Posts filed under ‘Other Penn State sports’
A Sneak Peek at the Pegula Ice Arena
A panoramic view of the main rink. Photo by Tina Hay.
Back in October 2010, I visited Penn State to interview for this job. I’d never been to Happy Valley before, and the magazine’s class notes editor and ad manager, Julie Nelson ’86, was nice enough to give me the unofficial tour before I met the rest of the magazine staff.
Unfortunately, thanks to my pre-interview jitters, the tour was a confusing blur of buildings and street names (sorry, Julie). But I do remember Julie pointing out the future location of the Pegula Ice Arena. Back then the $88 million donation from Terry Pegula ’73 and wife Kim was the biggest news in town (ah, remember those days?), and I felt pretty cool later that evening when I could make small talk about the future venue with a waitress.
So, just over two years later, it was pretty surreal to find myself standing in the arena itself.
Some Alumni Association staffers, including Tina Hay ’83, Julie, and me, got a sneak peek at the construction site yesterday afternoon. Our tour guide: Joe Battista ’83, former Icer and current associate athletic director for Penn State hockey and the Pegula Ice Arena.
The arena is still an active construction site—visitors are required to wear hard hats, reflective vests, work gloves, and boots—but Battista paints such a vivid mental picture that, on the way out, it was hard to believe that all we really saw was drywall and metal.
Some highlights from the tour:
—The exterior of the building is mostly complete. With red brick and a wall of clear glass on the east side, the design is modern, says Battista, but similar to other campus buildings. “I compare it to a larger Rec Hall with glass,” he says.
—Inside, our first stop was the lobby, at the base of what will be the “grand staircase.” The area features three box offices, an HD video screen, white terrazzo floors, and a large wall graphic that reads Welcome to Hockey Valley.
—The main rink will seat 6,000; small by Big Ten standards, but the high-tech details and amenities more than compensate, says Battista. “There’s not a bad seat in this arena.”
—The student section seats 1,050, which is equivalent to the capacity of the entire Greenberg Ice Pavilion, Penn State hockey’s current home. The student bleachers, with room for the pep band in the center, are the steepest allowed by code. They’re located behind the north goal—the goal that the visiting team will be defending for two of the game’s three periods. “We want the opposing team’s goalie to feel right at home,” Battista says with a smile.
—Adding to the “homey” feel: the arena’s acoustics. At Terry Pegula’s request, the facility was designed with no acoustic softeners. In other words, says Battista, “it’s going to get loud.”
Our tour guide: Joe Battista ’83. Photo by Tina Hay.
—There are plenty of luxury suites and private boxes, some of them just 30 feet from the ice, so viewers feel like they’re part of the action. Suites will be equipped with HD TVs, where guests can watch replays of the game and order food via touchscreen. And as for the food, don’t expect “reheated chicken fingers,” says Battista. Several cafés, concession stands, and the on-site restaurant will all operate out of a full kitchen.
—The varsity teams’ locker room (there are 14 locker rooms total, including some for figure skating and community use) will be especially impressive. Separate men’s and women’s areas will feature hydrotherapy tubs, saunas, and private physical therapy rooms. In each individual locker, super hot blowers will dry damp gear and prevent bacterial growth.
—Just outside the locker rooms, players can lounge in a cozy space with couches, big-screen TVs, snack machines, and a ping-pong table—the sorts of amenities that make a difference in recruiting. There’s even a small enclosed area for “stick preparation”—and ceiling vents with suction to remove the leftover dust and debris. “We really tried to think of everything,” says Battista.
—We were all wowed by plans for a futuristic “synthetic shooting range.” A high-tech system called RapidShot will allow players to assess their shot speed and accuracy, and compare themselves to other players worldwide.
—A smaller community rink with 300-seat capacity is designed for lessons and public use. A cyber café with free wifi (and possibly a fireplace) will overlook the rink, so parents can work while kids practice or play.
Battista says construction is on track for a September opening of the Pegula Ice Arena. The first Penn State varsity hockey game is scheduled for early October.
To see more photos from the tour, check out Tina’s pics on our Facebook page, or take your own virtual tour on YouTube.
Mary Murphy, associate editor
Women’s Soccer is Back in the Final Four
For the first time in seven years, the Penn State women’s soccer team has earned a place in the NCAA College Cup.
The top-seeded Nittany Lions knocked off Duke Friday night at cold, blustery Jeffrey Field, going up early on Christine Nairn’s 14th-minute penalty kick and holding on for the 1-0 win. Penn State will face Florida State next Friday in San Diego in the national semifinals.
It was fitting that Nairn (above) scored the game’s only goal. The senior midfielder might be the best in the nation at controlling tempo and possession for her team—for a knowledgable soccer fan, she’s a joy to watch—but she’s the rare midfielder who also leads a great team in scoring; Friday’s goal was her 16th of the season. ESPN earlier this week ran a nice feature that gives a sense of just how good Nairn is, and how much she’s matured under Penn State coach Erica Walsh.
The win gives Penn State its first College Cup berth since 2005, and the fourth in program history. The Lions have never won the national title, but with Walsh (an assistant coach on the U.S. Women’s national team), Nairn, and last year’s national scoring leader Maya Hayes leading a tough and talented squad, this year’s team has a real shot. Hopefully the lack of cold and wind out in San Diego won’t throw them off.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
A Winning Weekend
It was quite a weekend for Penn State sports, and not just for the guys who dominated out in West Lafayette. As with Bill O’Brien’s team, which improved to 4-1 in conference play, most of the Nittany Lions’ success this weekend came on the road.
The field hockey team headlined the weekend, claiming its second straight (and sixth overall) Big Ten tournament title with a 2-0 victory over Michigan. The Lions, who also won the regular-season league title, are ranked No. 4 in the nation and will be among the favorites in this year’s NCAA tournament.
The men’s soccer team didn’t have to play over the weekend to clinch a share of the Big Ten regular-season crown, which the Lions share with Northwestern. They’ll be the top seed when the conference tournament starts later this week. The No. 3-ranked women’s soccer team wasn’t so fortunate on Friday, when they fell to Illinois in the Big Ten tournament semifinals. It was a rare bad day: The women went unbeaten in conference play en route to the program’s 15th consecutive regular-season league title. (They also dominated the postseason awards list.) They’ll learn their NCAA seed on Monday night.
Closer to home, the No. 3 women’s volleyball team beat a pair of conference opponents—including second-place and 10th-ranked Minnesota—to extend its Big Ten lead. The Lions are 13-1 in league play, two games head of the Gophers with six matches to play. Added up, Penn State’s fall “team” sports own a combined record of 72-15-4.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Your Blue-and-White Olympic Guide
At least two dozen Penn Staters—including a school-record 19 athletes—are in the UK for the 2012 Summer Olympics, which officially kick off with Friday’s opening ceremony. This link from GoPSUSports.com rounds up the competing athletes with Penn State ties, some of whom you can find out more about via the links below:
* Here’s a recent Q&A with Christa Harmotto ’09 (pictured), one of two former Nittany Lions (along with Megan Hodge ’10) on the U.S. women’s volleyball team’s 12-player roster. Alisha Glass ’10 and Nicole Fawcett ’09 are with the team as alternates. Matt Anderson is one of the stars of the U.S. men’s team.
* Penn Staters will represent a number of countries in track and field events. Here’s a feature interviewing the parents of Bridget Franek ’10, who will run the steeplechase for the U.S.; a short video feature on Dominique Blake ’08, a member of the Jamaican 4×400 relay team, with some cool footage of her training; there’s also Shana Cox ’07, who will represent the host nation in the 4×400, and Kirsten Nieuwendam, a Penn State sophomore, will run the 200 meters for her native Suriname. Ryan Whiting, an assistant coach with the track team, will compete for the U.S. in the shot put.
* Three Penn State fencers will take the strip in London, including senior to be Miles-Chamley Watson (recently profiled in the Philadelphia Inquirer), a London native who (more…)
Matt Anderson Eyes Olympic Gold
Matt Anderson led the U.S. men’s volleyball team back to the Olympics this year, four years after the Americans won Olympic gold in Beijing, and about as long since Anderson earned Most Outstanding Player honors in leading Penn State to the 2008 NCAA championship. Anderson left Penn State after his junior to play professionally overseas, and in the meantime he’s become one of the stars of the national team. He’s among the current and former Nittany Lions turned Olympians featured in our July/August issue.
The upstate New York native was profiled a few days ago in the Buffalo News, and it makes for compelling reading. Among other things, it turns out Anderson is the youngest player on the U.S. men’s volleyball roster—and arguably also its best hitter. Part of Anderson’s motivation comes from the loss of his father and role model, who died of a heart attack in 2010. You can find that story here, and you can keep an eye out for Anderson — at 6-foot-10, he’s hard to miss — when the Olympics begin a little over a month from today.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Penn State’s Newest Turf
I was at Irving’s on Wednesday grabbing lunch when two dozen or so green-and-black clad young women came into the restaurant. Turns out it was not a small invading army but the Loyola women’s lacrosse team, in town to play Penn State that afternoon. That’s when it occurred to me that a) it was unseasonably beautiful out, and b) the game would be played at the just-completed Penn State Lacrosse Field. Just that quick, I had a plan for the afternoon.
It ended up being a pretty compelling game: The No. 12 Nittany Lions led early, trailed late, and tied it to force overtime before No. 17 Loyola escaped with a 12-10 win. Still, I’m glad I went, if for no other reason than to check out Penn State’s newest athletic facility. Open for just a week or two, it’s a no-frills set up in a very cool setting, nestled against the Ashenfelter Multi-Sport Facility, just below University Drive and in the shadow of the Bryce Jordan Center and Beaver Stadium. You can click on the image above to enlarge.
I’m still very much an amateur when it comes to photographing sports, but I did get one half-decent action shot:
That’s senior midfielder Theresa Zichelli defending. Love the intensity.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Penn State Soccer Beaten, 100-11
Last Friday night, the women’s soccer team celebrated senior night—and its 14th straight Big Ten title—with a 2-0 victory over Purdue. That was a lot of fun, but it wasn’t the only highlight of the night: At halftime, 11 members of the men’s soccer team took the field for a game against kids from Centre Soccer Association, the local youth league. (I coached my son’s U7 team in CSA this fall.) A ranked Division I college team playing against a bunch of kids aged 7-13—how could this be fair?
Well, the kids had a numbers advantage. 100 to 11, to be exact.
Someone finally posted video last night, and you can get a sense of how much fun this was to watch. The CSA kids won 3-2, thanks in part to the opening goal scored by Luke Fey, son of Brad ’95 and Denise ’95 Fey. Hoping this becomes an annual affair at Penn State men’s and women’s soccer games. It was a blast.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Women’s Soccer Streaks to Another Big Ten Title
The women’s soccer team Sunday won its tenth straight game, hammering Michigan 4-0 in Ann Arbor. It was impressive, but as consecutive wins go, it was nothing compared to the conference title streak the Nittany Lions extended this weekend: With the victory, Penn State secured its 14th straight Big Ten regular-season crown. Maya Hayes scored twice against the Wolverines, pushing her nation’s best goal total to 25.
The Lions close out the regular season Friday at home against Purdue.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
A Brush With Greatness at Jeffrey Field
Here’s what happens when I take my kids to Jeffrey Field to watch a soccer game, as I did Tuesday night for Penn State’s 2-0 victory over Penn: I try to pay attention to the action on the field while keeping one eye on my 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter, who spend most of the time climbing the bleacher steps and hanging on the railings in an apparent effort to hurt themselves. They’re pretty good at it.
It was during one of my son’s forays up and over the rows of bleachers that an older gentlemen asked him if he was a soccer player. My son’s very 6-year-old response: “Well, I play on a soccer team.”
The conversation went on like this for another minute before the man said, “You know, I used to play goalkeeper on this field.”
Right then, I knew who he was. I couldn’t remember his name, but I was sure enough that I turned to my son and said, “This man was a national champion.”
When I got to the office Wednesday, my colleague Julie Nelson and I dug through some back issues of The Penn Stater before finding the ad that gave it away. The man talking to my son was Ron Coder ’51, the star goalkeeper on Bill Jeffrey’s 1950 and ’51 national title teams and an eventual U.S. Olympian. Coder and his wife Hope ’54 live at The Village at Penn State, and it was Coder’s appearance in an ad for The Village that I remembered. (And yes, at 83, he still looks like he could get out there and stop shots.)
My son is too young to appreciate stuff like this. But for me—as a soccer fan and an alum—it was a really cool moment. One of the great things about living here is the chance to soak up more of Penn State’s history. All the better when you encounter that history thriving in the present.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Ali Krieger on NPR
Ali Krieger ’07, who shot the winning penalty kick for the U.S. Sunday in a Women’s World Cup quarterfinal against Brazil, got some extended limelight when she was on National Public Radio the next day. You can hear the interview by NPR’s Michele Norris here.
The U.S. women play France in the semifinals today—coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. Eastern on ESPN TV, and there’s also live streaming on ESPN3. I know what I’ll be doing over my lunch hour….
Tina Hay, editor
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