UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State students David Goodwin and Abby Smucker have been selected as the 2017 recipients of the Ernest B. McCoy Memorial Award.
The McCoy Award is presented annually to one senior male and one female student-athlete who have combined 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.
David Goodwin
Goodwin, the senior captain of the Penn State men’s ice hockey team and a St. Louis, Missouri, native will earn his degree in May as a double-major in economics and Spanish in College of the Liberal Arts. Goodwin has not only excelled on the ice during his four years as a Nittany Lion, but he has also made an impact in the classroom as well as in the community and abroad.
Earlier this season he became the first Penn State player in program history to record 100 career points. Goodwin not only holds the program record for points (121), but also holds records for games played (138) and assists (80). Goodwin has twice been named an All-Big Ten honorable mention.
With a 3.65 grade-point average, Goodwin is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and has helped the Penn State men’s ice hockey team to a cumulative 3.36 GPA and a 3.31 GPA during the fall 2016 semester to lead all men’s teams at the University.
Goodwin has also used his Spanish major to give back to others as he has traveled abroad to many Spanish-speaking countries to lend a helping hand. He has gone to El Salvador and Nicaragua to help in local elementary schools as well as volunteer at orphanages and help build retaining walls. Goodwin has also traveled to Mexico and most recently has gone on two trips to Cuba. In the summer of 2016, he taught English to a university class during the day before embarking out of the city to help tutor younger age groups during a seven-week excursion to Cuba. He later returned for a brief time during winter break.
Goodwin is also very active as a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) and as part of the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON). As a finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award, Goodwin recently had a $500 donation presented to THON from the committee in his name. The award is the most prestigious of its kind and is presented annually to hockey’s finest citizen: a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team, but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism.
Goodwin is also a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, which is given annually to an NCAA Division I senior, who has notable achievements in the four areas of community, classroom, character and competition. CLASS is an acronym that stands for “Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School”.
Abby Smucker
Smucker, the two-time co-captain of the women’s lacrosse team and a Bel Air, Maryland, native will graduate in May with a degree in biobehavioral health from the College of Health and Human Development.
Smucker is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. She was a 2015 IWLCA First-Team All-Region member as well as a 2016 IWLCA Second-Team All-Region selection. Smucker also earned Big Ten Tournament MVP honors and is a two-time All-Big Ten Selection and two-time Tewaaraton Watch List selection.
Smucker has become one of the best defensive midfielders in the nation over the past three seasons while scoring 46 goals and adding six assists for 52 points. She has also collected 84 ground balls while causing 59 turnovers during her career.
During her time at Penn State, Smucker has helped the team improve each season from making the tournament as a freshman to a National Quarterfinal Appearance as a sophomore all the way to a National Semifinal berth last season.
Smucker is also extremely active in the community as a member of THON as well as Friends of Jaclyn Foundation and Penn State Global Medical Brigades. She traveled to Honduras to help medically treat and teach less fortunate communities and has participated in Read Across America, the Fallston Humane Society and Lunch with the Lions. Smucker has also helped special needs children in activities on campus.