2009 USILA DIVISION I COACH OF THE YEAR
2011 CAA CO-COACH OF THE YEAR
2013 CAA COACH OF THE YEAR
2014 U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM ASSISTANT COACH
HOBART HALL OF FAME (Class of '18)
2019 BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR
2023 BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR
Jeff Tambroni returns for his 15th year as the head coach of Penn State men's lacrosse in 2025. One of the sport’s most decorated coaches, he enters the season seventh among all active Division I coaches in career wins with 227.
During Tambroni's time in Happy Valley, Penn State players have earned 57 All-America awards, 11 USILA Scholar All-America honors, and 53 all-conference accolades. He coached the 2023 and 2024 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (TJ Malone), the 2024 and 2023 Big Ten Specialist of the Year (Jack Fracyon), 2019 NCAA Attackman of the Year and Big Ten Offensive Player of the year (Grant Ament), the 2018 Big Ten Specialist of the Year (Gerard Arceri), the 2019 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (Chris Sabia), the 2013 CAA Player of the Year and 2013 and 2014 CAA Defensive Player of the Year (Austin Kaut). Additionally, Mac O'Keefe's 221 goals from 2017-2021 set the NCAA Division I career scoring record. He has led the Lions to two regular season conference championships and one conference tournament title.
2011 CAA CO-COACH OF THE YEAR
2013 CAA COACH OF THE YEAR
2014 U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM ASSISTANT COACH
HOBART HALL OF FAME (Class of '18)
2019 BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR
2023 BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR
Jeff Tambroni returns for his 15th year as the head coach of Penn State men's lacrosse in 2025. One of the sport’s most decorated coaches, he enters the season seventh among all active Division I coaches in career wins with 227.
During Tambroni's time in Happy Valley, Penn State players have earned 57 All-America awards, 11 USILA Scholar All-America honors, and 53 all-conference accolades. He coached the 2023 and 2024 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (TJ Malone), the 2024 and 2023 Big Ten Specialist of the Year (Jack Fracyon), 2019 NCAA Attackman of the Year and Big Ten Offensive Player of the year (Grant Ament), the 2018 Big Ten Specialist of the Year (Gerard Arceri), the 2019 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (Chris Sabia), the 2013 CAA Player of the Year and 2013 and 2014 CAA Defensive Player of the Year (Austin Kaut). Additionally, Mac O'Keefe's 221 goals from 2017-2021 set the NCAA Division I career scoring record. He has led the Lions to two regular season conference championships and one conference tournament title.
He guided the team to a second straight 11-5 overall record and a 3-2 Big Ten record in 2024. He captained the team to two top 25 Tewaaraton Award nominees in TJ Malone and Jack Fracyon. He also led the Nittany Lions to their second Big Ten championship game in program history. He took the Nittany Lions back to the NCAA tournament for a straight season while have five players recognized on the USILA All-American list including Jack Fracyon, TJ Malone, and Grant Haus all named to the second team. Alex Ross and Mac Costin were named to the honorable mention list.
The Nittany Lions led the Big Ten in six statistical categories including shots percentage (.315), points per game (20.63), man-down defense (.676), scoring margin (3.25), and in saves per game (13.19). Jack Fracyon tallied a career-high 19 saves against Michigan on April 13 leading the team to an 14-8 victory. TJ Malone tallied a career-high 78 points off 42 goals and 36 assists which led him become a third round draft pick in the 2024 Premier Lacrosse League draft by the Maryland Whipsnakes.
He guided the team to a 11-5 overall record and 4-1 Big Ten record while going a perfect 7-0 at home in 2023. He captained the team to four Big Ten Weekly award winners, two national award honors and one top 25 Tewaaraton Award nominee in TJ Malone. He also led the Nittany Lions to their fifth Big Ten semifinals in program history. During the season, he captured his 100th career win as Penn State head coach with the Nittany Lions victory over Penn on March 4. He led the Nittany Lions to their second NCAA tournament semifinal in program history with victories over Princeton and Army in the first two rounds. Six players were recognized on the USILA All-America list including Jack Fracyon earning a sport on the second team. Matt Traynor and TJ Malone were both named to the third team while Grant Haus, Jack Posey and Kevin Winkoff all were named honorable mentions.
The 2023 team was a top team nationally and in the Big Ten ranking first in the Big Ten in shot percentage (.343), save percentage (.563), and assists per game (8.06). Jack Fracyon broke an NCAA Tournament program record in least goals allowed in a tournament game which came against Army on May 21. He allowed just nine goals while stopping 11. TJ Malone tied for second in program history in most goals scored in an NCAA Tournament with 12 over the course of three games and tied for second for most goals in an NCAA tournament game with six against Duke in the NCAA semifinal round.
After a shortened 2020 season that saw Penn State spend time as the top-ranked team in the nation, the Lions returned to the field in 2021 and saw multiple milestones hit and records broken. The highlight of the season was O'Keefe becoming the NCAA Division I leader in career goals with 221. The record came in a game in which O'Keefe scored six goals, including the game-winner with three seconds left in overtime to beat Michigan on Senior Day. The 2021 season also saw Tambroni reach the 200-win milestone, doing so against Johns Hopkins on March 28.
The 2019 Nittany Lions racked up program firsts on their way to a 16-2 record, winning their first-ever Big Ten regular season and Tournament titles and advancing to their first-ever NCAA Semifinal. They went a perfect 5-0 against league opponents during the regular season, including the team's first-ever varsity win over Maryland, which led to Tambroni being named the Big Ten Coach of the Year. A program-record nine players were recognized on the USILA All-America list, including Ament and Sabia on the first team. Nick Spillane and O'Keefe earned spots on the second team, Arceri and Jack Kelly made the third team, and Colby Kneese, Tommy Wright, and Nick Cardile were selected as honorable mentions. Ament was selected as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, while Sabia was the Defensive Player of the Year.
The 2019 team was easily the top offensive team in the nation, finishing first in the NCAA in assists per game (10.83), man-up offense (.613), points per game (28.78), scoring margin (+6.89), scoring offense (17.94), and shot percentage (.434), The Lions broke single-season school records in wins (16), goals (323), and winning streak (13), and a single-game record for goals with 27 in a win over Robert Morris.
Ament and O'Keefe led the charge for the nation's top offense. Ament was a finalist for the prestigious Tewaaraton Award while setting NCAA records for assists (96) and assists per game (5.65), and a Big Ten and program record points (129). O'Keefe tied a Big Ten and program record for goals in a season (78).
In 2018, the Nittany Lions went 8-6, 2-3 in Big Ten play. Throughout the season, Penn State grabbed ranked wins over No. 13 Penn, 10-7, and the program’s first win over No. 5 Johns Hopkins, 14-12. Gerard Arceri made a name for himself on a national level with a 68.1-winning percentage at the 'x,' earning 216 wins on the season. He scooped up an impressive 145 ground balls, for 10.36 per game, adding a career-best six goals, while dishing out one assist. His percentage at the face and his ground balls per game were both good for fourth in the NCAA and led the Big Ten. He was named the Big Ten Specialist of the Year, first Team All-Big Ten, and a USILA Third Team All-American. Mac O’Keefe was also named first Team All-Big Ten, and was a USILA honorable mention All-American along with Chris Sabia. Ryan Keenan was selected to the USILA North-South Teams, and was drafted 54th in the MLL Draft to the Ohio Machine.
In 2017, Tambroni led the Nittany Lions to a 12-4 record, just the seventh season with double-digit win season, and just the second in the last 20 seasons (2013, 2017). Penn State set a program record after opening the season with a 10-0 record, the best start in school history. The 10th win highlighted the streak as Penn State took down No.5 Ohio State, 9-4, to earn just the eighth win in program history over a top-five team. Penn State also earned their first winning record in Big Ten play, going 3-2. Tambroni saw three earn USILA All-American honorable mention honors, while Nick Aponte added a USILA Scholar All-American honor as well.
During the 2016 season, Tambroni guided Penn State to its fifth season going .500 or above under his guidance. Most notably of the 2016 campaign, he led Penn State to defeat a top-ranked opponent for the first time in program history on March 26, when the Nittany Lions earned a 15-10 victory over defending national champions and No. 1 ranked Denver, snapping the opponent’s 20-game win streak. Penn State notched two other wins over ranked opponents during the 2016 campaign as well, knocking off No. 18 Cornell and No. 8 Harvard in the process.
Tambroni led Penn State to be one of the most efficient teams in the country in 2016, with the team finishing second in Division I in turnovers per game while finishing sixth in the country in shooting percentage. Penn State earned its first unanimous All-Big Ten selection in attackman Nick Aponte, while Grant Ament and Mike Aronow earned All-Big Ten honorable mentions. Tambroni also led TJ Sanders to be named Penn State’s ninth USILA Scholar All-America selection.
Tambroni guided the Nittany Lions through a historic season in 2015 that brought Penn State's first appearance in the Big Ten Tournament following the first ever season of Big Ten lacrosse. The Nittany Lions opened the season ranked No. 14 in the USILA DI Preseason Coaches' Poll and knocked off No. 16/11 Penn during the 2015 season. Tambroni also led Penn State to its first two Big Ten conference victories as well as a berth to the conference tournament. He also mentored rising senior TJ Sanders to USILA All-America honorable mention honors.
In 2014, Tambroni led Penn State to its fourth consecutive above-.500 season. His student-athletes earned the eighth USILA All-American and third Scholar All-America honors of Tambroni’s Penn State career. He also coached goalkeeper Austin Kaut to his school record third All-America honor and conference-best All-CAA first team award.
Penn State’s 2013 campaign saw Tambroni lead Penn State to one of the greatest seasons in program history while celebrating its 100th season. The Nittany Lions set records for wins (12) and earned the program’s first outright regular season conference title by sweeping the CAA with a 6-0 record. PSU rattled off 10 straight wins from March through May to earn the school’s third NCAA bid and first chance to host an NCAA game.
Tambroni was named CAA Coach of the Year for the second time in his career (2011), while Kaut (under Tambroni’s tutelage) was named Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Award for the nation’s best goalie. Also, Kaut was CAA Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Sanders was named Rookie of the Year and the Nittany Lions placed six on the All-CAA first team.
During the 2012 campaign, Tambroni led the Nittany Lions to a second-place CAA finish with two USILA All-Americans and six All-CAA honorees. Penn State finished with a 9-6 overall record and a 5-1 mark in conference action.
The 2011 CAA Co-Coach of the Year, Tambroni led the Nittany Lions to a 7-7 record and their first-ever CAA tournament berth during his first year at the program’s helm.
In 2011, eight Nittany Lions garnered All-CAA recognition and freshman Kaut earned Rookie of the Year honors while being named a USILA Honorable Mention All-American.
Prior to Penn State, Tambroni spent 10 seasons as head coach at Cornell (2001-10). He guided the Big Red to a 109-40 record and three NCAA Semifinal appearances (2007, 2009-10), including the 2009 National Championship game.
Tambroni was named USILA Division I Coach of the Year following the 2009 season and was tabbed the 2007 and 2009 Field Turf/NCAA Division I Coach of the Year. Tambroni was also the 2004 and 2009 Ithaca Journal Male Coach of the Year and a three-time National Coach of the Week.
While at Cornell, Tambroni became the 10th-fastest coach to reach the 100-win mark when he accomplished the feat in his 134th career game in March 2010.
During his tenure, his players earned 37 first-team All-Ivy honors, including five Ivy League awards, and three conference Rookie of the Year selections. In addition, 39 players garnered All-America recognition.
Prior to serving as Cornell’s head coach, he spent four seasons as a Big Red assistant coach (1997-2000). Tambroni also served as assistant coach at Loyola College in 1997 and at his alma mater, Hobart College, for three seasons. With the Statesmen, he helped the program reach the 1994 NCAA Division III National Championship game.
A 1992 graduate, Tambroni earned his bachelor’s degree in American studies. He earned first-team All-America honors as a senior and was twice named a second-team All-American (1990-91). The MVP of the 1990 NCAA title game, Tambroni helped lead the team to back-to-back NCAA championships (1990-91) and left Hobart tied for seventh on the school’s all-time scoring list with 202 points.
Before embarking upon his collegiate coaching career, Tambroni coached the Heaton Mersey Lacrosse Club of the English Lacrosse Union for one year and served as a visiting coach for the Czech-American Lacrosse Foundation in Prague in the summer of 1996.
Tambroni and his wife, Michelle, have three daughters, Carissa, Madison, and Ella. Michelle played field hockey at Penn State from 1988-90 and earned All-America honors as a senior. Carissa is on the field hockey team at James Madison, while Madison is on the field hockey team at Penn State.
*Penn State
He guided the team to a 11-5 overall record and 4-1 Big Ten record while going a perfect 7-0 at home in 2023. He captained the team to four Big Ten Weekly award winners, two national award honors and one top 25 Tewaaraton Award nominee in TJ Malone. He also led the Nittany Lions to their fifth Big Ten semifinals in program history. During the season, he captured his 100th career win as Penn State head coach with the Nittany Lions victory over Penn on March 4. He led the Nittany Lions to their second NCAA tournament semifinal in program history with victories over Princeton and Army in the first two rounds. Six players were recognized on the USILA All-America list including Jack Fracyon earning a sport on the second team. Matt Traynor and TJ Malone were both named to the third team while Grant Haus, Jack Posey and Kevin Winkoff all were named honorable mentions.
The 2023 team was a top team nationally and in the Big Ten ranking first in the Big Ten in shot percentage (.343), save percentage (.563), and assists per game (8.06). Jack Fracyon broke an NCAA Tournament program record in least goals allowed in a tournament game which came against Army on May 21. He allowed just nine goals while stopping 11. TJ Malone tied for second in program history in most goals scored in an NCAA Tournament with 12 over the course of three games and tied for second for most goals in an NCAA tournament game with six against Duke in the NCAA semifinal round.
After a shortened 2020 season that saw Penn State spend time as the top-ranked team in the nation, the Lions returned to the field in 2021 and saw multiple milestones hit and records broken. The highlight of the season was O'Keefe becoming the NCAA Division I leader in career goals with 221. The record came in a game in which O'Keefe scored six goals, including the game-winner with three seconds left in overtime to beat Michigan on Senior Day. The 2021 season also saw Tambroni reach the 200-win milestone, doing so against Johns Hopkins on March 28.
The 2019 Nittany Lions racked up program firsts on their way to a 16-2 record, winning their first-ever Big Ten regular season and Tournament titles and advancing to their first-ever NCAA Semifinal. They went a perfect 5-0 against league opponents during the regular season, including the team's first-ever varsity win over Maryland, which led to Tambroni being named the Big Ten Coach of the Year. A program-record nine players were recognized on the USILA All-America list, including Ament and Sabia on the first team. Nick Spillane and O'Keefe earned spots on the second team, Arceri and Jack Kelly made the third team, and Colby Kneese, Tommy Wright, and Nick Cardile were selected as honorable mentions. Ament was selected as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, while Sabia was the Defensive Player of the Year.
The 2019 team was easily the top offensive team in the nation, finishing first in the NCAA in assists per game (10.83), man-up offense (.613), points per game (28.78), scoring margin (+6.89), scoring offense (17.94), and shot percentage (.434), The Lions broke single-season school records in wins (16), goals (323), and winning streak (13), and a single-game record for goals with 27 in a win over Robert Morris.
Ament and O'Keefe led the charge for the nation's top offense. Ament was a finalist for the prestigious Tewaaraton Award while setting NCAA records for assists (96) and assists per game (5.65), and a Big Ten and program record points (129). O'Keefe tied a Big Ten and program record for goals in a season (78).
In 2018, the Nittany Lions went 8-6, 2-3 in Big Ten play. Throughout the season, Penn State grabbed ranked wins over No. 13 Penn, 10-7, and the program’s first win over No. 5 Johns Hopkins, 14-12. Gerard Arceri made a name for himself on a national level with a 68.1-winning percentage at the 'x,' earning 216 wins on the season. He scooped up an impressive 145 ground balls, for 10.36 per game, adding a career-best six goals, while dishing out one assist. His percentage at the face and his ground balls per game were both good for fourth in the NCAA and led the Big Ten. He was named the Big Ten Specialist of the Year, first Team All-Big Ten, and a USILA Third Team All-American. Mac O’Keefe was also named first Team All-Big Ten, and was a USILA honorable mention All-American along with Chris Sabia. Ryan Keenan was selected to the USILA North-South Teams, and was drafted 54th in the MLL Draft to the Ohio Machine.
In 2017, Tambroni led the Nittany Lions to a 12-4 record, just the seventh season with double-digit win season, and just the second in the last 20 seasons (2013, 2017). Penn State set a program record after opening the season with a 10-0 record, the best start in school history. The 10th win highlighted the streak as Penn State took down No.5 Ohio State, 9-4, to earn just the eighth win in program history over a top-five team. Penn State also earned their first winning record in Big Ten play, going 3-2. Tambroni saw three earn USILA All-American honorable mention honors, while Nick Aponte added a USILA Scholar All-American honor as well.
During the 2016 season, Tambroni guided Penn State to its fifth season going .500 or above under his guidance. Most notably of the 2016 campaign, he led Penn State to defeat a top-ranked opponent for the first time in program history on March 26, when the Nittany Lions earned a 15-10 victory over defending national champions and No. 1 ranked Denver, snapping the opponent’s 20-game win streak. Penn State notched two other wins over ranked opponents during the 2016 campaign as well, knocking off No. 18 Cornell and No. 8 Harvard in the process.
Tambroni led Penn State to be one of the most efficient teams in the country in 2016, with the team finishing second in Division I in turnovers per game while finishing sixth in the country in shooting percentage. Penn State earned its first unanimous All-Big Ten selection in attackman Nick Aponte, while Grant Ament and Mike Aronow earned All-Big Ten honorable mentions. Tambroni also led TJ Sanders to be named Penn State’s ninth USILA Scholar All-America selection.
Tambroni guided the Nittany Lions through a historic season in 2015 that brought Penn State's first appearance in the Big Ten Tournament following the first ever season of Big Ten lacrosse. The Nittany Lions opened the season ranked No. 14 in the USILA DI Preseason Coaches' Poll and knocked off No. 16/11 Penn during the 2015 season. Tambroni also led Penn State to its first two Big Ten conference victories as well as a berth to the conference tournament. He also mentored rising senior TJ Sanders to USILA All-America honorable mention honors.
In 2014, Tambroni led Penn State to its fourth consecutive above-.500 season. His student-athletes earned the eighth USILA All-American and third Scholar All-America honors of Tambroni’s Penn State career. He also coached goalkeeper Austin Kaut to his school record third All-America honor and conference-best All-CAA first team award.
Penn State’s 2013 campaign saw Tambroni lead Penn State to one of the greatest seasons in program history while celebrating its 100th season. The Nittany Lions set records for wins (12) and earned the program’s first outright regular season conference title by sweeping the CAA with a 6-0 record. PSU rattled off 10 straight wins from March through May to earn the school’s third NCAA bid and first chance to host an NCAA game.
Tambroni was named CAA Coach of the Year for the second time in his career (2011), while Kaut (under Tambroni’s tutelage) was named Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Award for the nation’s best goalie. Also, Kaut was CAA Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Sanders was named Rookie of the Year and the Nittany Lions placed six on the All-CAA first team.
During the 2012 campaign, Tambroni led the Nittany Lions to a second-place CAA finish with two USILA All-Americans and six All-CAA honorees. Penn State finished with a 9-6 overall record and a 5-1 mark in conference action.
The 2011 CAA Co-Coach of the Year, Tambroni led the Nittany Lions to a 7-7 record and their first-ever CAA tournament berth during his first year at the program’s helm.
In 2011, eight Nittany Lions garnered All-CAA recognition and freshman Kaut earned Rookie of the Year honors while being named a USILA Honorable Mention All-American.
Prior to Penn State, Tambroni spent 10 seasons as head coach at Cornell (2001-10). He guided the Big Red to a 109-40 record and three NCAA Semifinal appearances (2007, 2009-10), including the 2009 National Championship game.
Tambroni was named USILA Division I Coach of the Year following the 2009 season and was tabbed the 2007 and 2009 Field Turf/NCAA Division I Coach of the Year. Tambroni was also the 2004 and 2009 Ithaca Journal Male Coach of the Year and a three-time National Coach of the Week.
While at Cornell, Tambroni became the 10th-fastest coach to reach the 100-win mark when he accomplished the feat in his 134th career game in March 2010.
During his tenure, his players earned 37 first-team All-Ivy honors, including five Ivy League awards, and three conference Rookie of the Year selections. In addition, 39 players garnered All-America recognition.
Prior to serving as Cornell’s head coach, he spent four seasons as a Big Red assistant coach (1997-2000). Tambroni also served as assistant coach at Loyola College in 1997 and at his alma mater, Hobart College, for three seasons. With the Statesmen, he helped the program reach the 1994 NCAA Division III National Championship game.
A 1992 graduate, Tambroni earned his bachelor’s degree in American studies. He earned first-team All-America honors as a senior and was twice named a second-team All-American (1990-91). The MVP of the 1990 NCAA title game, Tambroni helped lead the team to back-to-back NCAA championships (1990-91) and left Hobart tied for seventh on the school’s all-time scoring list with 202 points.
Before embarking upon his collegiate coaching career, Tambroni coached the Heaton Mersey Lacrosse Club of the English Lacrosse Union for one year and served as a visiting coach for the Czech-American Lacrosse Foundation in Prague in the summer of 1996.
Tambroni and his wife, Michelle, have three daughters, Carissa, Madison, and Ella. Michelle played field hockey at Penn State from 1988-90 and earned All-America honors as a senior. Carissa is on the field hockey team at James Madison, while Madison is on the field hockey team at Penn State.
| JEFF TAMBRONI YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING RECORD |
| Year | W-L | Pct. | Season Notes |
| 2001 | 7-6 | .538 | |
| 2002 | 11-4 | .733 | NCAA Quarterfinals |
| 2003 | 9-4 | .692 | Co-Ivy Champions |
| 2004 | 9-5 | .643 | Co-Ivy Champions, NCAA Quarterfinals |
| 2005 | 11-3 | .786 | Ivy Champions, NCAA Quarterfinals |
| 2006 | 11-3 | .786 | Co-Ivy Champions, NCAA First Round |
| 2007 | 15-1 | .938 | Ivy Champions, NCAA Semifinalist |
| 2008 | 11-4 | .733 | Co-Ivy Champions, NCAA First Round |
| 2009 | 13-4 | .764 | Co-Ivy Champions, NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2010 | 12-6 | .667 | Co-Ivy Champions, NCAA Semifinalist |
| 2011* | 7-7 | .500 | CAA Tournament |
| 2012* | 9-6 | .600 | CAA Tournament |
| 2013* | 12-5 | .706 | CAA Regular Season Champs, NCAA Tournament |
| 2014* | 7-6 | .538 | |
| 2015* | 5-9 | .357 | Big Ten Tournament |
| 2016* | 8-7 | .533 | Big Ten Tournament |
| 2017* | 12-4 | .750 | NCAA Tournament First Round |
| 2018* | 8-6 | .571 | |
| 2019* | 16-2 | .889 | NCAA Tournament Semifinal |
| 2020* | 5-2 | .714 | Season cancelled March 12 due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021* | 4-7 | .364 | Big Ten Tournament |
| 2022* | 3-11 | .214 | Big Ten Tournament |
| 2023* | 11-5 | .688 | NCAA Tournament Semifinal |
| TOTAL | 216-117 | .649 |
*Penn State