March 26, 2015
By Maria Canales, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lions are eager to begin their second season as they open Big Ten competition for the first time in program history. As they look ahead to Ohio State, the Nittany Lions prepare to take on their long-time foe.
Discussion of Big Ten lacrosse started several years ago, when Maryland and Rutgers were in talks to join the conference. With the addition of honorary member Johns Hopkins, Penn State joins five other teams for the inaugural season of Big Ten lacrosse. Head coach Jeff Tambroni applauds the fellow programs in the conference for their decorated history within the sport of lacrosse.
"With the addition of teams like Johns Hopkins, Rutgers and Maryland the competition is not only raised but the exposure of those particular programs and how tradition rich they are," said Tambroni. "Those are the blue bloods of college lacrosse and the attachment of our association with them as well as Michigan and Ohio State just makes for very exciting opportunities."
The level of competition increases as Penn State continues their 2015 campaign, but the Lions are poised to take on every team, one game at a time.
Another welcomed change to the rest of the season, other than the level of difficulty, is the exposure Penn State will get from the Big Ten. With the rest of their games on television, Penn State will see national attention and be thrown into the spotlight every coming weekend.
"You certainly get a lot more exposure because the Big Ten wants to promote one of their sports on television," said Tambroni. "Through regular season games all the way to our conference tournament, the exposure is there."
Coach Tambroni believes the television component will be vital in marketing the Penn State lacrosse program to a wider audience. Making the game available to previously unreached audiences is vital for the program to build a larger fan base.
"I think [television exposure] is going to do a lot for the sport of lacrosse and I also believe it will do a lot for Penn State," said Tambroni.
Penn State will open Big Ten play against border rival Ohio State. The Nittany Lions have faced the Buckeyes every season under head coach Jeff Tambroni. Most recently, Penn State defeated Ohio State 11-8 in Columbus last March. This weekend's game will be vital in setting the tone for Penn State's identity as a Big Ten contender.
"I think no matter what the records are this is always an extremely hard-fought game," said Tambroni. "I think both teams compete hard against one another. You know when you play Michigan and Ohio State, you know kind of the founders of the Big Ten lacrosse conference, and these guys go after each other pretty good."
Tambroni knows the new Big Ten conference boasts powerhouses in the sport of lacrosse, but believes with the beginning of the season to build off of, the Nittany Lions have what it takes to hang in a tough crowd.
"There's a lot on the line now," said Tambroni. "It's not just Ohio State-Penn State it's the first game of the Big Ten and you want to get yourself off to a good start in the Big Ten conference and secure each and every win that you can because those things are going to be so valuable in the end."
Tambroni and company have been working on emphasizing the team aspect of the game. Working as one will be a key component to the Lions' matchup against Ohio State.
"I want to maximize the talents of this team, not necessarily each individual, but the talents of this team and I think if we can do that, regardless if it's the first time we've ever competed in the Big Ten or we've done it for years," said Tambroni. "We just want to make sure we can look back and do it without regret."
Tambroni emphasized that with this inaugural season as members of the Big Ten, wins aren't the only focus. Building a strong foundation for Penn State amongst the other member teams is just as important.
"Hopefully we develop the kind of relationships that are going to last a lifetime and that have nothing to do with the scoreboard," said Tambroni.
As the Big Ten games kick the season into full gear, Penn State is prepared to fight for every goal and every save, and demonstrate their strengths for the community.
"At the end of the day we would hope when someone walked away from one of our games they would say `man that team plays hard, man that team really cares about each other' and it makes anybody who's associated with Penn State very proud to be associated with the same team that's on the field competing and playing for them," said Tambroni.
Penn State takes on Ohio State Sunday at 3 p.m.