Penn State's Top 5 Sports Moments of 2024-25

July 1 marked the first day of the new college sports year, one that already has fundamentally altered the model. Athletic departments can pay athletes directly now, which Penn State has been pivoting toward for more than a year. Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft said that the program is in a "position of strength" entering this new era.

The new fiscal year also prompted Kraft to reflect on the 2024-25 athletic calendar, one that Penn State made quite successful. The Nittany Lions won two NCAA titles, won or shared seven conference titles and sent 18 teams to their national postseason tournaments. Penn State also finished 16th in the Learfield Directors Cup standings.

In a letter to fans published on Penn State's official sports site, Kraft said that Penn State "had a lot to cheer about this year." So as Penn State begins its new year and a new phase, here's a look back on the 2024-25 athletic year.

Penn State Athletics by the numbers in 2024-25

• 84: All-conference athletes

• 43: All-Americans

• 19: Teams ranked during the season

• 18: Teams to qualify for their NCAA championships or the College Football Playoff

• 7: Teams to win conference titles

• 3: Teams to make their national semifinals

• 2: NCAA team champions

• 2: NCAA individual champions

Penn State's top 5 sports moments of 2024-25

5. Penn State men's lacrosse reaches the NCAA semifinals

Continuing a string of final-four successes, the Penn State men's lacrosse team advanced to the NCAA semifinals for the second time in three years. Coach Jeff Tambroni led the Nittany Lions to tournament wins over Colgate and Notre Dame before the team fell to Cornell, the eventual national champ, in the semifinals.

Penn State's Matt Traynor was named the Big Ten offensive player of the year, and Hunter Aquino was the conference's top freshman. Traynor became a first-round draft pick in the PLL and already is a scoring force for the New York Atlas.

4. An epic Frozen Four run

In January, the Penn State men's hockey team was 0-9 in the Big Ten and an afterthought nationally. But coach Guy Gadowsky and his team never wavered. The Nittany Lions turned their season into one of the great stories in college hockey, qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament, the NCAA Tournament and their first Frozen Four.

Penn State fell to Boston University in the NCAA semifinals but set the stage for a promising future. The Nittany Lions' next roster will include several players from the CHL, including Jackson Smith, who became the first Penn State player selected in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft.