It’s summer, and State College is quiet while new freshmen start their Penn State lives at summer session. But some things at Penn State stay the same year-round, like good news in the fight against cancer emerging.

The Lady Lions announced yesterday that their 2014 Pink Zone raised a record $310,000 to be donated to six breast cancer charities. Among the foundations that will receive portions of the total are Mount Nittany Medical Center and the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute.

This year’s donation raised the Pink Zone’s overall total to $1,135,317.73 in its eight-year existence, pushing it over the $1 million mark.

“The moment I realized we had surpassed our fundraising goal this year honestly brought tears to my eyes,” said Pink Zone Executive Director Miriam Powell in the press release. “There are so many people who work behind the scenes to make Pink Zone at Penn State successful. When the moment arrived when we realized our hard work had literally paid off, there was an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction combined with complete awe and amazement.”

The Pink Zone’s main event came in February, when the Lady Lions hosted Wisconsin in front of 12,585 fans and 698 breast cancer survivors. That crowd was the 6th-largest in Bryce Jordan Center history, and to top it off, Penn State won the game 78-68. The team was also named the Play 4Kay Division I winner for the second year in a row, an award given for its dedication to raising both money and awareness for breast cancer.

“The Pink Zone at Penn State has such a huge impact, not just in our community, but regionally and nationally,” head coach Coquese Washington said. “We are so proud to be a leader in the women’s basketball community in this fight against breast cancer. We can’t thank our sponsors, fans and, of course, the breast cancer survivors that make the Pink Zone at Penn State such a special event.”