May 22, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's lacrosse co-captains Travis Crane (Parkville, Md.) and Jack Forster (Jenkintown, Pa.) will participate in the 72nd edition of the USILA/LAXWORLD Division I-II North-South Game on Friday. The all-star contest featuring seniors from around the country will be played at Cabrini College's Edith Robb Dixon Field at 5:30 p.m.
The inclusion of Crane and Forster will signal Penn State's return to the game for the first time since 2011 when Matt Bernier took part. In all, Crane and Forster will be the 76th and 77th Nittany Lions to take part in the North-South game, representing the South Team this season. The last time Penn State had multiple representatives playing in the contest was 2009 when Drew Adams, Rob Forster and John Stuckey took part.
Crane, a short-stick defensive midfielder, played in all 17 games this past season to help lead the Nittany Lions to a 12-5 record and set a new school record for wins in a season. Crane collected 13 ground balls, forced eight turnovers and scored a transition goal in a win over Hofstra in 2013. For his two-year career at PSU, Crane notched three goals, picked up 27 ground balls and had 15 caused turnovers.
Forster ended his amazing career at Penn State tied for second all-time in goals scored with 104 tallies. This past season was his best by scoring 41 times with 16 assists and 57 points, all of which were career highs. The 57 points were the most scored by a Nittany Lion since 1995 (Erik Merkel, 61). For his career, Forster notched 148 points, the sixth-most in Penn State history.
For the North-South Game, Forster will don No. 9, while Crane will wear No. 20. The USILA North-South Game has been played every year since 1940, save for the 1944 and 1945 seasons due to World War II.
Selected as co-captains in the fall, Crane and Forster helped lead the Nittany Lions to their first undefeated conference season by going 6-0 in Colonial Athletic Association play. Additionally, the duo was vital to Penn State earning a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosting the program's first NCAA game.
Crane and Forster will join 30 other graduating seniors led by the Villanova coaching staff. Tickets will be sold at the gate for the North-South doubleheader. The Division III game will be played at 3:00 p.m. prior to the Division I-II contest.
--NITTANY LIONS--