Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State Nittany Lions
Logo
UniversityPennsylvania State University
ConferenceBig Ten (primary)
College Hockey America (women's ice hockey)
EIVA (men's volleyball)
NCAADivision I (FBS)
Athletic directorPatrick Kraft
LocationState College, Pennsylvania
Varsity teams31
Football stadiumBeaver Stadium
Basketball arenaBryce Jordan Center
Ice hockey arenaPegula Ice Arena
Baseball stadiumMedlar Field at Lubrano Park
Softball stadiumNittany Lion Softball Park
Soccer stadiumJeffrey Field
Aquatics centerMcCoy Natatorium
Lacrosse stadiumPanzer Stadium
Other venuesHoluba Hall
Lorenzo Wrestling Complex
Louis and Mildred Lasch Football Building
Multi-Sport Facility & Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track
Penn State Field Hockey Complex
Penn State Golf Courses
Rec Hall
Sarni Tennis Center
MascotNittany Lion
NicknameNittany Lions and Lady Lions
Fight songFight On, State
ColorsBlue and white[1]
   
Websitewww.gopsusports.com
Big Ten logo in Penn State's colors.

The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white.[2] The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The intercollegiate athletics logo was commissioned in 1983.[3]

Penn State participates as a member institution of the Big Ten Conference at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level for most sports. It is one of only 15 universities in the nation that plays Division I FBS football and Division I men's ice hockey. Two sports participate in different conferences because they are not sponsored by the Big Ten: men's volleyball in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) and women's ice hockey in College Hockey America (CHA). The fencing teams operate as independents.

Penn State has finished in the top 25 in every NACDA Director's Cup final poll, a feat only matched by nine other institutions: Stanford, UCLA, USC, Florida, Ohio State, Texas, North Carolina, and Michigan.[4] The NACDA Director's Cup is a list compiled by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics that charts institutions' overall success in college sports. Penn State's highest finish came in the 1998–99 standings when the Nittany Lions finished 3rd.[5] PSU finished in 5th place in the 2013–14 standings; it was the fifth time the program finished in the top 5 and the tenth time the program finished in the top 10.[6]

Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1991, after being a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference from 1976-79 and 1982-91.

  1. ^ "Design Essentials". Brand.PSU.edu. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  2. ^ "Traditions". Penn State Nittany Lions. Archived from the original on March 13, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  3. ^ "Intercollegiate Athletics Logo". The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  4. ^ "Directors Cup". Nacda Official Athletic Site. Archived from the original on January 2, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  5. ^ "1998-99 Div. I Sears Directors' Cup Final Standings" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  6. ^ "Penn State finishes No. 5 in Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings". Penn State University Website. Penn State University. July 9, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2015.