OPINION
Another record broken,
ELESE MERKOVSKY
sports editor
At 83, our society consid
ers people old. We often ap
plaud those who are able to
walk around and live on their
own. But at 83, Joe Paterno
has a different life path. After
this week's win over North
western, JoePa has hit the
milestone of 400 wins.
This feat has never been
accomplished before in Divi
sion 1 football, and it seems
fitting that JoePa would add
this on his list of achieve
ments. However, in the light
of such a huge milestone for
Senior Danielle Woods has recorded 1,716 career digs,
and ranks third on the all-time list.
PSU, the ongoing argument
that Paterno needs to step
down from coaching because
of his age continues.
Being a third genera
tion Penn Stater, and having
grandparents who have been
season ticket holders for the
past 30 years, I grew up going
to PSU games.
I can remember tailgaiting,
going to the creamery, shop
ping, and back when security
was not a huge issue getting
into the fourth quarter and
watching the Blue and White
win (usually).
This ritual would not be
complete without Joe Pa. To
any dedicated Penn Stater,
Paterno seems synonymous
to the program. After 66
years on the coaching staff at
Penn State, and 45 years in
the head coaching position, it
is obvious that he is dedicated
to the position.
I am not oblivious to the
fact that he is old. Hell, 83
is old for the average person,
let alone the coach for one of
PTII I 4') a I 4 1
Woods leaves legacy at Behrend
Soccer, gymnastics, cross country, volley
ball; very few people can say they play any
of those sports, let alone all four of them.
However, for her efforts on the volleyball
court in helping the Lady Lions extend their
winning streak to eight straight games, se
nior marketing major Danielle Woods has
been named the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Ath
lete of the Week.
Woods has been playing soccer since
fifth grade and even started playing junior
Olympic volleyball that same year as well
as participating in all her other sporting en
deavors as well. Eventually Woods, like so
many other gifted athletes, was forced to
pick a sport, and she picked volleyball to
play for Baldwin high school.
"Volleyball is most definitely my pas
sion," Woods said. "I can remember in my
high school days when it was game day, I
would have a hard time concentrating on
my classes because all I could focus on was
another reason
the most well-known football
programs in the country. And
we've all seen him spend sea
sons up in the box, coaching
through a headset due to in-
a~ 0~ 0~
jury or illness. But he hasn't
had a terrible season yet.
Yeah, there have been
some losing seasons, but
that happens in all programs.
Even as he has gotten older,
he leads the Blue and White
the game that night; especially when it was
against one of our rivals."
ALEC ITALIANO
sports editor
While at Baldwin High, Woods found
success on the court and lettered in the
sport all four years and was named to the
WPIAL all section second team as a junior,
and was named to the WPIAL all-star, all
section first team as a senior.
Woods continued her winning ways
at Behrend and received the Penn State
Behrend Rookie Award as a freshman.
Through her years playing for head coach
Phil Pisano, Woods has received four All
Tournament Team awards over her tenure
here at Behrend, one of them being at the
2009 Behrend Invitational.
Truly an athlete at heart, Woods is ex
tremely competitive at her sport and took
her volleyball career seriously, while having
fun with it at the same time.
"I am not only passionate about playing
but winning was everything to me," Woods
said. "I never took losing very well. When
I'm out there playing it gives me an adrena
line high and I love being out on the court."
Woods attributes much of her success to
to bowl game after bowl
game, winning season after
winning season. He may not
be the young coach many
teams are graced with but
to have the audacity to ask
him to step down would be a
crime against Penn State.
JoePa is graced with a won
derful staff that, lets face it,
helps him a lot. But that staff
would be nothing without Joe
in the head position. Though
his involvement in the team
strategy and such may not be
the same as it was when he
started 66 years ago (not that
I know for a fact it hasn't), the
fact that he is the face of the
her family and coaches as well, especially
Pisano who helped hone her defensive
skills and ultimately into a top-notch volley
ball player at the collegiate level.
"I think Phil and I share the same pas
sion for the game," Woods said. "His de
sire to win and be the best is evident by the
amount of time and effort he puts into the
program. I would also like to thank Gerry
Vensel for her words of encouragement and
support. In addition to the Behrend coach
es, I would like to thank all the coaches that
I've had throughout my volleyball career
who have helped to mold me into the player
I am today. Lastly, and most importantly, I
would like to thank my family who has been
there to support me through it all."
Though Woods can look back at a suc
cessful college career here at Behrend and
leaves the team in the very capable hands of
her fellow teammates and coaches.
"To my Behrend Lion teammates, re
member to 'Hold the Rope, — Woods said.
"I wish you the best of luck next year; you
were a great group of girls to play with and
I will miss you. God Bless."
to sta/
program helps to soli f3l ) his
excellence and the excellence
required by the Penn State
team. I for one, think it would
be a crime to ask him to step
down. I would be content
watching the man lead the
Blue and White as long as he
would like.
My family often jokes that
Joe will die on the field, but
it seems like there is nowhere
else he'd rather be. And as Jo
ePa said, "believe deep down
in your heart that you're des
tined to do great things," it is
evident that he lives by this,
as he reached his 400th vic
tory.