Chandler, Ariz. — After piecing together another strong season on the field, the Penn State field hockey team also continued to succeed in the classroom as the Nittany Lions were honored with a Division I National Academic Team Award as selected by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
The award is given to teams that have achieved a Team GPA of 3.0 or higher during the first semester of the 2010-11 academic year.
Once again, Penn State earned the award after excelling academically. During the fall, seven members of the squad were selected to the Academic All-Big Ten team. Ayla Halus, Kelsey Amy, Casey McCartin, Ali Meves, Jenny Purvis, Alex Schlener, and Daneen Zug were all honored by the conference for their outstanding efforts in the classroom.
Additionally, the 2010 Gladiator by SGI/NFHCA National Academic teams will be released next month. Nine Nittany Lions earned that honor last season.
Along with the team's continued success off the field, Penn State also had another great year between the lines. Guided by Charlene Morett, who was named the Mideast Region Coach of the Year, the Lions posted a 14-6 record and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Penn State was one of six teams from the Big Ten to earn the academic honor this season. The Lions were also one of nine squads who made the academic list and competed in the NCAA Tournament.
Northwestern was honored as the top performer this year after accumulating a 3.54 Team GPA. Drexel, American, Central Michigan, and Robert Morris rounded out the top-five.