Freshman forward Gavin McKenna continued adding to his growing collection of NCAA and Big Ten honors Wednesday, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
In addition to claiming the conference’s top freshman award, McKenna and five of his teammates were recognized on the Big Ten All-Conference teams.
McKenna became the first player in Penn State program history to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the first Nittany Lion skater to earn a major conference award since Cole Hults was named both Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year following the 2019-20 season.
He joins Hults, Trevor Hamilton and head coach Guy Gadowsky as just the fourth Nittany Lion to receive a major Big Ten honor.
The Whitehorse, Yukon native has been one of the nation’s most productive freshmen all season.
McKenna also captured Big Ten Scoring Champion honors after leading the conference with 38 points on 11 goals and 27 assists in 24 league games. His 38 conference points are the second-most ever by a Big Ten scoring champion, trailing only the 43-point totals recorded by Michigan’s Kyle Connor in 2015-16 and Wisconsin’s Cole Caufield in 2020-21.
McKenna’s impact has extended well beyond conference play.
He became the first rookie in Penn State history and just the third player in program history to eclipse 50 points in a season. His 51 points rank as the second-most in a single season in school history, just two shy of Aiden Fink’s program record set last year.
McKenna leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally in points, while his 1.50 points-per-game average is both a Penn State single-season record and one of the top marks in the country. His 36 assists are also a program single-season record and rank second nationally.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.McKenna was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, where he was the lone unanimous selection. Fellow freshman Jackson Smith joined him on both squads, giving Penn State two of the conference’s top first-year standouts.
Smith put together a breakout season from the blue line, leading all Big Ten defensemen with 11 goals and 26 points. His 11 goals set a Penn State single-season record for a defenseman, while his seven power-play goals are both a program record for blueliners and the highest total in the nation among defensemen. In conference play, Smith posted 17 points in 24 games, tying for the Big Ten lead among defensemen.
Penn State also placed four players on the All-Big Ten Honorable Mention list: juniors Aiden Fink and Matt DiMarsico, senior Jarod Crespo and freshman goaltender Josh Fleming. Crespo also earned Penn State’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Fink picked up his third straight conference honor despite missing seven of Penn State’s first eight Big Ten games with a thumb injury. He still produced 38 points overall and 24 in 17 conference contests.
DiMarsico enjoyed a career year, tallying 42 points and 18 goals while becoming the 10th Nittany Lion to reach 100 career points. Crespo posted career highs with 17 points while continuing to climb Penn State’s all-time defensive records.
Fleming, meanwhile, impressed in net with a 10-6-2 record, two shutouts, a .922 save percentage and a 2.64 goals-against average.
The collection of honors reflects both McKenna’s historic freshman season and the overall depth Penn State has built heading into the postseason.
