Jan. 22, 2015
By Maria Canales, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Since his freshman season in 2012, senior captain and midfielder Kyle Zittel has evolved in many ways within the Penn State men's lacrosse program. He is the sole captain of a team expected to not only compete, but also thrive during the inaugural season of Big Ten lacrosse.
As a freshman, Zittel made seven appearances, recording one goal and two assists. Zittel channeled his limited playing time, using it as motivation to improve his playing skills. In the 2013 and 2014 campaigns, Zittel appeared in every game, setting personal records with 11 ground balls and four caused turnovers last season. His performance and work ethic both on and off the field made him a prime candidate for captain his senior season.
"We believe this is an extremely important position," said head coach Jeff Tambroni. "This is ownership of your locker room. You either point your team in the right direction or in a direction that's not going to be conducive to success, however you define that."
The selection process of captain involves both coaches and players. Coach Tambroni explained that the coaches take into consideration the team's opinion of fellow players and look heavily to players who have displayed leadership skills during their time on the team. Notable key qualities of previous Penn State men's lacrosse captains have been outstanding work ethic, the ability to motivate teammates, having the respect of teammates, including taking charge and listening to others' ideas.
"The one thing about Kyle is it's not a matter of him having to change into a role," said Coach Tambroni. "He just needs to be himself and impose his will on this team because he understands what we need to be successful. He has proven that in his first three years, that's why he has had the blessing of his own teammates and the coaching staff to become a captain.
In 2014, the Nittany Lions had three captains - Gavin Ahern, Tom LaCrosse, and Tyler Travis. All three have graduated. In contrast, Zittel stands alone in charge of a team comprised of 36 young men all striving for success on and off the field in 2015. Encouraged by this title of authority, Zittel hopes to set a high bar for what is expected from the younger players.
"I try to lead by example," Zittel said. "I'm not the best player on our team and I don't score the most goals and I never not make mistakes, so there's things they can learn from me. Just as far as I carry myself into practice and out of practice afterwards and what I can do to set the way for how they should carry themselves as well."
Zittel had high praise for the previous captains and graduating seniors who helped set the tone and foundation for him during his time as a younger member of the team. Following in their footsteps, Zittel explained how previous captains have impacted the way he leads the team every day, both on the field and off.
"The previous captains, the way they carried themselves and came to practice with an upbeat energy, confidence and focus every single day was huge for me," Zittel said. "I tried to learn from that and carry myself in the same way,"
With the support of seven fellow seniors, Zittel will look to his experienced counterparts to assist in leading the Nittany Lions through their hardest schedule to date. Names such as JP Burnside and Jack Donnelly will help not only make an impact during games, but be constant role models off the field.
"Our coaching staff has flanked Kyle with two extremely capable leaders in the senior class in JP Burnside and Jack Donnelley, and their leadership certainly cannot be minimized," said Coach Tambroni. "Those two guys have been there for him since day one and will continue to be there."
With the start of the season just days away, Zittel is anticipating a competitive and challenging final season. Set to play five teams ranked in the top 20 of the USILA Preseason Poll, the Nittany Lions will face their fair share of challenges in 2015. Additionally, the first season of Big Ten play is something the captain is looking forward to.
"Seeing our football program and every other athletic program excel in the Big Ten and what it's about, it's great to finally be a apart of it for lacrosse. I think it's a huge stepping stone for our program and then also the Big Ten and the whole lacrosse community."
The Nittany Lions are set to host Army in an exhibition game Saturday in Holuba Hall at 12 p.m.