University Park, Pa. -- Following a pair of historical single-season performances, All-Americans Larry Johnson and Kelly Mazzante have been selected as Penn State's male and female athletes of the year for 2002-03.
Both student-athletes are eligible to be selected as the Jesse Owens Male and Suzy Favor Female Big Ten Athletes of the Year, presented on Thursday, June 26.
Johnson, of State College, made the most of his opportunity as the Nittany Lions' featured tailback in 2002 as the bruising back led the nation in rushing and all-purpose yards, rushing for 2,087 yards to shatter the school record. He became the first Nittany Lion to lead the nation in rushing and was the first player in the 107-year history of the Big Ten Conference (ninth in NCAA history) to rush for more than 2,000 yards in the regular season.
During an amazing six-game stretch last fall, Johnson shattered the Penn State single-game rushing mark on three separate occasions, eclipsing the 200-yard mark in four of those games, led by 327 yards at Indiana.
The 6-2, 222-pound senior ended the season as a consensus first-team All-American, the winner of the Walter Camp and Maxwell Player of the Year awards, the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back and was third in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy. He also was the Chevrolet Offensive Player of the Year.
Johnson's efforts led Coach Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions in posting a 9-3 regular season mark and earning a berth in the Capital One Bowl.
Johnson's record-breaking senior campaign culminated with him being named the Most Valuable Player of the 2003 Senior Bowl and as a first round selection by the Kansas City Chiefs in the National Football League draft.
The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and first two-time Kodak All-American in the program's history, Mazzante has already entrenched herself as one of the Lady Lions' all-time greatest players. The sharp-shooting guard became the fastest player in Big Ten and Penn State history to reach 2,000 points in a career and is the only player to lead the Big Ten in scoring for three consecutive seasons.
Mazzante, of Montoursville, also became the first player in Lady Lion history to be recognized as a first-team Associated Press All-America choice following a season that saw her climb into second-place among Penn State's career scoring leaders. She resides in fourth place among the Big Ten's all-time point leaders after only 99 career games.
Mazzante was named Big Ten Player of the Week a conference-record five times in 2002-03 and was a finalist for both the Wade Trophy and the Naismith Award, which are both presented to the nation's top player.
During her junior season, Mazzante guided the Lady Lions to their fourth Big Ten championship and their second-consecutive appearance in the "Sweet Sixteen" round of the NCAA Tournament.
Already the program's all-time leader in three-point field goals, Mazzante will enter her senior campaign well on pace to become the all-time leading scorer in both Penn State and Big Ten history.
Former women's soccer All-American and 2001 Hermann Trophy winner Christie Welsh (Massapequa, N.Y.) was the last Penn State student-athlete to be honored as a Big Ten Athlete of the Year when she was recognized as the recipient of the Suzy Favor Award as the conference's top female athlete for 2001-02.
The efforts of Johnson, Mazzante and Penn State's 800 student-athletes propelled the Nittany and Lady Lions to a fifth place finish in the 2002-03 NACDA Directors' Cup for athletic excellence among the nation's 300-plus Division I programs. Penn State has earned four top five finishes and seven top 10 placings in the 10-year history of the Directors' Cup.