UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State ice hockey teammates Josh Fleming and Gavin McKenna, along with Matt DiMarsico, have each been named as initial nominees for the 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award.

The award is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey.

Last year, then-sophomore Aiden Fink became the first-ever Nittany Lion to be named a Top-10 Finalist for the Award.

Junior defenseman Mac Gadowsky was also a 2025 Top-10 Finalist while a member of Army West Point last season.

The Vote for Hobey Phase I fan balloting process runs through March 8 and is transitioning from the traditional web-only voting format to a streamlined text-based voting system this year.

Fans can cast their vote by going to the voting website hobeybaker.com/vote. Fans can find their favorite player, then text to vote by following the instructions. Fans can select from this year’s outstanding crop of 87 college hockey players representing 48 NCAA Division I schools.

The Top-10 Finalists will be announced on March 18 with the Hobey Hat-Trick announcement coming April 2 and the winner being announced at the Frozen Four in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 10.

Babcock recognized

PITTSBURGH — For the second straight year, Pitt volleyball star Olivia Babcock has been named the Honda Sport Award winner for volleyball.

Each Honda Sports Award winner is recognized as the top collegiate female athlete in her sport, and the award is considered by many as one of the highest honors a female college athlete can receive in the nation. Babcock is only the fifth volleyball player in CWSA history to be named a two-time Sport Award Winner.

The year 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the award, which is presented annually by the CWSA to the nation’s top female athletes across 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports.

Babcock has now captured every major award she has been in contention for over the past two years, including AVCA National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year, and the Honda Sport Award. She is the only student-athlete in Pitt history to earn three AVCA first-team All-America honors and was named the Pittsburgh Regional Most Outstanding Player for a third straight season after leading the Panthers to their fifth consecutive national semifinal.