Pair of football players earn academic honors

Two members of Penn State's relentless defense have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Football Team as selected by members of CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Junior outside linebacker Paul Posluszny and redshirt junior safety Nolan McCready are first team All-District selections and eligible for consideration for the Academic All-America team. Posluszny, a finalist for the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker, was selected Academic All-District for the second consecutive year.

Posluszny has started every contest for the 9-1 Nittany Lions and is fourth in the Big Ten with 106 tackles (58 solo). He owns a 3.67 grade point average in finance and has made the Dean's List in all four of his semesters.

McCready has a 3.58 grade point average in political science. He has played in eight games on defense and special teams for the No. 5 Lions. He has eight tackles (four solo), one forced fumble and returned an interception 76 yards for a touchdown at Illinois. He made three solo stops against the Illini. McCready has made the Dean's List in five of his first six semesters and earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2004.

Volleyball rookie named Big Ten Player of Week

Penn State women's volleyball freshman outside hitter Nicole Fawcett has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the second time this season after helping the No. 2 Nittany Lions (25-2, 16-0 Big Ten) earn the conference title for the third year in a row with sweeps over then-No. 14 Purdue and Illinois last weekend.

Fawcett was also named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Sept. 26, marking the first time in Penn State history that a freshman had won the honor. The accolade brings Penn State's total Big Ten Player of the Week awards to 43 since joining the conference for the 1991 season, including nine awards by five different players this season.

Fawcett posted match-high kills in both contests last weekend as the then-No. 3 Lions swept two more conference opponents and clinched the Big Ten title outright.

At Purdue, the freshman posted 14 kills on .321 hitting with seven digs and four blocks. She was also on fire against Illinois.