UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; June 14, 2005 ¡ª Men¡¯s lacrosse midfielder
Mike Jacober (Providence, R.I.) and softball second baseman
Kari Lucas (Centre Hall, Pa.) were announced Tuesday by the Big Ten Conference as Penn State¡¯s Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners. Twenty-two student-athletes, two from each Big Ten institution, were chosen as the Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners.
A leader on the Penn State men¡¯s lacrosse team that earned a berth in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, Jacober not only displayed sportsmanship on the field, but was involved with his team in the local community. Among the activities Jacober had involvement with is the PSU-MSU Blood Drive, a dual school effort with Big Ten member Michigan State that helps promote blood donation with the Red Cross. Jacober also participated in the Centre County United Way Day of Caring as well as with Mid State Legal Services.
Lucas is a sophomore on a Nittany Lion softball team that made its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in the past six years. A member of the Center County community and graduate of Penns Valley High School, Lucas was diagnosed with leukemia during the summer of 2004. While reaching her goal of completing her treatment and returning for the 2005 season, Lucas was very involved in raising funds for the Dance Marathon, the largest student-run philanthropy in the country. THON helped raise over 4.12 million dollars for pediatric cancer research and treatment at the Hershey Medical Center, where Lucas also received treatment. Additionally, Lucas also participated in the United Way Day of Caring and the United Way Race to the Lion.
All 270 Big Ten Sportsmanship winners were chosen with a major emphasis on both sportsmanship and community service. The criteria for sportsmanship is applied by choosing recipients who observe the rules and intent of his or her sport¡¯s rules at all times. The recipients also must be fair and respectful to their opponent. In addition, the recipients should be enthusiastic about the game, enjoy playing it, and win or lose, do their absolute best at all times. The second criteria is that the recipients shall be active in their campus communities.
Below is a complete list of this year¡¯s Big Ten Sportsmanship Honorees at Penn State. The sportsmanship award winners for fencing are still to be chosen.
2004-05 PENN STATE SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREES Baseball: Clint Eury Men's Basketball: Kevin Fellows Women's Basketball: Tanisha Wright Men's Cross Country: Ryan McGarry Women's Cross Country: Kayla Matrunick Field Hockey: Amanda Eckert Football: Zack Mills Men's Golf: Marco Poccia Women's Golf: Amber Weinerth Men's Gymnastics: Ludwig Kern Women's Gymnastics: Cecile Allen Men's Indoor Track: Dave Bollinger Women's Indoor Track: Kate Johnston Men's Lacrosse: Michael Jacober Women's Lacrosse: Elizabeth Tortorelli Men's Outdoor Track: Ryan McGarry Women's Outdoor Track: Gayle Hunter Men's Soccer: Grady Renfrow Women's Soccer: Erin McLeod Softball: Kari Lucas Men's Swimming & Diving: Mark Zucca Women's Swimming & Diving: Kerry Smith Men's Tennis: Mark Barry Women's Tennis: Sasha Abraham Men's Volleyball: Kevin Wentzel Women's Volleyball: Tabitha Eshleman Wrestling: Adam Smith
