UNIONTOWN, Pa. – The Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame will honor two Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus student-athletes at its upcoming induction ceremony and awards banquet June 23. Junior wrestler Dan Karpency and sophomore cross country runner Jennifer Naymick were selected as the 2011-12 Penn State Fayette Scholar-Athletes for their outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments.
Both Karpency and Naymick have been trailblazers of sorts for Roaring Lions’ athletic programs, as they both compete for relatively new sports at Fayette. Karpency transferred to Fayette to be a part of this year’s inaugural wrestling season, while Naymick joined a second-year cross country program when she enrolled in the fall of 2010.
“It was challenging being part of (a new) team,” said Naymick. “There weren’t many people who knew we had a team (last year), but my second year on the team showed me how much a sports program can grow in a short amount of time.”
Naymick competed in the 2010 United States Collegiate Athletic Association Cross Country Championships, where she finished 16th as a freshman. She is also two-time Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference all-academic honoree, and earned USCAA Academic All-American honors in 2011-12.
“When I heard Penn State Fayette was going to have a wrestling team, I knew that I wanted to be a part of this team,” says Karpency. “I enjoyed getting back into wrestling after being off for two years and Penn State Fayette has afforded me the opportunity to compete again.”
Karpency won Fayette’s first ever conference wrestling crown in 2012, taking the 157 lb. weight class in the PSUAC/USCAA Championships at University Park, Pa. in February. He also earned PSUAC All-Academic honors in his first year at Fayette.
Vince Capozzi, athletic director at Penn State Fayette, nominated the pair based on excellence on the field, demonstration of leadership and previously being named to an all-academic team..
The Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame banquet and awards ceremony will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 23, in Penn State Fayette’s Community Center Main Arena. Tickets for the Hall of Fame banquet can be purchased by calling Jes Hutson at 724-430-4100, ext. 4886.