This Virginian Holds the Record as the World’s Oldest Woman to Play Ice Hockey
Linda Sinrod, who holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest female hockey player in the world, shakes hands with Alex Ovechkin, during the Washington Capitals Women in Hockey Night on March 9, 2024. Photo by Jess Rapfogel and the Washington Capitals. Nearly 50 years ago, at the age of 35, Linda Sinrod laced up […]
Linda Sinrod, who holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest female hockey player in the world, shakes hands with Alex Ovechkin, during the Washington Capitals Women in Hockey Night on March 9, 2024. Photo by Jess Rapfogel and the Washington Capitals.
Nearly 50 years ago, at the age of 35, Linda Sinrod laced up her ice skates for the first time since graduating college. She had just been laid off from her job and decided to rekindle her passion for figure skating on an icy pond in Annandale. On the ice, she met the founder of a Northern Virginia women’s hockey team, the Washington Redcoats, who urged Sinrod to join. With zero ice hockey background but a love for competition, Sinrod thought why not?
Last month, Sinrod hung up her skates for the last time, at age 84. She holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest woman to play ice hockey.
Now, if you’re anything like us, you probably have lots of questions. How does an 84-year-old stay in shape to play competitive ice hockey? Did she ever get hurt? We sat down with Sinrod (who also happens to be the mother of New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker) to hear her story—from her first day on that Annandale pond to her last day at the MedStar Iceplex.
Linda Sinrod of the Prince William Wildcats takes on an opponent during the league playoffs in 2013. Photo Courtesy of Linda Sinrod.
The following has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
How and when did you originally start playing ice hockey?
Back in 1960, when I was a sophomore in college, my roommate was a figure skater and she got me into figure skating. That was the last that I skated until 1975, when one day I just decided to go out to the pond near the Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale. I started trying to do one of the jumps that I had done. That’s when Marylin Schnibbe came up to me and asked if I would play ice hockey. I was a member of one of the first and in fact the only [women’s] ice hockey team in the Washington area for our first year.
Tell me more about when you started playing for the Redcoats. And how did you come to love it?
As soon as I started playing I loved it. I borrowed some equipment, including a hockey stick, which I had never used before. I had trouble learning how to stop. But, I just loved everything about it.
I was ten years older than the next oldest person playing. Some of them had even played ice hockey in college. After 10 years, I decided I was too old to play, so I quit.
It wasn’t until I was 67 that I was retired [from her job] and decided to try to come back. I was looking up my old teammates and I found one who was coaching a team in Woodbridge, the Prince William Wildcats. So I contacted her.
Why did you decide to get back on the ice at age 67?
Frankly, I was bored. When I looked up some of my old teammates, some of them were still playing. In fact, three of them still are. I said to myself, why not try again and see what happens?
What positions did you play?
I was always a left wing. When I was with the Washington Redcoats, which was the first team, we played all up and down the East Coast. With the Prince William Wildcats, we played teams up in Pennsylvania and down in North Carolina; we played all over the place.
In 2016, I was 17 years older than the next oldest player and they decided I wasn’t competitive enough—which I wasn’t. So, basically, they kicked me off the team.
How did that moment feel and how did you continue playing?
Well, obviously I was disappointed and a little hurt, because I had been with them for so long. But, I was already playing at the MedStar ice rink in an in-house league and we don’t play teams outside the ice rink. Originally, they divided us up into four teams. And each season they would re-pick the teams based on how well they skated. Now, they have eight teams out there. Anybody can play if they’re 18 or older and no skill level is required.
Did you ever get injured?
Well, three times, only one of which was serious. The first time, I had gone to a Can/Am Hockey training camp in 1977. One of the things they had us do—we were all women—we would hip-check each other, even though we don’t do that in a game. The winner was the person who lasted the longest. Well, at that time, my ice hockey pants were not as well cushioned as they should have been. I ended up with a broken tailbone.
The second time was the more serious one, and that was in February of 2009. I was practicing with the Wildcats and another girl and I backed into each other. I twisted my leg as I went down and hit the ice. I had a medial and a lateral meniscus tear of my left knee, and that required surgery. It was about five or six months before I could come back and play.
The last one was funny, actually. That November, of 2009, I was playing with a couple teams at the Prince William ice rink and suddenly I found myself flat on my back on the ice. My helmet had flown off. The next thing I knew, I was in the locker room with everyone else, changing my clothes, and I had no idea how I had gotten there. I had a concussion. Which resolved fairly quickly. Those are my only injuries.
How have you stayed fit?
Once I started playing ice hockey, I biked three times a week and I lifted weights twice a week. I’ve continued to do that all through the years and I still do it today. I have an indoor bike, and in the wintertime that’s what I use. But I also bike outdoors.
I have a strict schedule. I bike Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and lift weights on Tuesdays and Saturday nights while my husband and I watch TV. I spend about an hour lifting weights. We like watching Shark Tank, we like The Conners, we’ll watch Love is Blind once it’s on again, and we like Undercover Boss.
So after 50 years, what have been some of the most memorable moments of your hockey career?
The year 2012 was one of my most memorable, because out of all the 60 players at MedStar, I had the most assists, which was very unusual. I had 11 compared to the next highest, which was seven. Believe me when I say that other people were a lot better than I was. I was never a goal scorer; I was somebody who did assists. I would pass and let somebody else score the goal.
When we were the Redcoats, since we were the only team in the southern division, we won the southern division, which meant we could go to the Nationals. The year I remember most is when we went to Lake Placid the year after the US team had won the “Miracle on Ice.” Skating on that rink after that was one of my most memorable moments.
Also, one of my most memorable moments would have been when I was invited to participate in the ceremonial puck drop at the March 9, 2024, Capitals Hockey game and shake [Alex] Ovechkin’s hand. I went along with four other women—one was six, one was 12, and one was 27—who were in the learn-to-play program at MedStar.
Did anyone else in your family play ice hockey? Did your kids or your husband ever play?
Nope, I was the only one.
When you broke the Guinness World Record, did you know about it prior? Did you continue to play in order to beat the record? Or was it happenstance?
Well, the rink had of course closed during Covid. In about 2021, they opened for a short session. I played about seven times and, at that point, the Delta variant was getting worse. My husband told me I needed to quit, so I quit and I hadn’t thought anything about the Guinness World Record at that point. The following year, after not playing and being bored, I looked it up to see who was the oldest women’s ice hockey player. That’s when I discovered that my time of playing the previous year would beat it. So that’s when I applied for the Guinness World Record.
In October of 2023, I had felt a pain at the top of my left leg. It was not a hockey injury, although it did happen when I was going into the rink. It was a partial tear of my glute medius and my glute minimus tendon. I saw a doctor and had a cortisone shot and two PRP injections and physical therapy. Even when the doctor told me it was only 50 to 60 percent healed and he said I risked tearing it if I played again, I said I wanted to play again to break my record. So I went out and played five times in the fall of 2024, quit on November 4, and applied for [another] Guinness World Record.
I was assigned somebody there who would answer my questions and I asked her if all the things I had submitted the previous time would work. She told me no, that I needed a video. I couldn’t produce a video of November 4. So that is why I went out one more time on April 7 to shoot the video. I have submitted everything and she’s assured me there’s no reason why it wouldn’t be accepted. So I will have established a new record that would be at 84 years and 198 days.
Have you heard from anyone about how your story has inspired them?
The three women and girls at the ceremonial puck drop all said that they were inspired. In fact, one of them said she was inspired to break my record.
Why did you finally decide to hang up your skates and retire?
As I mentioned, the doctor said that I really should not be playing and that I risk tearing those tendons again. But truthfully, it’s not as fun as it used to be when you’re this old. You can’t keep up with everybody else and therefore they’re not going to pass to you because they know somebody’s going to be on top of you instantly. I don’t get the puck as quickly because I’m not as fast, so I don’t even get to touch the puck too often.
I’m thankful I was able to play as long as I have. It certainly has produced many memorable moments.
Linda Sinrod on the ice for the Prince William Wildcats in 2010. Photo Courtesy of Linda Sinrod.
Bob Motzko Relied on Previous International Success, Familiarity When Putting Together World Juniors Staff
Motzko hired Miller to join him at Minnesota as associate head coach in 2022. “He’s got an elephant for a memory,” Motzko said of Miller. “It’s crazy the knowledge that he has, and the experience.” Though Motzko has never worked with Brown at the collegiate level, they first coached with each other as assistants at […]
Motzko hired Miller to join him at Minnesota as associate head coach in 2022.
“He’s got an elephant for a memory,” Motzko said of Miller. “It’s crazy the knowledge that he has, and the experience.”
Though Motzko has never worked with Brown at the collegiate level, they first coached with each other as assistants at World Juniors in 2014 and have been close friends ever since.
Identifying himself as a “Western guy,” Motzko – a lifelong Minnesotan – said the team needed some “East Coast flair,” which is where Brown comes in.
A Scituate, Massachusetts, native, Brown recently finished his third season coaching his alma mater, Boston College. His personal relationship with BC forwards James Hagens and Teddy Stiga could come in handy, as both are eligible to return for 2026 after helping the U.S. win gold in January.
Among Motzko’s assistants, his relationship with Garrett Raboin runs the deepest. The current coach of Augustana University played for Motzko at St. Cloud State from 2006 to 2010 before joining his former coach behind the bench. Raboin went on to be one of Motzko’s assistants for 10 years, following him from St. Cloud to Minnesota in 2017.
“I know what Garrett can do because I’ve worked with him for so long, and I know he did a terrific job [at World Juniors].”
Raboin has been an assistant at the last two World Junior Championships and will get the chance to win his third straight gold medal.
David Lassonde will have the same opportunity. Lassonde — the national goaltending coach for USA Hockey — has coached at 16 international events, including the 2022 Winter Olympics. He’s back for another run as the goaltending coach this winter.
John Vanbiesbrouck, the assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey, noted that everyone at the National Team Development Program calls Lassonde “OBC: Old Ball Coach” because he loves everything about the game.”
While goaltending is his specialty, Lassonde is an emotionally intelligent coach who connects with any hockey player, Vanbiesbrouck said
“He’s a professor of the sport; he’s an educator at heart; he’s a teacher on and off the ice,” Vanbiesbrouck said of Lassonde. “What he lends to us is that blend between players and coaches.”
Video coaches Jacob LeRoy and Travis Winter round out the staff. Motzko described LeRoy, the director of hockey operations for the Gophers since 2021, as his “right-hand person” at Minnesota.
Winter, a St. Cloud native who’s the associate head coach at Bemidji State’s, is the only staff member who Motzko’s never worked with before.
“It’s always great when you get to add a new guy to your staff,” Motzko said. “Travis is a terrific young coach that’s doing a great job [at Bemidji State].”
The next step for this staff will be evaluating the U.S. talent pool at the World Junior Summer Showcase, taking place July 25 to Aug. 2 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. Tickets are on-sale now.
When asked what he’ll look for the most out of players during the evaluation process, Motzko emphasized the important of leadership.
“Who’s going to take hold of the leadership of the group inside from the players, because that carries such a strong message throughout the whole time together,” he said.
2nd Boston Soccer Alum Accuses Coach of Abuse After Alex Cooper
A second former Boston University women’s soccer player is detailing allegations of “psychological and emotional abuse” by former coach Nancy Feldman. After “Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper, 30, accused Feldman of sexual harassment in her recent Hulu docuseries, Call Her Alex, BU alum Sophia Woodland is speaking out about her alleged experiences with […]
A second former Boston University women’s soccer player is detailing allegations of “psychological and emotional abuse” by former coach Nancy Feldman.
After “Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper, 30, accused Feldman of sexual harassment in her recent Hulu docuseries, Call Her Alex, BU alum Sophia Woodland is speaking out about her alleged experiences with the retired soccer coach. (Woodland played for the BU women’s soccer team from 2019 to 2022, per online records.)
The former college soccer player told the Boston Globe in an interview published on Thursday, June 26, that she underwent years of therapy to process Feldman’s “psychological and emotional abuse,” which she said focused largely on her body.
“The biggest issue Nancy had was my body,” Woodland told the outlet. “And that was all I heard for my three years that I played under her. … I would get so anxious all the time.”
According to the Boston Globe, in 2022, a university psychologist emailed members of the women’s soccer team that she wanted to raise their concerns about Feldman to the university’s higher-ups. Ultimately, she didn’t and Feldman retired in 2022. (A BU spokesperson told the outlet that a player reached out to the psychologist and objected to her escalating the issue.)
“We were like, ‘Okay, good luck.’ Multiple teammates had gone to the athletic department. Multiple parents had already gone,” Woodland said, expressing skepticism that the psychologist’s efforts would have any real consequences.
Us Weekly has reached out to Feldman and Boston University for comment.
Woodland also reacted to a recent letter signed by 99 former BU soccer players in support of Feldman. Earlier in June, TMZ reported it had obtained a copy of a letter cosigned by dozens of BU alumni stating that their experiences with Feldman vastly differed from the sexual harassment claims made by Cooper in her docuseries.
The former players said, in part, that they “categorically never felt unsafe” under Feldman. “We were never at risk of or witness to inappropriate behavior or anything that could be characterized as sexual harassment,” they added, per TMZ.
”There are gonna be people who had a different experience or didn’t think that [Feldman] was all that bad,” Woodland told the Boston Globe. “Abusers can’t abuse everyone, right? So the 99 people that signed that letter, I’m like, ‘You guys are — no offense — extremely inconsiderate.’”
Nancy FeldmanYouTube
“Just because you had a good experience doesn’t mean that she was incapable of harming other people,” Woodland added.
Cooper played for the BU women’s soccer team between 2013 and 2015. She alleged in Hulu’s Call Her Alex docuseries, released on June 10, that Feldman began to “fixate on me, way more than any other teammate of mine” during her sophomore year.
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“[It] was all based in her wanting to know who I was dating, her making comments about my body and her always wanting to be alone with me,” she said, per People.
“It was this psychotic game of, ‘You want to play? Tell me about your sex life,’” Cooper alleged.
Feldman could not be reached for comment at the time. However, a Boston University spokesperson told Us in a June 13 statement, “Boston University has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment. We have a robust system of resources, support and staff dedicated to student wellbeing and a thorough reporting process through our Equal Opportunity Office. We encourage members of our community to report any concerns, and we remain committed to fostering a safe and secure campus environment for all.”
Reno Ice hosts ‘Goalie Day 2025’, including all-goalie games | Local News
The Jennifer M. O’Neal Community Ice Center, also known as Reno Ice, is hosting its first-ever Goalie Day. The event takes place on Saturday, June 28 at Reno Ice, located at 15500 Wedge Pkwy, from 1:15-5:45 p.m. Goalie Day will be made up of specialized clinics, gear sizing, and the Goalie Games – which see two […]
The Jennifer M. O’Neal Community Ice Center, also known as Reno Ice, is hosting its first-ever Goalie Day.
The event takes place on Saturday, June 28 at Reno Ice, located at 15500 Wedge Pkwy, from 1:15-5:45 p.m.
Goalie Day will be made up of specialized clinics, gear sizing, and the Goalie Games – which see two teams of five players each in full goalie gear attempting to play a full game of hockey.
The free event is open to goalies of all ages, their families and community spectators.
“We wanted to create an event that’s not only incredibly fun and engaging for our community, but also helps shine a spotlight on our local hockey programs and support our dedicated goalies,” said Kerry Aceves, Goalie Day Director.
The event is serving as a fundraiser for Reno Ice and its youth hockey programs. A BBQ will be held during the event with food for purchase, and proceeds will directly benefit the rink’s scholarship program.
For more information about Reno Ice, check out their website.
Goals Continue For Stephen Mammola’s Floor Hockey Capstone Project – The Newtown Bee
Published: Jun 27, 2025 6:55 am Stephen Mammola took his liking of hockey and familiarity with the Newtown High School-New Fairfield co-op team and applied it to his capstone project by organizing floor hockey games at the high school this past spring as his junior year concluded. Through Mammola’s efforts a group of floor hockey […]
Stephen Mammola took his liking of hockey and familiarity with the Newtown High School-New Fairfield co-op team and applied it to his capstone project by organizing floor hockey games at the high school this past spring as his junior year concluded. Through Mammola’s efforts a group of floor hockey players got to test their skills against opponents from Staples of Westport and Masuk of Monroe for a good cause with money from ticket sales raised for Newtown’s Unified Sports program.
“This began as just a capstone project for school, but it morphed into something a lot bigger. It gave students the opportunity to play hockey at an ultra affordable cost, and brought a new sport to Newtown and other schools across the state. My passion for hockey certainly sparked it originally because it was a huge amount of work. Essentially building a team from the ground up — players, coaches, and staff,” Mammola said. “And creating a league with other schools was a tremendous effort, but the end result was truly incredible.”
Plans are already underway for next year and other schools will join the league, said Mammola, adding that the hop is for playoffs at the end of the season next time around. “This summer, the team will bring in a whole group of Operations Staff to run this expanding team, as it is fully run by students. We will also begin recruiting more players and working diligently to ensure we have an even better season,” Mammola added.
A behind-the-scenes hockey role is nothing new for Mammola. Along with running all of the day-to-day operations for the floor hockey team, he works for the Newtown-New Fairfield ice hockey co-op squad during the winter months as director of player relations, working mainly in team operations, athlete development, and program support, he said.
What’s more, he is also a part of the action. Mammola enjoys the sport, grabbed a stick and one of the custom jerseys he had made for the team members, and played alongside and against mostly high school ice hockey team players with a few other athletes mixed in.
When it comes time for college, Mammola plans to major in Sports Management and have a career working in operations for a pro sports team.
As for the games, Newtown defeated Staples 8-7 in overtime and Masuk 10-6, both at NHS.
Against Staples, Andrew Stango had four goals and an assist, Mammola and Luca Moura both scored twice and had a pair of assists, and Noel McLeod, Mike Risoli, and Frankie Cannizzo also chipped in with an assist each.
After Newtown established a 5-0 lead Staples battled back and eventually seized a 7-6 edge. With 30 seconds left, Mammola called a timeout and gathered the team around. Coming out of the timeout, Newtown pulled its goalie for the extra attacker and Stango lit the lamp with 16 seconds left to tie it (get a hat trick) and send the game to overtime. Just four minutes into overtime, Stango scored again, picking up his fourth of the game to win it.
Against Masuk, Stango netted six goals and two assists, Mammola and Mike Risoli both had a goal and two assists, Ryan Payne scored a goal and had an assist, Carter Bisson had a goal and racked up numerous saves as goaltender, Frankie Cannizzo logged two assists, and Aidan Lourenco also had an assist.
The season featured awards: MVP: Andrew Stango (assistant captain); Most Improved: Noel McLeod (assistant captain); Leadership: Stephen Mammola (captain); Sportsmanship: Frankie Cannizzo; and Coaches Award: Stephen Mammola
Newtown’s lineup also got strong contributions from Jack Meade, Jack Carta, and Aidan Lourenco. Head Coach Jeff Tolson and Assistant Coach Dan Farina helped ensure things ran smoothly during practices and games. Tolson and Farina were impressed with Mammola’s efforts and execution in making the project come to life.
Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.
Stephen Mammola controls the ball during a floor hockey game at Newtown High this spring. Mammola’s capstone project included creating a team and setting up games against opposing schools to raise money for Newtown Unified Sports.—Bee Photos, Hutchison
Goaltender Carter Bisson makes a save.
Luca Moura looks for a teammate.
Members of the floor hockey team are, from left: Assistant Coach Dan Farina, Ryan Hislop, Aidan Lourenco, Carter Bisson, Michael Risoli, Captain Stephen Mammola, Assistant Captain Andrew Stango, Ryan Payne, Frankie Cannizzo, and Head Coach Jeff Tolson. Not pictured: Jack Meade, Jack Carta, and Noel McLeod. —photo courtesy Marissa Weidner
Ed Bourget (left) recently took over as BB&N’s director of hockey operations. (Brian Kelly/NEHJ) Ed Bourget is a lifer at BB&N. After Bourget (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was a standout at Shrewsbury High, he played prep school hockey at BB&N, graduating in 1996. He played a season of Division 3 hockey at St. Anselm before three years […]
Ed Bourget (left) recently took over as BB&N’s director of hockey operations. (Brian Kelly/NEHJ)
Ed Bourget is a lifer at BB&N.
After Bourget (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was a standout at Shrewsbury High, he played prep school hockey at BB&N, graduating in 1996. He played a season of Division 3 hockey at St. Anselm before three years of Division 1 at Sacred Heart.
After some professional stops, including time in France, Bourget returned to BB&N to embark on his coaching career.
He was an assistant coach with the boys program from 2005-06 to 2012-13. In 2013-14, he took over as head coach of the girls program, leading the Knights to a 184-118-22 record, two Large School titles and three Elite 8 appearances in 11 seasons.
After the 2024-25 season, Bourget, who also coaches mites with the Bay State Breakers, took on a new role as director of hockey operations at BB&N.
Bourget joined New England Hockey Journal editor Evan Marinofsky and writer Patrick Donnelly to discuss an array of topics, including his thoughts on player development and college recruiting.
RinkWise podcast: BB&N’s Ed Bourget on development and recruiting
How do you balance development with winning during the prep season?
Bourget: “When you look at the prep schedule, it reads as three months long, but what happens in those three months is you try to play at that elevated, peak game every single game. It grinds on you, and it wears on you. My first five years, I was pedal to the metal. … I would be focused on having the best game, performance-wise. Really, what you need to do is kind of read the room a little bit. If you’re kids are tired, maybe give them a day off. Send them to the training room or the strength trainer instead of the ice. Hockey-wise, it’s tough in that small stretch. … Take care of your body. If you have a nagging injury, go to the trainer. If our game is on a Friday, and we’re on Monday, we’re gonna do our best to get them playing Friday. If that recovery means they’re on the bike or something until Wednesday, then we do a light skate Thursday, that’s what we do.”
What are some tips for the college recruiting process?
Bourget: “I told the freshmen, it’s more about development this summer. You don’t need to go chase those camps yet. What you really need to chase is development. We’d come up with a plan of what to work on from my point of view. Then when you kind of switch gears to sophomore or junior year, I would say go to college visits without the hockey coach first to see what college you like and kind of pinpoint what you want to do. So, then if you get invited to a camp at say Dartmouth, Brown or Middlebury, if you know you don’t want to do to one of those schools, there’s no need to go to that camp. That automatically will take that off your plate. I think doing a lot of prep work before the recruiting process hits for these kids goes a long way, and I think that gets missed.”
The RinkWise podcast can be streamed here and on major platforms, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Nittany Lions finish 16th in Learfield rankings | News, Sports, Jobs
UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics concluded the 2024-25 season with a 16th place finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Division I standings, announced on Thursday. The 2024-25 year was highlighted by wrestling’s 12th national title in the past 14 tournaments and women’s volleyball’s eighth national championship. In the Fall, football reached the College […]
UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics concluded the 2024-25 season with a 16th place finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Division I standings, announced on Thursday.
The 2024-25 year was highlighted by wrestling’s 12th national title in the past 14 tournaments and women’s volleyball’s eighth national championship. In the Fall, football reached the College Football Playoff semifinals and finished No. 5 in the AP poll. The Winter season included men’s hockey’s first appearance in the Frozen Four. The Spring season was highlighted by men’s lacrosse’s appearance in the NCAA semifinals.
The Nittany Lions tallied 335 points in the Fall, led by women’s volleyball’s 100 points and football’s 75 points. Women’s soccer collected 73 points after advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals. Women’s cross country notched 60 points, while men’s cross country picked up 27 points.
Penn State collected 415 points in the Winter championship season, paced by wrestling’s 100 points and men’s hockey’s 83 points. Men’s gymnastics finished fifth at the 2025 NC Men’s Gymnastics Championships to earn 73. Fencing placed seventh at the 2025 National Championships, notching 72 points. Women’s gymnastics hosted an NCAA regional and contributed 45.5 points. Women’s hockey won its third-straight AHA title and earned 25 points. Men’s indoor track & field contributed 16.5 points.
The Blue and White picked up 143 points in the Spring championship season, led by men’s lacrosse’s 83 points. Men’s volleyball earned 60 points by advancing to the national quarterfinals.
Penn State (893 points) placed fifth among Big Ten schools behind USC (1,253.75; 2nd), UCLA (1,149; 5th), Ohio State (1,032.25; 8th) and Michigan (928.5; 13th). Oregon (879.75; 18th) and Nebraska (849.75; 21st) are also ranked among the Top 25. Texas led the country with 1,255.25 points, followed by USC, Stanford (1,251), North Carolina (1,195.25) and UCLA.
Led by Cael Sanderson, Penn State wrestling topped its record-setting performance from 2024, won a fourth-straight NCAA Championship and its 12th in the last 14 tournaments. Mitchell Mesenbrink and Carter Starocci were crowned National Champions and Starocci became the NCAA’s first ever five-time Division I champion. PSU became the second team in NCAA history to have 10 All-Americans in the same tournament (joining Minnesota in 2001). PSU ran away with the team title, posting a record 177 points.
Led by Katie Schumacher-Cawley, the first female head coach to win a Division I women’s volleyball championship, Penn State women’s volleyball knocked off Louisville, 3-1, in the national championship match. The Nittany Lions closed the season at 35-2, claiming Big Ten and national titles. The run to the national title included wins over Delaware State, North Carolina, Marquette, Creighton and Nebraska. Jess Mruzik was named Most Outstanding Player after tallying 29 kills, 14 digs, five blocks and one ace in the title match.
Penn State football, led by James Franklin, won a program-record 13 games while advancing to the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl. The Nittany Lions earned a 38-10 win over 11th-seed SMU in the CFP First Round and followed with a 31-14 victory over 3rd-seed Boise State in the CFP Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. The Nittany Lions finished No. 5 in the AP poll. Junior defensive end Abdul Carter became Penn State’s 15th Unanimous Consensus All-American, while senior tight end Tyler Warren was named a first-team All-American by two NCAA-recognized outlets.
Penn State men’s hockey, led by Guy Gadowsky, advanced to the program’s first ever Frozen Four after hosting and advancing out of the Allentown Regional with wins over top-seed Maine (5-1) and UConn (3-2). PSU was ranked No. 5 in the final USCHO.com poll, its highest finish in program history. Sophomore Aiden Fink became Penn State’s first Hobey Baker Top-10 finalist and its third All-American after setting program season records for points (53) and assists (30) and tying the season record for goals (23).
Led by head coach Jeff Tambroni, Penn State men’s lacrosse reached the NCAA semifinals for the third time in program history and the second time in the last three years. The Nittany Lions knocked off No. 15 seed Colgate (13-11) and No. 10 seed Notre Dame (14-12) to reach the semifinals, where they met top-seed Cornell. The win over Notre Dame featured an 8-0 run over the last two quarters to rally from a six-goal deficit. Senior Matt Traynor, freshman Hunter Aquino and junior Alex Ross collected USILA All-America honors.
In the Spring, head coach Mark Pavlik led Penn State men’s volleyball to its 37th EIVA Tournament title to punch its ticket into the National Collegiate Championships. The Nittany Lions took down Daemen in the opening round to earn a quarterfinals match against No. 2 Hawaii. Redshirt junior Ryan Merk was named an AVCA honorable mention All-American.
Under the leadership of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Patrick Kraft, Penn State has one of the nation’s most comprehensive and successful athletic programs, featuring 800 student-athletes across 31 varsity programs (16 men’s, 15 women’s). The Nittany Lions’ 31 programs are tied for the fourth-highest number of sports sponsored by a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution.
Penn State student-athletes have led the athletic department to 48 Big Ten championships and 16 NCAA National Championships since 2012. The Nittany Lions have finished in the top 15 of the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup 20 times in the last 31 years (the Directors’ Cup was not awarded in 2019-20).
BOWIE, Md. – With the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning, Altoona’s right fielder Mike Jarvis threw …
By Ray Wilde
Sports correspondent
LEWISTOWN — Even the rain can’t stop McVeytown.
On …
Pennsylvania’s Sunday hunting ban soon could become a thing of the past.
For The WIN | #NBATogetherLive Classic Game
