Feb. 11, 2016
By Maria Canales, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Coming off a 20-7 win to open the season, the Penn State men's lacrosse team (1-0) looks to continue its success on Saturday against Hobart.
With 16 freshmen on the team, head coach Jeff Tambroni as well as returning veterans have embraced the large class and look forward to their continuing impact on and off the field.
The 16 young men who have joined the ranks this season hail from as far as California or as close at within the state of Pennsylvania. Many of them played at the same high school or on the same club team as fellow teammates, both within their class and above them.
Since their transition into college life last fall, the freshmen have taken advantage of playing a spring sport and have been able to take the time adjusting to academics before taking on a full season of lacrosse.
"They've been an extremely hardworking group and we've been very pleased, very impressed with this particular group," said Tambroni. "At this point in the year typically these guys have gone through the fall and in a lot of ways there's so much on their plate that they tend to kind of cap off whereas the veterans understand the scope of the entire year, but this particular group has a ton of energy."
Tambroni continued to explain how this freshman class put in extra work during their free time during the fall semester, including working in the weight room and spending time on the field improving their skills. He also noted how this freshman group has been able to fall in behind a dynamic senior class and contribute in any way they can.
"I think it was tough," said freshman defender Chris Sabia of the transition from high school to college lacrosse. "The seniors did a good job of bringing us into the Penn State family right away and that really helped a lot."
Prior to the start of the fall semester, the senior class reached out to the freshmen and took them under their wing. Senior defenseman James Chakey explained that since there are eight seniors, they each took two freshmen to reach out to and make sure they felt comfortable coming onto campus and into the college lacrosse lifestyle.
During the preseason the team somewhat separated the freshmen from the rest of the team, to let them make their mistakes and learn from them. Now that the spring semester is in full swing, and the season just started, team members see the freshmen less as a class and more as playmakers.
Their ability to transition into their freshman season and listen to upperclassmen from the start has made the class of 2019 an impactful team on the field quickly.
During last Saturday's game against Robert Morris, six freshmen scored their first collegiate goal to help the Nittany Lions take down the Colonials, 20-7.
Several freshmen have already stood out even with just one game under their belt, including attack man Grant Ament. Ament was named the program's first Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Feb. 10. Ament had two goals and five assists against Robert Morris.
"Coming in and playing strong, a lot of us getting playing time and being able to make a difference, that was definitely something really special to be a part of," said Ament.
As Penn State looks ahead to Hobart on Saturday, the freshmen class is eager to contribute wherever needed. Despite being able to separate by grade, the team prefers to treat the team as one unit. This unit, Chakey explained, if they work together and focus, can make a serious impact this season.
"At this point in the year, in fall you're a freshman, but come springtime you should know your role, know your role in the depth chart, and it's more of a whole team rather than classes," said Chakey. "These guys have really pushed us beyond our expectations and they've pushed us to not only play better, but to make the team better."
Penn State hosts Hobart on Saturday in Holuba Hall at 3 p.m.