ten. This year, she was a finalist for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy and the Honda Sports Award, as well as Soccer Buzz National Player of the Year. Lohman was the only Nittany Lion to be named to the College Cup All-Tournament team and was the U.S. Under-21 team's Most Valuable Player at the Nordic Cup this summer. Joseph Ngwenya of Coastal Carolina was the male College Scholar Athlete of the Year award winner. He and Lohman will both be honored at the NSCAA/adidas All-America Luncheon on Saturday, Jan. 18, in Kansas City, Mo.