Win or lose, the one thing that can be said about the Penn State men's soccer team this year is that it is entertaining. The Nittany Lions have played in 12 overtime games this season and, though it's not always good for the offense, they dribble more than the Harlem Globetrotters.

In fact, against slower defenses, Penn State has a way of turning its offense into a dribbling extravaganza that features David Walters, Simon Omekanda, Mike Lindemann and Richard Costanzo beating defenders with moves that send the ball over, around, and sometimes through the legs of their opponents.

But without a doubt, the most electric member of Penn State's three-ring circus has been the freshman Costanzo, and today he was richly rewarded when he was named Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten conference.

"There are a lot of other good players on our team and other teams that could have deserved to win this award," Costanzo said. "I feel very privileged."

Costanzo is the fourth Penn State player to win the award, following in the footsteps of current forward Chad Severs, and past Nittany Lions Stuart Reid and Rich Wilmot.

Penn State head coach Barry Gorman said that he could not be happier with the way Costanzo has played during his first fall on campus.

"Rich has done very well for us, we anticipated that he would do well, we thought that he would be in a starting position from the beginning," Gorman said. "It's just a reward that he got the award, from all the players up for the award he is the most exciting newcomer."

There is no doubt that Costanzo is exciting.

He burst onto the collegiate soccer scene with an assist in his first career game, a 1-1 tie against then-No. 6 North Carolina, but Costanzo really stepped into the spotlight two weeks later when Penn State opened its home schedule against Virginia Tech in the Penn State Nike Classic.

Costanzo recorded two goals in the tournament, but maybe more importantly than his contributions on the scorecard, he became an instant fan favorite after torching both the Hokies and Akron, Penn State's championship game opponent, with his phenomenal dribbling skills.

Even as Penn State's offense began to sputter toward the middle of its schedule, Costanzo never strayed from his flashy, aggressive and intense style, and he finished the season tied for second on the team in points with 15.

His skills on the ball have been one of the bright spots for a Penn State attack that has been up and down all season, and Gorman said that he was not surprised that Costanzo has been such a strong offensive contributor during his freshman campaign.

"He's got a proven track record of scoring and contributing to goals," Gorman said. "That's what you look for when you recruit kids, you look for the kind of players that have that history behind them."

The history to which Gorman refers is definitely an impressive one, and Costanzo came to Penn State with impeccable soccer credentials already in tow. He won two state championships and holds the all-time record for career goals at Thomas Jefferson High School in Jefferson Hills, Pa., in addition to starring on the prestigious club team FC Delco. Costanzo has also spent time on the United States U-18 soccer team and is still in the pool from which the national teams are selected.