Penn State field hockey dynamo Phia Gladieux was recently recognized, along with Nittany Lions wrestler Carter Starocci, as the university’s respective 2022-23 Female Athlete of the Year, according to Penn State athletics.
The athletes are now considered nominees for Big Ten Athletes of the Year. They join honorees from 13 other conference schools. Starocci was 2022-23 Male Athlete of the Year.
Gladieux is the first field hockey player to win Penn State’s Female Athlete of the Year award. The Oley Valley High School standout helped lead her team to the NCAA Division I semifinals last season.
“Gladieux led Penn State to a 17-4 overall record, a 7-1 Big Ten mark, and a share of the 2022 Big Ten Championship in legendary head coach Char Morett-Curtiss’ final year at the helm of the program,” according to Penn State.
The rising senior was also instrumental in helping her squad to attain its first NCAA tournament win since 2017.
Additional accolades: “she led Penn State with 49 points off 23 goals and three assists. She earned her second straight first-team All-America honor from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association and was the NFHCA’s Mideast Region Player of the Year for the second straight season. Gladieux was named 2022 Big Ten Player of the Year, 2022 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten.”
Additional fun facts:
- 2022 Honda Award Finalist for field hockey
- 2022 NCAA All-Tournament team
- started all 55 games of her Nittany Lion career
- 53 goals and seven assists for 113 points over three seasons
- 16 career game-winning goals
- two-time member of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Academic Team
- two-time Academic All-Big Ten
- three-time first team All-Region selection
- two-time Region Player of the Year
- three-time All-American (first team twice, second team once
- six-time weekly winner Big Ten awards during the course of the last seasons
