Adams earns weekly honors as goalkeeper
Penn State Nittany Lion goalkeeper Drew Adams has been named the ECAC Lacrosse League Defensive Player of the Week for this past week. The honor is Penn State's first of the season.
Adams, a sophomore and the reigning ECAC Goalie of the Year, collected 13 saves against 20 shots on goal in Penn State's 10-7 ECAC win over No. 12 Fairfield. Adams also led Penn State with 11 ground balls in the game, which was Penn State's second straight win.
The Springfield, Pa., native is currently third in the conference with an 8.72 goals against average and has a team-high 46 ground balls. His 10.83 saves per game is tops in the league.
Penn State in tenth in Director's Cup race
Penn State has a good start in aiming for its 14th-straight top 25 finish in the U.S. Sports Academy Director's Cup, currently occupying the No. 10 spot after passing the half-way point of winter competition. The Nittany Lions have totaled 445 points, just a half-point behind ninth-place Auburn. In the 13-year history of the Cup, Penn State has finished in the top 10 seven times and the top five a total of four times.
The U.S. Sports Academy Director's Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. The United States Sports Academy, based in Daphne, Ala., is the program's sponsor. More than 300 Division I institutions are eligible to be ranked in the standings. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 20 sports -- 10 men's and 10 women's.
The wrestling team grabbed 66 points after a strong showing at NCAAs. That total leads the Nittany Lions' winter efforts through eight of the 15 sports. All told, Troy Sunderland's Nittany Lions finished 11th at NCAAs, posting 66 Director's Cup points.
After finishing 21st at NCAAs, the Penn State's women's indoor track & field squad earned 50.5 points. Redshirt-seniors Briene Simmons and Shana Cox each brought home individual All-America honors.
With a 26th place finish at NCAAs, the Nittany Lion women's swimming and diving team added 48 points to Penn State's Director's Cup tally.
Men's track & field added 25.5 points to Penn State's total after finishing 47th at NCAAs.
Penn State is fresh off a 10th national title in fencing, a sport whose points have yet to be added to the U.S. Sports Academy's Director's Cup standings.
Heim named finalist for new senior award
Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse player Pat Heim has been named a finalist for the 2007 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, a newly formed award given by Lowe's for the first time this year.
The honor is presented to an NCAA Division I men's senior lacrosse player who excels both on and off the field.
Lowe's recently announced the addition of men's lacrosse and three other NCAA sports to the award program that originally was launched in 2007 with basketball. Candidates were selected based on personal qualities that define a complete student athlete. While the on-the-field performance during their collegiate lacrosse careers is a factor in determining candidates and the eventual winner, their personal character and off-the-field achievements in the classroom and community are major areas of focus.
Heim is third on the team this year with nine points off seven goals and two assists. He now has 51 career goals and 25 career assists for 76 points over his three-plus years as a starter. Heim is a co-captain on this year's team and is on the Tewaaraton Watch List. Heim was a first team All-ECAC pick last year and an honorable mention All-American.
The winner will be announced during the weekend of May 26 during the 2007 NCAA Lacrosse Championships in Baltimore, Md.
Shadowing day brings in 28 local schools
Students from 28 central Pennsylvania elementary and middle schools visited the University Park campus today to participate in Penn State's 10th Annual Student-Athlete Shadow Day.
Fifty-five elementary and middle school students and 36 Penn State student-athletes participated in the event.
