Men’s team of the semester: The Icers

Penn State Icers coach Joe Battista insists his No. 1 ACHA Div. I Icers (20-0-0) are not the dominant team everyone perceives them to be.

Say what?

Not only are the Icers undefeated, they have been undeterred against quality competition. In 13 games versus current top-15 teams, minus their one forfeit win, the Icers have out scored their opponents 82-26, and overall have bludgeoned the opposition by an average of five goals a game. Not too shabby.

History is on their side, having collected four straight national championships under Battista. And don’t look now, but the Icers are getting healthy in a hurry. Now that’s a scary proposition. Five times as scary to be exact.

Women’s team of the semester: Women’s volleyball

In case you didn’t hear, the hottest place to be Friday and Saturday nights this fall was Rec Hall. Why? Well that’s where Penn State’s top women’s sports team, the volleyball squad (30-4), was doing in its foes with its well-placed kills.

Crowned Big Ten Conference Champions two weeks ago, the Nittany Lions lost just four times this season and are currently on a 12-match winning streak. With the longest season of any fall sport, the women are currently in Florida, where tonight they will play for a berth in the Elite Eight.

But perhaps most remarkable about the Lions is their ability to play as a team. The women have their share of weaknesses, they have had to deal with holes in the lineup, but they have proved thus far this fall that domination takes nothing more than a mix of amazing team chemistry and a strong will to win. And with the fate of the postseason yet undecided, there’s no telling how far they can go.

Female freshman of the semester: Ali Krieger

Penn State women’s soccer has proved its recruiting prowess in recent years and nothing is more telling of it than the Nittany Lions’ dominance of the Big Ten Freshman of the Year Award.

In 2003, midfielder Ali Krieger continued this tradition as she earned the award for the Lions for the fifth time in the past six seasons. Krieger’s name is now listed along with Emily Oleksiuk, Christie Welsh, Joanna Lohman and Tiffany Weimer in the record books with her freshman campaign.

She started all 24 games at midfield and finished tied for second on the team in assists with nine. She recorded a national-high four assists against Bucknell this season which is also a Big Ten single-game record.

Male freshman of the semester: Simon Omekanda

Yeah, we know what you’re thinking: What about Austin Scott? He has to be the freshman of the year.

Earlier in the fall, it looked like it would be Scott, but Omekanda eventually stood out because his coach actually let him play. And not just play — start. Every game of the season.

Omekanda tied for second on the team with 14 points. While he had only three goals, all of those were game-winners, and the freshman also tied for fourth in the conference in assists.

Much like the football Nittany Lions, the Penn State men’s soccer team, picked to finish second in the Big Ten, also had a disappointing season, winning only one Big Ten regular season game. But these Lions put the best players on the field — even if they were freshmen — and built for the future. That’s why Omekanda is Male Freshman of the Semester.

Female athlete of the semester: Joanna Lohman

For most soccer teams, the forwards carry the burden of scoring. But when women’s soccer coach Paula Wilkins told senior midfielder Joanna Lohman that she would need to focus on offense this season, she came through in a huge way.

Her scoring production this season — 19 goals, 6 assists, 44 points — rivals even some of the top forwards in the country. The fact that eight of them were game- winners underscores her value to her team.

Her senior season was easily the most productive of her four years with the Lions and by drawing added defensive attention to herself, forwards Heidi Drummond and Tiffany Weimer were able to combine for 36 goals and 91 points.

Male athlete of the semester: Dan Mazzocco

Redshirt freshman and cross country star Dan Mazzocco has had his fair share of close calls this season, however, none were as razor thin as the one Mazzocco applies to his bald dome before every meet.

Superstition aside, Mazzocco needed little help this season.

Returning from two stress fractures last year, the Pittsburgh native led the Nittany Lions in every race he ran in.

This includes heading the field in three meets, trumped by his victory at the NCAA Regional meet.

Despite his 80th place finish at the NCAA meet, Mazzocco was named Mid-Atlantic Cross Country Athlete of the Year and also garnered Big Ten weekly honors twice.

Mazzocco will run after the break for the men’s indoor track team, and with a little luck he’ll come back with a few new razors.

But not that he’ll need them.