Taylor, Badaracco
get academic honors
Two members of the Penn State defense, junior goalkeeper Conrad Taylor and sophomore back Ryan Badaracco, have been selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II First Team in recognition of their efforts on the soccer field and in the classroom. They will now advance to the national ballot and have the opportunity to earn academic all-America honors.
Taylor, a kinesiology major, and Badaracco, a finance major, maintain high grade point averages in their chosen field of study. In total, Nittany Lions have been named to academic all-region or all-America teams on 23 occasions. For Taylor, the district honor is his second consecutive after earning the accolade last year as a sophomore.
Taylor has been one of the few constants this season, as he has been throughout his three years at Penn State. Taylor has started every game of his collegiate career, a streak of 62 consecutive contests. He has not missed a minute of playing time since earning a spot in the starting line-up in the first game of his freshman year, a total of over 5,950 minutes. With 21 career shutouts, Taylor currently sits in third place on Penn State's career shutouts list, just 7.25 behind all-time leader Greg Kenney.
Badaracco is one of three Nittany Lions to start all 18 regular season games.
Tickets still available for Temple contest
A limited number of tickets remain for Penn State's last two games in Beaver Stadium this season, against Temple, Nov. 11, and Michigan State Nov. 18.
Tickets are available after both schools returned a portion of their allotment.
The Nittany Lions and Owls will meet for the first time since 2003 and the 36th time overall. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Temple is led by first-year coach Al Golden, who lettered for the Nittany Lions at tight end from 1989-91.
The Spartans will provide the opposition for Penn State's Senior Day. The kickoff time is to be determined.
Penn State is averaging 107,683 fans at home this season, ahead of the school record average of 107,576, set in 2001, the first year of the latest expansion of Beaver Stadium.
Yonushonis gets invite to compete at NWCAs
Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler James Yonushonis, the No. 3 ranked 174-pounder in the nation, has been asked to join teammate Phil Davis and wrestle in the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic. The event will take place in the Dallas Convention Center Arena on Monday, Nov. 20.
Yonushonis got the invite when No. 1 Ben Askren of Missouri opted out of the event. Yonushonis will face No. 2 Matt Herrington of Penn in the 174-pound match-up. With Davis and Yonushonis making the trip, Penn State joins Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Northwestern, Minnesota and Penn as teams with more than one grappler taking part.
