This afternoon in the land of stars, a new one will be born as Nittany Lion volleyball fans will welcome in the program's most recent recruit, Megan Hodge.
The 6-foot-3 high school standout from North Carolina will be honored far across the country in Hollywood, Calif., by former USC quarterback Matt Leinart and Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning. She will receive the Gatorade's National Volleyball Player of the Year award at a pre-ESPY luncheon.
The ceremony, which will also recognize four other female athletes and five other male athletes in the sports of volleyball, soccer, track and field, softball, basketball, and football, respectively, will conclude with the naming of the overall high school athlete for both men and women.
Even being among the five nominees is a major accomplishment for Hodge, who is regarded by many as the best female volleyball player ever to come out of North Carolina.
"Being a nominee for the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Award is a tremendous honor, because it means that Megan has been recognized as the best high school player in her sport," Heather Atkinson, Assistant Marketing Manger of the Gatorade Company, said through e-mail. "Out of the nearly two million girls participating in high school volleyball, soccer, basketball, softball and track and field, only five can say they have reached this point."
The award, which is voted on by a selection committee of sportswriters and other experts in the field, has been given to many volleyball players who went on to successful careers, including recent beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh.
Hodge will join former Penn State women's soccer player Christie Welsh as the only other athlete to be named a Gatorade National Player of the Year before coming to Happy Valley. Even with that kind of pressure on her, Hodge is trying not to let nerves affect her as she waits for the star-studded luncheon.
"They're keeping us very busy. There's been a lot of rehearsals," Hodge said. "It's an honor [to be nominated] anyway, so I'm not really nervous about getting it or not. The experience is fine."
While it's not hard adding up Hodge's incredible high school stats, trying to calculate who is the favorite for the Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year is far from easy.
"The accomplishments of the female athletes are all so impressive, it's hard to imagine that there will be a runaway winner of the award," Atkinson said. "Megan's resume gives her as good a chance as any one of her fellow nominees."
Even though the award seems like fair game for everyone and will probably come down to the wire, Hodge, as well as all the other former high school athletes being nominated, will have the chance to meet stars that one day they hope to become.
"You see all these people playing on TV -- I'm excited to get a chance to meet some of them," Hodge said of meeting the likes of Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade.
Although she is living a high school athlete's dream out in California, Hodge, who will walk the red carpet and attend the ESPY taping later in the evening, still has her Penn State career in her vision like a perfect set from a teammate.
"When I came on my visit to Penn State, I felt really comfortable. I liked all the girls," Hodge said. "I felt like it was where I was suppose to be."
Even as a first year player, Hodge should be able fit in perfectly and display the same skills that gave her all the recognition in high school for an already dominant Penn State women's volleyball program.
"I think she'll be able to step right in and make a contribution as a freshman," head coach Russ Rose said. "We recruit them to play, and the players know that. She has all the physical tools. She's a big girl. She's very physical and very aggressive.
"Everyone in the gym knows she's getting the ball. She's a good offensive player and a great ball handler. I think she'll hit the ground running."
Even at the ESPY awards, which is the pinnacle of sports recognition ceremonies, Hodge still has her eyes on the ultimate goal -- winning a national title while at Penn State.
Hodge said that "just getting on the floor, being a part of the team, and getting that national championship" are her goals for her freshman year in college.
And while it's difficult to ignore what Hodge's arrival at Penn State will mean for the already outstanding program, today at the ESPY's is her time to celebrate the amazing accomplishments up to this point in her short, but already illustrious career.
"I think it's more of a reflection of Megan and her family to receive [the award]," Rose said. "From our point, it's great to get a player of her skill and ability, but it's more of a reflection of her."
