June 20, 2009

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; June 20, 2009 - Penn State was the big winner at the Big Ten Network's 2008-09 Awards Show, capturing four of the nine award categories.

Nittany Nation's voice was clearly heard on the program, as Penn State swept all three awards determined by fan voting during the past month. Penn State was the only school represented by nominees in all nine award categories.

Talor Battle's (Albany, N.Y.) driving, twisting shot high off the glass with :0.3 to play to beat No. 23 Illinois, 64-63, on March 5 was selected the Big Ten's Best Finish of 2008-09. Battle's shot sent the Jordan Center crowd of 13,091 into delirium and gave the Nittany Lions their second consecutive regular season sweep of the Illini. A rising junior, Battle was the conference's leading scorer (16.7 ppg), was second in assists (5.0) and earned first team All-Big Ten and USBWA and NABC All-District honors in leading the Nittany Lions (27-11) to the 2009 National Invitation Tournament Championship and a program record for victories.

Battle was named to the prestigious USA World University Games Team earlier this week and will wear the red, white and blue July 2-11 in Belgrade, Serbia.

Football coach Joe Paterno was selected Big Ten Men's Coach of the Year. Paterno led the Nittany Lions to the 2008 Big Ten Championship, going 11-2 overall and 7-1 in conference play. The Hall of Fame coach was selected Dave McClain Big Ten Coach of the Year for the third time. Penn State won at least 11 games for the 14th time under Paterno, who has guided the Nittany Lions to two National Championships and NCAA records for victories (383), bowl wins (23) and bowl appearances (35).

Women's volleyball coach Russ Rose was selected Big Ten Women's Coach of the Year. Rose led the Nittany Lions to their second consecutive NCAA Championship last fall, earning a 38-0 overall mark, including a 20-0 record in conference action. Rose was selected Big Ten Coach of the Year for the 10th time in his Hall of Fame career and has led Penn State to three National Championships and 12 Big Ten titles. He owns a 963-159 career record, good for an NCAA record 85.8 winning percentage.

Nittany Lion basketball senior Jamelle Cornley (Columbus, Ohio) was named recipient of the Big Ten Network's 2008-09 Most Courageous Performance. A three-time team Co-MVP, Cornley led Penn State to the 2009 National Invitation Tournament Championship, the program's first national title. The forward battled through a shoulder injury during the season, forcing him to miss the second half of Penn State's thrilling overtime win over George Mason in the first round of the NIT and the second round win over Rhode Island. Cornley returned to lead the Nittany Lions past Florida, Notre Dame and Baylor earn NIT MVP honors.

A 2009 second team All-Big Ten selection, Cornley finished his career ranking fourth all-time in points (1,579) and rebounds (755). He led Penn State with 6.3 rebounds per game and ranked second with 14.4 points per game this past season. His 531 points on the year rank as the sixth-best single-season total at Penn State

The 2008-09 Big Ten Network Awards Show will re-air several times during the next two weeks (all times ET): today (2:00 p.m.); Tuesday (8:00 a.m.); Thursday (9:00 p.m.) and Tuesday, June 30 (11:00 p.m.).

The Big Ten Network will air several of the Nittany Lions' most memorable victories on Sunday, June 21, with 24 consecutive hours of Penn State programming. The Penn State men's basketball, football, women's soccer and men's and women's track and field teams will be among the teams featured on Penn State Day

The Network will air Penn State's 49-18 football victory over Michigan State to clinch the conference title today at 8:00 p.m., followed by the Big Ten's Top Ten football games of the year show at 10:00 p.m. Penn State Day begins Sunday at 6:00 a.m. with the Nittany Lion Basketball team's thrilling 65-63 victory over No. 2 Michigan State in the 2001 Big Ten Tournament.

About the Big Ten Network: The Big Ten Network is the first nationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With approximately 350 live events, and nearly all of them in HD, the network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country, allowing them to see their favorite teams, regardless of where they live. The network operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, showcasing a wide array of classic-to-current sports and televising more Olympic sporting events and women's sports than has ever been aired on any other network. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation's finest universities. Each year, the network offers approximately 35 football games, 105 regular season men's basketball games; 55 women's basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Championship events; Big Ten Tonight, a nightly studio show; coaches' shows; and classic games. Available to all cable and satellite providers nationwide, the network currently has agreements with more than 250 affiliates, including AT&T U-Verse, Charter, Comcast, Cox (Cleveland), DirecTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. For updated information on the Big Ten Network, go to www.BigTenNetwork.com.