Nitt Picks Remembers That There Are Other Sports

We're Terribly Sorry, Bridget. OK, we get it...expansion was coming, then it was stagnant, and now it is over. Except that it isn't. Or maybe it is. At this point, we've all developed a little thick skin to all of the Chip Browns of the world. So forgive us, Bridget Franek and the other decorated members of the Penn State Track and Field Team, for overlooking your awesome accomplishments:

The Nittany Lion track and field teams officially garnered an even dozen All-America citations for the outdoor season, according to the list released by the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday. Highlighting the Nittany Lions' impressive haul was NCAA Champion Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio), as well as Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.), Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.), and Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.), who earned two All-America certificates apiece.

Franek earned Penn State's first-ever NCAA title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, claiming the 10th All-America finish of her decorated career, as well as her first NCAA gold. Franek dominated the field in her final NCAA appearance, finishing in a collegiate and U.S.-leading 9:38.86 - 13 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.

We did some more overlooking after the jump...

Another Lion Makes The Bigs. Following the example set by Henry Aaron, George Ruth, and Pedro Cerrano, Penn State catcher Ben Heath was recently selected by the Houston Astros in the fifth round of the recent MLB draft. OremLK at The Crawfish Boxes has your rundown.

5.  Ben Heath, C: A.  I'm with David on this one.  After reading up on him and watching a little video, I love this pick here.  Heath quietly had a monster season in 2010 after not getting much playing time his two previous years.  He's just the kind of player who could surprise everyone and turn into a top hitting prospect after not having been noticed much prior to the draft.  The fact that he has a chance to stick at a premium position (catcher) makes him that much more interesting as a prospect.

Long Overdue Women's Volleyball News. Outstanding PSU vball blog Dig Nittany Volleyball put out a very early look at the 2010 team. And you thought the football team's 2010 recruiting class was good...In related news, a trio of former Penn Staters (including BSD fave Megan Hodge) led the US Women's Team to a Second Place finish in the Montreus Volley Masters, an international warmup to the 2010 World Championships. Oh, and in case you forgot...

In Scores Of Other News. The fencing team did well, again...Joe is probably faking it to get out of talking about STEP and expansion, but all PA "Evening With Joe" events have been canceled...David Jones (eventually) talks about Big Ten hockey and Penn State...Notre Dame charges very little to watch a great products