There is more to penn state sports than football
by Jodi Raudenbush
mongooseagency.com
I am a die-hard Penn State Football fan. I have been going to the games since I was a young girl and have been a season ticket holder for over 20 years. My husband and I (both 1987 alums), along with most of my family, rarely miss attending home games, even my 82 year old father (a 1960 alum) attends. As much as we love the game of football (go Steelers too!), there are other sports at Penn State, many of which the students are quite good at! Here are a few that come to mind…
Wrestling is a sport in which Penn State has been dominating since Cael Sanderson became head coach in 2010. In those 11 years, the Penn State grapplers have won eight NCAA Division 1 team titles! Also during this time, there have been 27 individual national titles awarded to the Penn State wrestlers. Currently, the team is ranked 1st in the nation with hopes of more national records in March of 2022. You can watch their matches in Rec Hall where the atmosphere is pumped!! Penn State won a ninth team title in March in Detroit! They also had 5 wrestlers in the finals (out of 10 weight classes) and won all five; increasing Cael’s total individual national titles to 32. Way to go grapplers!!
The Women’s Volleyball team at Penn State is another group that continues to grab national championships under their long time leader, Russ Rose. Rose has been coaching the past 40 years and has a record setting 7 NCAA national titles and 17 Big Ten Championship titles. Russ Rose recently announced his retirement this past December. The new coach is a former player and former assistant coach, Katie Schumacher-Cawley. Currently, the team is ranked 17th nationally and has some big games ahead. For now, the season is over but come see them in fall of 2022! They also play in the Rec Hall building.
With 13 National Championships, Penn State Fencing has been a certified powerhouse since its first title in 1990. Fencing takes place in the Multi-Sport Building.
The Penn State Men’s Soccer Team just won the Big Ten Title and are currently in the NCAA tournament. Penn State Men’s Soccer team was beaten in the first round of the NCAA tourney. The team plays on Jeffery Field.
Additionally, the Penn State Women’s Soccer Team has been very strong over the years. They have won 8 conference championships and have made numerous NCAA appearances, winning the National Championship in 2015. They also play on Jeffery Field.
Men’s Ice Hockey started their 15th season of play and 9th season in the Big Ten Conference. Their coach, Guy Gadowsky is in his 11th season. They won the Big Ten division in 2017 and have been highly ranked over the years. The experience of watching them play in Pegula Ice Arena is awesome. The student section gets fired up!!
With 31 varsity sports teams at Penn State and many other teams at the commonwealth campuses throughout the state, there are countless games you can attend and enjoy throughout the year, not just at Beaver Stadium. Please check some out soon!