UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Zain Retherford, a wrestler who is majoring in finance in the Smeal College of Business, and Haleigh Washington, a volleyball player majoring in philosophy in the College of the Liberal Arts, have been selected as the 2018 recipients of the Ernest B. McCoy Memorial Award.
The McCoy Memorial Award annually recognizes a senior man and woman who have successful athletic participation with academic excellence. The award is named for the longtime dean of Penn State’s College of Physical Education, who also served as the University’s athletic director from 1952 to 1970.
Zain Retherford
Retherford, who was 2017 Hodge Trophy winner and NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler, won his third straight NCAA crown at 149 this year, helping the men’s wrestling team capture its third straight NCAA Championship. Additionally, Retherford was 2018 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year, which he also won in 2016. He’s the team’s 10th four-time All-American. His 19 NCAA tournament wins are second of all time. His 126 wins is seventh all-time at Penn State. Retherford was 2017 U.S. World Team Trial Champion and a member of the U.S. World Team. He was 2016-17 Penn State Male Athlete of the Year, marking the sixth straight year a wrestler has earned the accolade. Retherford, whose collegiate record is 126-3, ended his career with a school record 94-match win streak. He was also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten.
Retherford, a Dean's List student, has a 3.73 GPA.
Haleigh Washington
As middle blocker of the Penn State women’s volleyball team, Washington racked up numerous accolades in the past year, including the NCAA Senior CLASS Award, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, American Volleyball Coaches Association First Team All-American and Academic All-Big Ten. Washington led the nation in hitting percentage in 2017 with .492, which is the second-best percentage in program history and third-best in NCAA season records since a 25-point scoring format was implemented. Washington was a nominee for the Class of 2018 Honda Sport Award for Volleyball.
During her time at Penn State, the women's volleyball team earned a 121-21 record, earning a spot in the NCAA semifinals in 2017 and an NCAA national title in 2014.
Washington, a Dean's List student, graduated Cum Laude in December with a 3.79 GPA.
She’s prolific off the court with many volunteer efforts. She participated in Athletes Take Action Hall of Fame Sport’s Walk and volunteered for the Special Olympics. She also has spent time reading to children at the local elementary schools, helped with the Paterno Family Fun Run, participated in Multiple Penn State Sports Camps and helped with Paterno Library Reading Marathon.