Editor's note: This is the first in a two-part senior column.

For some inexplicable reason I thought about Jan Jagla the other day.

I guess it was a result of having just watched a Duke basketball game on television combined with reading the latest Penn State/Lock Haven basketball story in the paper that made me think about quite possibly the worst seven-footer ever to play on American soil. Add to that all of the BCS talk going around, and I was just getting frustrated.

Constant talk about major college programs made me realize what a true mess Penn State's so-called "high-profile athletic teams" have been over the past few years. Since I came here almost four years ago, it's been nothing short of embarrassing going home and talking with friends and family about Penn State sports.

Friends at Syracuse are still celebrating a national championship, friends at Duke can't stop talking about having the greatest basketball atmosphere there is, and we at Penn State have nothing to truly be proud of, at least in major college athletics.

There was a Capital One Bowl appearance and a women's basketball Elite Eight blowout, but we have to deserve better.

I might not have expected greatness when agreeing to come to Penn State, but a historic football program coupled with a men's basketball team coming off a Sweet 16 berth should have produced something more than a big dud.

It hasn't been easy to think about positives, but the lone bright spot has been my chance to witness what Penn State can be proud of, in an athletic sense, thanks to my work at the Collegian.

This has given me the chance to see some pretty unique programs that are currently at the pinnacle of their sports.

The best example -- and one that, as a sports editor, people love to complain to me about -- is the Icers.

We receive e-mail after e-mail saying, "why doesn't the Collegian cover this," and yada-yada-yada, "but you guys cover the Icers." Some people consider a club sport to be just that, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

The Icers deserve everything they have and more. In all honesty, the university should be treating them with a lot more respect. They are the nicest group of athletes to deal with, as a reporter, and have the best coach at Penn State, in Joe Battista -- sorry, Rene.

What separates the Icers from every other club is money, not the success they've had. Everything from travel expenses to expensive uniforms to equipment is self bought and run through the booster club, which generates thousands of dollars per year. Also, having 1,000-plus people pay to watch every game is a tribute to the program. When the women's rugby team gets that at a match, drop me an e-mail.

Along with the Icers come a few other sports that have had success, unlike our nine-win men's basketball program. The women's soccer team was the overall No. 2 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, and has one of the best players in the country, in Tiffany Weimer, returning next season.

One team still alive and kicking is the women's volleyball team, which is currently in Seattle looking to earn a trip to next weekend's Final Four.

Those Lions just might be the best-kept secret on campus, under the direction of the funniest and most enjoyable coach we have, Russ Rose. Two straight Big Ten titles, along with having the opportunity this season to attend matches and practice, has given me a new-found respect for the second most enjoyable sport around -- behind the Icers, and excluding football, of course.

So, instead of sulking about how bad the football team's offense is, or how crappy the men's basketball team is -- although trust me, I love to do both -- use your time to witness some of the other sports on campus while you're here.

It might be your last opportunity to see volleyball, or certainly hockey, for a while. Plus, they're cheap and you won't have to worry about a missed lay-up or field goal. And on top of it all, you may actually get to hear, "Penn State wins."

What a novel concept.