Krieger, Gray named NSCA All-Americans
Two Penn State women's soccer standouts have been named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's 2006 All-America squad. Senior captain Ali Krieger was selected as a first team All-American for the second consecutive year, while sophomore teammate Sheree Gray received her first selection, a third team honor.
Gray's selection makes her the ninth All-American in Penn State women's soccer history, while she and Krieger's honor are the 19th and 20th All-America honors in the program's 13-year history. Penn State is one of eight squads nationally with two or more All-Americans this year.
Krieger is the Lions' sixth player to earn All-America honors in two or more seasons. Previously, Joanna Lohman (2001, '02, '03), Erin McLeod (2004, '05), Emily Oleksiuk (1999, 2000, '01), Tiffany Weimer (2003, '04, '05) and Christie Welsh (1999, 2000, '01, and '02) had also received honors more than once. Krieger joins Natalie Jacobs (2004) as the only two Lion defenders to earn All-America status in the program's 13-year history.
Penn State used an 8-1-1 conference record to win its ninth-consecutive Big Ten championship and also won its fourth Big Ten Tournament title. The Nittany Lions were selected to the NCAA Tournament for the 12th-straight time and earned a spot in the quarterfinals for the eighth time in nine years. The Lions finished their 13th season with an 18-5-3 mark.
Senior diver Alderman named Diver of Week
Penn State senior diver Mike Alderman was named the Big Ten Diver of the Week for the second time this season yesterday after he swept both diving events at last Saturday's dual meet win over West Chester. The defending Big Ten champion in the one-meter, Alderman has achieved NCAA Zone qualifying scores on both the one and three-meter boards this year.
The Arlington, Va., native put up his season high in both events at last weekend's dual meet. Alderman, who earlier this year already made a NCAA qualifying score on the one-meter, scored a season-best 346.57 on the one-meter to win the event by over 50 points. Then, in the three-meter, Alderman scored a season-high 347.40 to win that event by over 70 points in his first NCAA qualifying score of the year in that event. On the year, Alderman now has four first place finishes.
Alderman and the divers will next compete at the Georgia Diving Invite January 6-7 in Athens, Ga.
