Jan. 28, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Three Nittany Lions have been selected to the 2016 U.S. Men's Under-19 National Team, including current Penn State men's lacrosse freshman Tommy Wright (Garden City, N.Y.) and incoming early signees Mac O'Keefe (Syosset, N.Y.) and Gerard Arceri (Smithtown East, N.Y.).
The trio is among a group of just 25 players who were named to U-19 final roster. The 25-man roster was selected from a 30-man squad of participants who were invited to attend a pair of Team USA training camps throughout the fall and winter. Together, the team will travel to the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championship this summer in Coquitlam, British Columbia.
Nittany Lion associate head coach Peter Toner also serves as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men's U-19 squad.
Current Nittany Lion Thomas Wright was selected as one of six defensemen, while incoming faceoff specialist Gerard Arceri and attackman Mac O'Keefe were also named to the roster at each respective position.
The U.S. Men's Under-19 National Team is set to begin its quest for an eight consecutive gold medal this summer at the 2016 FIL World Championship. Training will begin the first week of June and July.
Both Arceri and O'Keefe are part of the newly inked Nittany Lion signing class, which was announced this fall. Arceri helped Smithtown East to back-to-back Suffolk County Championships in 2014-15, earning team MVP honors in both seasons. He also earned Under Armour All-America honors in 2015. O'Keefe helped lead Syosset to a 2015 Nassau County and Long Island Class A Championship, earning All-America honorable mention honors in 2014-15. He also garnered All-County honors in 2014-15, in addition to a spot on the MSG Varsity All-Metro team.
Wright will help Penn State kick off the 2016 season at home in University Park, as the Nittany Lions host Robert Morris in the season opener Saturday, Feb. 6 at noon in Holuba Hall.
The United States U-19 team owns a 41-2 record in international play and is the only team to win gold at the U-19 World Championship.