UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Former Nittany Lion quarterback Wally Richardson is full speed ahead in his new role as Director of the Penn State Football Letterman's Club.

Responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operation of the Football Letterman's Club, which has more than 1,000 dues-paying members, Richardson is eager to see the Letterman's Club grow into the future.  A Sumter, S.C., native, Richardson led the Nittany Lions to a 20-5 record as a starting quarterback during the 1995 and '96 season, including bowl wins over Auburn (1996 Outback) and Texas (1997 Fiesta).

GoPSUsports.com sat down with Richardson to discuss his vision for the Letterman's Club moving forward.

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VIDEO: Patrick Chambers and Bill O'Brien Address the Media at the CVC Golf Tournament

Photo Gallery: 2013 CVC Golf Tournament


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Attitude is the name of the game for everything Patrick Chambers does.

He and the Nittany Lion basketball program live by the motto of approaching adversity with a choice.  You can either face challenges with a positive attitude or dwell on them with a negative attitude.

For Coach Chambers, there really is no choice. Everything he touches has a positive tone involved with it.

The atmosphere surrounding Friday's 17th Annual Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Tournament at the Penn State Golf Courses was living proof of that.

Chambers was hired on the day of the CVC golf outing in 2011, and a warm, sun-splashed Friday provided the setting for another positive step for he and the outstanding event held at the Penn State Blue and White Golf Courses.

"It is a class event, a premier event," Chambers said.  "You see how it is run, you see the sponsors, you see how it is organized - it is amazing.  There is pressure on you to keep it going, to keep it fresh and to make sure you are out front.  I want to be involved. I am going to be here.  I am in this for the long haul.  We want to keep it this way - first class and with the community so involved.  It is very important to me."

Chambers, who spent the morning session making the rounds on the golf course saying hello and greeting the participants before playing golf in the afternoon, has the perfect attitude to lead a fight against a deadly disease, largely because he truly never gives up.

He invited several Penn State head coaches, including head football coach Bill O'Brien, to be a part of this year's golf tournament.  In all, 10 coaches jumped at the opportunity to participate in the event to help the cause to fight against cancer.

"It's a great event to be a part of," said O'Brien, whose mother is a two-time breast cancer survivor.  "I think Pat (Chambers) has done a fantastic job of involving not just the Penn State Athletics community, but the whole community of State College.  It's just fun to be able to play golf knowing its for a fantastic cause."

Chambers and O'Brien were paired together in a grouping during the afternoon session on Friday.  The CVC raised more than $5,100 in an auction to earn the right to play with Chambers and O'Brien.  Both head coaches are very good friends outside of their day-to-day jobs, and it was a thrill for the four winners of the auction to play a round with them.

"I'm a big supporter of Pat (Chambers), what he stands for and what he is trying to do here," O'Brien said.

Chambers and O'Brien genuinely enjoy each other's company, and they always tend to keep things light when they are together.  The duo wasted little time taking jabs at one another on the golf course.  Chambers asked O'Brien before they headed for the first hole if he was going to take some practice swings on the range.  O'Brien said 'no', his first swing of the day comes on the first hole.

"It's his tournament," O'Brien joked as he turned to Chambers. "I'm just here to caddy."

"I brought my field hockey stick (laughter)," Chambers added.

The leader of Nittany Lion football ripped his opening drive down the fairway of the first hole at the Blue Course, which led to an O'Brien birdie putt to kick-start the group's round.  Meanwhile, Chambers was in the background calling his counterpart a sandbagger.

Beyond the laughs and lighthearted talk on the course, Chambers and O'Brien are among many leaders who play an integral role in a battle much bigger than a win or loss on the football field.  A great deal of credit goes out to former Nittany Lion basketball leaders Bruce Parkhill, Jerry Dunn (both of which were in attendance on Friday) and Ed DeChellis for helping lead the Penn State CVC into what it has become today.

The CVC Golf Tournament is the flagship event of the organization created to raise funds year-round to support the American Cancer Society affected by the disease in Centre County through the Bob Perks Cancer Assistance Fund (BCAF).  In addition to the golf tournament, Coaches vs. Cancer conducts a year-round calendar of seven events.

The golf tournament has more than doubled in size since it began in 1996-'97, and there could not be a better man with a better attitude continuing to lead the Penn State CVC fight than Coach Chambers.

With the funds raised in 2013, the CVC eclipses $2 million raised in the fight against cancer.  While it was a fun day on the golf course, the bigger fight cannot be stated enough.  To get involved as a sponsor or participant in Penn State Coaches vs. Cancer please visit CVCPENNSTATE.ORG or call 814-330-3337.


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By Mike Esse, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Steven Hill, Cody Lewis and Dave Walkling were the most experienced and perhaps the most reliable pitchers for Penn State entering the 2013 campaign and finished their careers with the same description.

The numbers don't do them justice. The three senior pitchers were the heart and sole of the Nittany Lion pitching staff, as well as the team as a whole, which made the ending to their careers very fitting.

Against Michigan State on May 18, Senior Day, Penn State used just three pitchers; Hill, Walkling and Lewis. Despite the loss, it was an appropriate end for each of the pitchers.

Hill, despite battling a shoulder injury for the majority of the 2013 season, threw seven and two-thirds scoreless innings against the Spartans, something the Nittany Lions have seen many times during his career. The scoreless outing was a perfect conclusion to his career at Penn State, which started as a walk-on.

"The coaches gave me the opportunity my freshman year to walk on and they helped me become who I am today," said Hill. "I couldn't have asked for a better ending [to my career], individually. You just can't script it much better."

Walking replaced Hill with two outs in the seventh inning and Penn State leading, 1-0, and did what he had done his whole career at Penn State: throw sliders and get outs.

Then, Lewis battled a tough Spartan lineup to toss the final two innings of the season and his career.

It was an adequate end, not only because the three seniors were able to throw consecutively in their last game in blue and white, but because of the way they embodied the work ethic of the Penn State pitching staff as a whole.

They battled. Pitchers came into the game in tough spots and fought their way through it.

Redshirt sophomore T.J. Jann also embodied that mentality, returning to the hill in 2013 after what was thought to be a career ending arm injury during his true freshman season in 2011. Jann was the Friday night starter for the Nittany Lions throughout season and arguably the top pitcher on the staff.

Junior Greg Welsh erased a tough start to the season and finished the year with a string of impressive starts, including a complete game shutout win against Michigan State in the second game of the season's final series.

Freshman starter Nick Hedge and junior reliever Ian Parvin showed grit during the season as did the entire Penn State bullpen.

The returning pitchers will have a tough task replacing Hill, Lewis and Walkling, but certainly know what it takes to have a successful career at Penn State. It starts with the bulldog mentality that Hill embodied in his four years in blue and white.

"In [Hill's] four years here he has been outstanding for us," said assistant coach Eric Folmar. "He's given us the chance to win every time out and is going to be a hard one to not have around next year."

Lewis and Walking had similar praise from their coaches and teammates throughout the season. Both seniors have confidence in the Lions pitching staff moving forward.

Players on the current roster and the incoming freshman class will all have to step up in 2014 in order to continue what the senior pitching staff built over the past four years at Penn State.

"We have some guys that are on our team that are going to have to move into different roles next year," said Folmar. "We also have some incoming recruits that are going to have the opportunity to win a job as true freshmen."

The coaching staff is looking to take what they had in 2013 and continue to build on it. From a pitching stand point, Folmar said that the biggest thing is being able to make the pitch or get the outs they need in close games and that will make a huge difference moving forward.

Despite the 14-36 record, Penn State will look at the bright spots that are both leaving and returning for Penn State, which is great motivation as they begin preparation for 2014 almost immediately.

"Today's game is great motivation heading into next year," said Folmar. "This season is done and next year has already started for us. It is great motivation because we never want to be back here again."

--NITTANY LIONS--

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Several members of the Nittany Lion football team took time on Tuesday afternoon to ship several boxes of supplies to the Moore, Okla., tornado victims.

Following the EF5 tornado that impacted Moore, Okla., and its surrounding areas on May 20, student-athletes on the Penn State Football squad wanted to make a donation to aide the tornado relief efforts.  The student-athletes packaged T-shirts, sweatshirts and water bottles and shipped several boxes to help the victims of last week's powerful storm.

Take a look and hear from a few Nittany Lions who participated.

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By Mike Esse, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Heading into the 2013 season, head coach Robbie Wine and his staff had a lot of open spots in their lineup, but knew they had a pair of anchors in seniors Luis Montesinos and Elliot Searer to lead the charge.

To no surprise, the two captains did exactly that as they hit in the top five of the batting order throughout the season and were a pair of the most reliable offensive weapons for the Nittany Lions.

Searer and Montesinos teamed up with sophomore designated hitter J.C. Coban to lead the Lions in doubles with seven each while being three of the top four hitters in terms of average on the team.

The trio wasn't a surprise for the Nittany Lions, but the player who joined them in the top four in batting average was.

Unanimous All-Big Ten Freshman Team pick James Coates started from day one and contributed from the outset, becoming a hit machine for the Nittany Lions, especially when Big Ten play rolled around.

Coates finished the year tied for the team lead in batting average (.295) and hits (51) with Coban and led the team in runs scored (27), stolen bases (10) and on base percentage (.392).

Coates, Searer and Montesinos all played 48 or more games in 2013 and adding the impact of junior centerfielder Steve Snyder, who started all 50 games, there was consistency atop the Nittany Lions order.

Outside of those four players, a number of Nittany Lions contributed in various roles during 2013. As a team, the Nittany Lions finished the year with a.258 batting average, which Montesinos wasn't discouraged by.

Penn State had their chances to flip the script in a number of games, playing 21 games that were decided by two or fewer runs, but it was more Penn State's inability to come through offensively in close games that stood out to the senior.

"You always want more, but we wish we could have put our hits together instead of scattering them throughout the [season]," said Montesinos. "I feel like offensively we were alright, we just needed a little more in some of the games we lost by one or two runs."

However, the end of the season brought a number of positives for Penn State as they look ahead to the 2014 season.

"You have seen some of these guys start to swing the bat really well over the past few weeks," said Searer.

Montesinos agreed, especially with another freshman, third baseman Tyler Kendall, who had a hot bat to close his first season in the blue and white.

With guys like Coates, Kendall and a number of sophomores that contributed in their first two seasons, offensively, things are looking up in the coming years.

"You feel confident because [our young guys] have played a lot of baseball and have had a lot of at-bats under their belts, especially in James [Coates] and Tyler [Kendall]," said assistant coach Eric Folmar. "There's no question that we have a lot of guys coming back that should be able to lead this team next year."

For Searer, as his career came to a close, he looked at the future of Penn State baseball starting with the freshman Coates.

"I'm satisfied with the way my career ended and the other guys should be, too," said Searer. "We now pass the torch to guys like [Coates and Kendall] to turn things around the next couple years.

"I believe in these guys, they bleed blue and white and so does everyone else in that locker room. That's the Penn State culture and [the love for this university] is what's going to take us over the top."

--NITTANY LIONS--

By Michael Renahan, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lions fell to the Northwestern Wildcats, 15-7, in the NCAA quarterfinals Saturday night in Evanston.

The loss marked the end to an extremely successful season for head coach Missy Doherty and her team. It was the third time the Nittany Lions loss to the Wildcats in 2013 and second year in a row they lost in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.

Freshman Madison Cyr had a solid night for the Nittany Lions scoring two goals on three shots and playing hard defense against the Wildcats. Along with Cyr, fellow freshman Jenna Mosketti had two goals while Molly Fernandez, Kelly Lechner and Maggie McCormick each had one.

On a warm night in Evanston the Nittany Lions struggled to get going offensively allowing the Wildcats to jump out to an early lead. The normally sound Nittany Lions turned the ball over often in the early parts of the game and the Northwestern Wildcats took advantage taking a 5-0 lead in the first 20 minutes.

As a team, Penn State turned the ball over seven times in the first half to just four from the Wildcats. The Nittany Lion's difficulties controlling the ball continued limiting the team to just three goals in the first half. By the end of the game, the Nittany Lions had started to play their style forcing the Wildcats into seven turnovers of their own, but it was too little too late.

Penn State scored four goals over a six minute span in the second half of the game to bring the deficit down to eight, but they would not be able to bring it any closer than that by the final whistle. They outscored the Wildcats 4-2 in the second half and took three more shots, but the 13-3 first half deficit was too much to overcome.

The fast pace Nittany Lions could not get out on breaks early to get transition goals. Penn State has been dominant with their transition play in 2013, but the Wildcat defense shut down the Nittany Lion offense throughout the game. Penn State only had four shots in the first half and 16 by the end of the game.

Penn State also struggled off the draw. The Nittany Lions had had success in the circle during the early rounds of the NCAA tournament against Canisius College and University of Massachusetts, but the Wildcats owned the draw control on Saturday night grabbing 25 to Penn State's 17.

Defensively the Nittany Lions battled hard but struggled to keep the Wildcats off the scoreboard. Northwestern moved the ball very effectively against the Nittany Lions finding cutters and drawing fouls to create free position opportunities. It felt as if the entire first half was played in Penn State's defensive zone.

Emi Smith was unable to repeat her solid outing from last weekend. The freshman allowed eight goals in the first half before Doherty put in backup goalie Ayla Halus. Smith did return to the game in the second half and played much better recording two saves.

In the first half the Wildcats had five free position opportunities scoring on three of them to widen the lead. In uncharacteristic fashion, the Nittany Lions committed 12 first half fouls to help allow the Wildcats to control the pace of the game.  Throughout the season, the Penn State defense had become known for its hard, but intelligent, contesting of opponents. They took charges and forced turnovers regularly but were unable to do so Saturday night.

Seniors Katie Guy and Colleen Shea played at an extremely high level against the Wildcats. Shea had two forced turnovers, but a team high six fouls. Guy, who entered the game No. 10 in the nation in caused turnovers, had three of her own in the setback.

The 2013 season was the most successful under third year coach Missy Doherty. The Nittany Lions took a very young team far into the NCAA tournament. Throughout the year, the team grew both offensively and defensively and matured together. Penn State saw players like Maggie McCormick and Kelly Lechner become stars and a freshman class that is sure to excel in the coming years.

The Nittany Lions enter the offseason with a lot to be proud of. While they didn't win a national championship this season, they certainly set high expectations going forward. 

Women's Volleyball European Trip - May 15, 2013: That's a Wrap!

As I write this blog, I am completely exhausted by jet lag. This 10-day trek through central Europe was one that I will never forget. Over the last week and half, a bus full of players, coaches, and boosters had the opportunity to dive into the cultures of 5 different cities in 4 different countries. To say that our bodies and sleeping patterns were out of whack would be an understatement.

Early Wednesday morning after a relaxing last evening in the lobby, we all boarded the bus to the Milan airport. This time, unfortunately, all of the bags did not fit under the bus due to the increased size of the suitcases filled with gifts and shopping bags acquired throughout the trip. All of the girls used a weighing device to ensure all bags were under that dreaded 50 pound mark. Once the aisles of the bus were filled with suitcases, we were on our way to the airport.

After a smooth check-in process and a quick flight from Milan to Paris, we were left with a 4-hour layover in Charles de Gaulle airport. Our terminal was filled with high-end shops such as Prada, Fendi, Gucci and many more! The highlight of our time in Paris was when Wayne took a seat at the piano and started playing the Penn State fight song and alma mater! We all sang along right before we boarded the airplane.
Just about 8 hours later we landed in Philadelphia and made it through customs and immigration without any delays or problems. Before the rest of the group climbed onto the bus back to State College, I said my goodbyes to all because I was driving back to New Jersey with my family who met me at the airport.

I will never forget the memories I made on this trip with so many wonderful people. I want to thank all of you in the booster club for your countless hours of hard work over the past few years, which allowed us to enjoy such an incredible experience! I look forward to seeing you all in Rec Hall this fall!

Marika Racibarskas

Women's Volleyball European Trip - May 14, 2013: Ciao, Venice!

Hello, people. Today we are leaving Venice and making our way to our last stop in Europe. We woke up early, ate some delicious NUTELLA croissants, and bussed to Milan, Italy. On our way to Milan we saw a part of the Alps mountain range outside our bus window. It was cooooool.

Immediately entering into Milan, we went and ate lunch at the training center. We had it family style, meaning we started the meal with a pasta dish and then they would bring out a salad and the main course. As for the pasta, they added green onions and some bacon. Typically, I do not like onions at all, but our tour guide, TK, insisted I try them, and I ended up really enjoying them in the pasta. The main dish ended up being pork. It was good, but I could have definitely handled going for seconds.

After eating a tasty lunch, we walked over to our hotel and got ready to play the Italian National Team. We suited up and walked to the training center where we would serve and pass. After our serve pass, we would begin the European structured warm up and then compete. In the end of our scrimmage, we ended up splitting the games. They won 2 games and we won the other 2 games. Though, it was exciting to split a game with the Italian national team, it would have been nice to play out a fifth set. However, we would play them again the next day, anyway.

After the scrimmage, we went to our hotel and got ready to explore down town. We were all dressed up in the lobby and then made our way to the tram. We then got onto the tram and made our way to down town. Upon arrival, we immediately gathered around the Duomo. It was absolutely beautiful and we all took some pictures with it. After taking pictures, we dispersed and did whatever we wanted. I went and got dinner with Micha, Paulina, Deja, Chris, and Scott (also known as Jeremy). We went to a nice restaurant where I ordered a sea food antipasta. It was my favorite meal of the trip. It consisted of muscles, squid, shrimp, a nice sauce and bread. Before I dived into my plate, I had Micha take a picture of me eating an octopus tentacle, because it was cool.

After a fine meal with friends, the day was over and we took the #14 tram home and called it a day. #JEAH

Lacey Fuller

Women's Volleyball European Trip - May 12, 2013: Shopping in Milan!

For Milan as a city I experienced great shopping, if you know how to hunt for reasonable prices. I ran into two great shops that weren't high in cost but great quality and did a little splurging! I'm so thankful that I got the opportunity to come here and experience even just the city of a beautiful country.

Now for the volleyball...

After getting a taste of how the Italian National team plays and who we need to focus on, we should have a better handle on what to neutralize. We have to be more focused and crisp with our serve and pass game, but other than that the team is showing great effort. We have had such a eye opening experience playing and talking to pros throughout the trip. We are so blessed to have support like this boosters, parents and a university that backs us! Thank you all so much! CIAO!
Micha Hancock

Women's Volleyball European Trip - May 11, 2013: Hello from Slovenia!

We had another great day in Maribor. The day started off with a big spread of meats and cheeses and other classic breakfast foods which filled us up for the morning activities. We went straight from breakfast to practice where we had our best practice of the trip thus far. During practice, we had three professional players play with us, which was cool for everyone to get to play beside them but to also ask them questions about the professional world of volleyball in Europe. Following up from practice we took a bus into town as a group with the team and boosters to have lunch and explore Maribor. We went to a great pizzeria which was very yummy. They also had dishes of pasta and lasagna and by the look of some of my teammates plates, it looked delicious. For those of us who got pizza we each got our own personal pizza that was a challenge to finish it all but we all rose to the challenge! After lunch we walked around and of course we found ourselves some gelato.

Later in the day we had our second match against the Croatian National team. We competed very hard and came out with the 3-1 win. They were an extremely good team filled with a ton of experience and different ages. Ariel had a great game for the second day in a row and was one of the key factors to our win. Following the match we went to dinner at one of the best vineyards in Europe. The Croatian team came to dinner with us which was great to get to know them and to hear their insight on professional volleyball as well. We had a fantastic meal at the vineyard which completed our wonderful stay in Maribor. Thank you to all who made this trip possible. It's truly been amazing. Off to Venice!

Maddie Martin

Hey everyone! I hope you have all been following along our blogs about this amazing experience in Europe thus far! For me, being out the country is a completely different and new experience. Although my time in Europe is winding down, I can't even explain the beauty of Europe. If you have been following along, you may have noticed that we all have different topics to talk about. Well I was lucky enough to get one of the most beautiful and breathtaking tourist attractions in all of the world. Venice, Italy was an amazing city to see and walk around in. As many of you might already know there are gondolas, which are the boats that are famous to travel around the city. As I walked around the city, it was very hard to find your way around. We quickly found out that once you passed a store, there was a slim to none chance you were going to find it again. The girls, boosters, coaches, and managers walked around the city to meet in the main square to see the main attraction, the Basilica de San Marco. It was a beautiful church with architecture like I have never seen before. Fortunately for all of us, the weather as very cooperative until about the last twenty or so minutes when it started to rain. It was just an incredible view from evey way you looked. I think I can speak for everyone when I say this has truly been an experience of a lifetime that we will never forget. Everything about it has been breathtaking. I hope to see everyone soon and tell you all about this amazing trip that wouldn't be made possible without all of your generosity and support for the progress! We have made Penn State proud over here in Europe. We wear those letters with pride and always represent who we are.

We Are....
Megan Courtney

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Behind a five-run third inning and a complete game, five-hit shutout from junior Greg Welsh on the mound, the Nittany Lions (14-35, 4-19) belted 17 hits en route to a 9-0 victory over Michigan State (32-17, 11-9) on a sun-splashed Friday afternoon at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

On a day where all nine Nittany Lions in the lineup tallied hits, sophomore catcher J.C. Coban opened the scoring with an RBI base hit through the middle of the infield in the bottom of the first inning.  However, it was Coban's second RBI single on a sharply hit ball to right field in the top of the third that opened the gates for Penn State's second shutout of the 2013 season.

"There was a big hole up the middle, and all I was trying to do was put the ball up the middle in my first at bat," Coban said.  "It was huge to get contributions from a number of different guys (in the third inning)."

Freshman left fielder James Coates kick-started the big third with a single to left field.  In total, the Lions notched six hits in the third, which included a two-RBI double from senior Matt Paradise just inside the left field line.  An Elliot Searer RBI single to left capped the scoring to make it 6-0.

From there, the junior southpaw on the mound took over.  Welsh tossed his first career complete game performance while yielding just five hits.  He struck out just two and walked one on 102 pitches.  Welsh pitched with great tempo and developed an early rhythm to shut down Michigan State.

"Coach Bell always tells me, and I believe it, too, that I am really good in a fast tempo," Welsh said.  "I'm not really thinking about each pitch to just keep on rolling.  He did a good job in the dugout telling me to just keep it up.  There was a time in the middle of the game where I kind of slowed it down when I was in the stretch, but I picked it up and like working fast."

Michigan State leadoff batter Cam Gibson doubled to open the game.  Welsh then retired the next nine batters before the Spartans led off the fourth inning with a single.  The key to the superb outing for Welsh was his ability to throw strikes.

"Throwing strikes is huge," Welsh said.  "Recently, including myself, the whole staff has really had trouble throwing strikes and giving our defense a chance to make plays.  I was really happy trusting my defense back there and pitching to contact, and they had my back all day."

The Nittany Lions added three more tallies in the bottom of the eighth to put the game out of reach, thanks to an RBI single from Luis Montesinos and a two-RBI single from Zach Ell.

One day after falling 16-1 in the series opener against Michigan State, the Nittany Lions looked like a completely different ball club on Friday.  Seven different players notched at least two hits, led by Coban's three-hit, two-RBI effort at the DH spot.  Friday marked Penn State's largest offensive output in Big Ten play this season with 17 hits and nine runs.

"We're still fighting, and we are still competing," Coban said.  "Greg (Welsh) was battling his butt off out there, so we had to do our job out there, too."

"It was a great win for us, a huge win," Welsh said.

The Nittany Lions and Spartans will again do battle on Saturday in the regular season finale.  Penn State will honor its senior class prior to the 1:05 p.m. first pitch at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.


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