April 28, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 10 Penn State men's lacrosse team (11-2, 2-2 Big Ten) will conclude the regular season in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Sunday afternoon, taking on the Michigan Wolverines (8-5, 0-4 Big Ten) at 2 p.m. ET inside Michigan Stadium.
FOLLOW ALONG
In addition to watching in person, fans can follow all the action with the Big Ten Network's live stream, live stats and additional live coverage on Twitter (@PennStateMLAX).
PSU CLINCHES B1G TOURNEY BERTH WITH WIN OVER SCARLET KNIGHTS
Penn State locked up it's 11th win of 2017 season and a berth to the Big Ten tournament on April 23, defeating No. 13 Rutgers, 13-7, on senior night.
- The win against Rutgers marked Penn State's 11th win of the 2017 season. In the program's 104-year history, it marks the third time that a team has won 11 or more games, and the second time under head coach Jeff Tambroni.
- Five Penn State player registered three points in the contest (Grant Ament, 1g,2a; Nick Aponte, 3a; Dan Craig, 2g,1a; Kevin Hill, 3g; Mac O'Keefe, 3g). It marked the first time since March 11 that five player registered at least three points, when the team did soy against Harvard. It was the first time that five Penn State players scored three or more points in a Big Ten game ever.
- The 13 goals against Rutgers gives Penn State 182 goals on the season, the most by the program in Tambroni's seven season tenure.
- The six-goal margin of victory was the largest Penn State has had in a Big Ten conference game. Prior to the 13-7 victory, the largest margin was five goals, achieved three times (vs. Rutgers [2015], vs. Michigan [2016] and vs. Ohio State [2017]).
- With the win, Penn State matched its total for most wins in Big Ten conference play with two.
- The win also marked the return of the "Friendship Cup" to Happy Valley. Since the inception of the trophy marking the Penn State-Rutger rivalry in 1998, Penn State has held a 12-5 advantage.
APONTE NAMED TEWAARATON NOMINEE
Senior captain Nick Aponte was named one of 25 Tewaaraton Award Nominees on Friday, April 28.
- Aponte enters the final game of the season with 44 points on 16 goals and 28 assists. He has added 23 groundballs (second most on the team) and four caused turnovers.
- Aponte ranks 13th nationally in assists per game, averaging 2.15 per contest.
- The field of nominees will be trimmed down to five finalists on May 11, with the award being presented June 1 in Washington D.C.
HISTORY WITHIN REACH
Penn State looks to build on its historic season with a win against the Wolverines. With a win against Michigan, Penn State would...
- Match its program record for wins in a single season with 12, matching that of the 2013 squad.
- Set a new record for Big Ten wins in a season with three.
- Claim the Creator's Trophy for the second year in a row and the fourth time in its six seasons of existence.
In addition to the potential win records, plenty of other regular-season records can plausibly be broken in Penn State's bout with Michigan.
- With 12 goals, Penn State would break its record for most goals in a Big Ten conference season (team is averaging 14 goals/game).
- With one assist in the Michigan game, Penn State will record the most assists in a season under head coach Jeff Tambroni's tenure.
B1G TOURNAMENT SCENARIOS
With Penn State's win over Rutgers, the Nittany Lions are locked into the fourth spot in the Big Ten Tournament beginning May 4. Penn State's opponent will be determined based on the final week of play.
- Ohio State would be the No. 1 seed with a win over Rutgers and the No. 2 seed with a loss.
- Maryland would be the No. 1 seed with a win against Johns Hopkins and an Ohio State loss. The Terrapins would be the No. 2 seed with a Maryland win and an Ohio State win, while a loss against Johns Hopkins would make the Terrapins the three seed.
- Johns Hopkins would be the top-seed with a win over Maryland and an Ohio State loss. If Hopkins and Ohio State both win, the Blue Jays would be the two seed, while a loss to Maryland would make Johns Hopkins the third-seeded team.
SABIA MAKING MARK IN B1G PLAY
Sophomore defender Chris Sabia has come into form during conference play, with eight caused turnovers through four games.
- With eight caused turnovers in conference play, Sabia ranks tied for third in conference-only caused turnovers, behind only Johns Hopkins' Nick Fields and Jack Rapine (13 each).
- Sabia's eight caused turnovers are the most by a Penn State player in a Big Ten season, with five being the most in a Big Ten season prior to Sabia's output.
- Over the course of the season, Sabia has averaged 1.31 caused turnovers per game, ranking 42nd nationally and third most in the Big Ten.
- Sabia's 29 career caused turnovers are the most of any active player on the Nittany Lions' roster.
100-POINT CLUB
Sophomore attackman Grant Ament scored a pair of goals and added three assists to hit the 100-career point milestone against Johns Hopkins on April 15.
- With his five-point performance, Ament became the 24th Penn State player to score 100 career points. His 106 career points rank tied for 21st all-time, needing just one more point for sole possesion of the spot.
- Ament became the second active Penn State player to reach 100 career points this season, when Nick Aponte during the Nittany Lions' game against Furman. The senior ranks 14th most points in program history with 127 (62g, 65a).
- With Ament reaching the 100-point mark, Penn State is one of 16 programs nationally with a pair of 100-point scorers.
- Prior to Ament and Aponte, TJ Sanders (2013-16) was the last player to be a 100-point scorer. Senior midfielder Mike Sutton is the next closest active player to the 100-point mark, entering the game against Rutgers with 86 (74g, 12a).
AMENT LOOKS TO CRACK TOP-10
In addition to breaking the 100-point plateau, Grant Ament is closing in on the Penn State leaderboard for single-season points with two games remaining in the regular season.
- Ament enters Sunday with 52 points to date - the ninth and tenth spots on Penn State's single season points leaderboard sitting at 57 points. Ament enters the game averaging 4.08 points per game, on pace to climb into the top 10.
- Ament came close to cracking the top 10 last season, logging 20 goals and 34 assists for 54 points in his rookie season. His 34 assists rank 10th all-time for a single season.
O'KEEFE CLAIMS SIXTH FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONOR
For the sixth time in the 2017 season, freshman attackman Mac O'Keefe was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on April 25.
- O'Keefe earned the Freshman of the Week honor after scoring three goals against the Scarlet Knights to help PSU lock in it's trip to the Big Ten tournament with a 13-7 win over Rutgers.
- The hat trick marked the eighth game of the season in which O'Keefe has logged three or more goals.
- O'Keefe's six Freshman of the Week honors mark the most of any player in the league this season and the most for a Penn State player in program history.
NITTANY LIONS SET HISTORICAL STREAK
Penn State began the season on a historical win streak, going 10-0 through the opening 10 games of the season.
- Following Penn State's win over Ohio State, the Nittany Lions continued the best start in program history at 10-0. Prior to the 2017 season the best record to begin a season at Penn State was 7-0, achieved by the 1992 team.
- With the win over OSU, Penn State remained one of two undefeated squads nationally at 10-0. Hofstra (9-0) is the only other undefeated program nationally. Penn State's 10-game win streak was the best in the country.
- With Penn State's victory over Ohio State, the Nittany Lions matched the longest single-season win streak with 10-straight. The win also saw Penn State earn its seventh ever season with double-figure wins.
- With the win against Cleveland State, Penn State went undefeated in the non-conference slate for the first time in program history at a perfect 9-0 mark. Penn State first became a conference member in 2000 when the team joined the ECAC before transitioning to the CAA and eventually the Big Ten.
OFFENSE AMONG NATION'S BEST
With one game remaining in the 2017 regular season the Nittany Lion offense continues to be one of the best in the nation statistically.
- Penn State leads the country statistically in shooting percentage as of April 19, firing the ball at a .361 clip. Grant Ament (.458, 12th) and Mac O'Keefe (.396, 48th) both rank within the top 50 nationally in shooting percentage.
- Of the over 70 Division I programs, Penn State finds itself also ranked among the top 10 in the country in scoring offense (fourth, 14.00), points per game (fifth, 22.15) and assists per game (seventh, 8.15). Penn State leads the Big Ten in all four categories.
- In addition to its national prominence, Penn State's goals per game, points per game and assists per game figures are all the best during the Jeff Tambroni era to date. Penn State's 182 goals are the most in a single season during the Tambroni era, while the team needs one more assist to have the most in the last seven years.
- Penn State has four offensive players ranked nationally among the top 150 in either points per game, goals per game or assists per game. Ament (4.00 ppg, 2.08 gpg, 1.92 apg) is the lone player to rank among the top 50 in all three categories. O'Keefe (3.62 ppg, 3.23 gpg) ranks top 35 in both goals per game and points per game, while Nick Aponte (3.38 ppg, 2.15 apg) ranks among the top 50 in points per game and assists per game. Ryan Keenan ranks 101st nationally in assists per game, averaging 1.00 per contest.
LIONS DOMINANT AT THE FACEOFF "X"
Penn State's success on the offensive end has stemmed from stellar play at the faceoff "x", creating opportunities for the offense to thrive.
- Penn State ranks sixth in the country in faceoff win percentage (.616) and 10th in groundballs per game (31.85) following 13 games. Penn State ranks second in the Big Ten in both faceoff win percentage and groundballs per game.
- Freshman midfielder and faceoff man Gerard Arceri ranks fifth nationally in faceoff percentage (.645) and ninth in groundballs per game (7.54). He ranks second in the Big Ten in faceoff percentage while leading in groundballs.
APONTE, AMENT CLIMBING CAREER ASSISTS LEADERBOARD
With one game remaining in the regular season, Penn State attackmen Nick Aponte and Grant Ament both look to improve their positioning on the Penn State leaderboard for career assists.
- Following the Nittany Lions' most recent outing, Aponte has taken sole possession of ninth place on the career assists leaderboard, surpassing Luke Ogelsby's 64-assist mark. With a minimum two guaranteed games remaining, Aponte could match or pass Chris Lehman (1990-93, 67 assists) for eighth place, and could possibly go further with a deep tournament run. Ament currently sits at 59 career assists.
- Aponte, who enters the Michigan game with 64 career assists, is having the best season of his career statistically sharing the ball with a team-high 28 assists this season. His 19-assist output in 2016 was previously his most in a single season.
- Ament, who has 25 assists in 2017 to date, entered the season after dishing out the 10th most assists in a single season in program history during his freshman campaign, logging 34 last season.
ATTACK LINE AMONG LEADERS IN D1
Penn State's attack unit has been especially impressive so far, with the three attackmen starters of Grant Ament, Nick Aponte and Mac O'Keefe being one of the most potent units in Division I statistically.
- The trio all rank in the top-50 nationally in points per game. Ament comes in at No. 20, good for second in the Big Ten, while O'Keefe and Aponte rank No. 31 and No. 46 in the country, respectively. O'Keefe is fourth in Big Ten point production, while Aponte is seventh. Ament and Aponte are both top-20 in assists per game, with Aponte's 2.15 assist/game average ranking 13th overall nationally and second in the Big Ten.
- The trio of Ament, Aponte and O'Keefe have accounted for 46.7% of Penn State's goals, 49.6% of Penn State's assists and 50% of the team's total points.
- As a unit, Penn State's starting attack line has produced the fifth most points among starting attack lines nationally. The Nittany Lion trio ranks fifth in total goals and fourth in total assists.
B1G IN A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
As a league, the Big Ten has been off to a hot start and looks to be one of the top conferences in the nation once again. Through the league's non-conference play, as a conference Big Ten teams went a combined 45-8, with its .849 win percentage the top among all Division I programs.
O'KEEFE SCORING AT WILL
Freshman attackman Mac O'Keefe continues a hot stretch offensively, notching an astounding 42 goals through the first 13 games.
- Following his hat trick against Rutgers, O'Keefe climbed to tied for fifth place in single season goals. With seven more goals, O'Keefe would claim Penn State's single-season scoring record.
- After scoring three goals against Rutgers, O'Keefe holds the country's ninth longest goal-scoring streak, finding the back of the net in 13 consecutive games. His 42 goals over the span ranks seventh. Brown's Dylan Molloy holds the longest streak with 38 consecutive games in which he's tallied 121 goals.
- O'Keefe currently ranks second among freshman goal scorers during the Jeff Tambroni era, only behind former attackman TJ Sanders' rookie campaign, when he scored 44 in the 2013 season.
- O'Keefe's 42 goals rank third most in a single season in Jeff Tambroni's seven-season tenure at Penn State.
- With four goals against Cleveland State, O'Keefe passed Penn State's single-player high for goals from last season, as senior attackman Nick Aponte logged 30 in 2016.
APONTE, AMENT AND SUTTON STREAKING
At this point in the 2017 season, senior attackman Nick Aponte holds one of the longest statistical streaks in the country.
- After logging three assists against Rutgers, Aponte has recorded at least one point in each of his last 45 contests, dating back to April 5, 2014.
- Aponte's streak is good for eighth in the country. Denver senior Connor Cannizarro lead the country with 53 consecutive games registering at least one point, dating back to Apr. 19, 2014.
- Sophomore attackman Grant Ament joined the exclusive group of players nationally with a scoring streak of 20 or more consecutive games following his three assist performance against Penn. The Doylestown, Pennsylvania, native is on a 28-game streak entering the game against Michigan, good for 19th nationally.
- With a two-goal performance against Maryland, senior Mike Sutton added his name to the list of D1 players with at least one point in 20 consecutive games.
- Of the 27 players in Division I to have tallied a point in 20 consecutive games, only five schools (Penn State, Denver, Duke, Harvard and Air Force) have multiple players on the list. Penn State and Maryland are the only schools to have three players with a 20-plus game point streak.
PENN STATE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Penn State remained constant this week in the national polls, coming in as a consensus top-10 selection.
- With the No. 1 ranking in the Maverik Media poll three weeks ago, Penn State earned a consensus No. 1 ranking for the first time in program history.
- With its No. 10 ranking in the USILA coaches poll, Penn State is ranked within the top 10 for the seventh consecutive week. Eight weeks prior marked the first time since March 10, 2014, that the team had cracked the top-five when the team climbed to fifth in the national rankings.
- Penn State has now been ranked in 16 consecutive USILA coaches polls, the last time being unranked being March 21, 2016.
APONTE ON TEWAARATON WATCH LIST
After a strong start to the 2017 season, senior attackman Nick Aponte was one of 50 players nationally to be named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List on February 28.
- Aponte currently ranks third on Penn State in points, tallying 31 on 13 goals and 18 assists. His assist figures tie for the best on the team, while his 13 goals rank tied for third.
- Aponte was named to the Watch List for the second straight season. He ranks tied for third on Penn State in points this season after leading the Nittany Lions in goals (30) last season.
- Players not named to the initial lists have several opportunities to play their way into a spot as the season progresses. Watch list additions, if applicable, will be announced on March 16 and April 6.
- On April 27, the field will be narrowed to 25 men's and 25 women's nominees. Nominees can be players on the watch lists or players not on the watch lists, effectively allowing for a third round of additions.
HOGAN CLAIMS SUPER BOWL LI RING
Penn State men's lacrosse finds itself in the headlines in late January following a breakout performance from former Nittany Lion midfield standout and current New England Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan.
- Hogan played four seasons as a midfielder for Penn State, in which he registered 57 goals and 14 assists for 71 career points.
- Hogan sustained an injury three games into his sophomore season (2008) in which he scored a pair of goals. Hogan was granted a medical redshirt, which he chose to use at Monmouth University after graduating from Penn State, where he played wide receiver and defensive back for the Hawks.
- Hogan's breakout performance came during the AFC Championship game in which he pulled in nine catches for 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His 180 receiving yards were a franchise postseason single game record. He recorded four catches for 57 yards in the Patriots 34-28 OT win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
- Hogan is the only member of Penn State men's lacrosse to ever play in the NFL or win a Super Bowl. Thirty-nine total Nittany Lions have now claimed 56 Super Bowl rings, with Hogan being the most recent player to do so.
ARCERI, O'KEEFE AND WRIGHT COMPETE WITH TEAM USA
Freshmen Gerard Arceri and Mac O'Keefe and sophomore Tommy Wright represented Team USA over the summer of 2016 as a part of the 27-man U19 roster.
- The Penn State trio earned the gold medals with the team, marking Team USA's eighth U19 world championship. O'Keefe scored a team-high two goals and added an assist. Arceri saw time, but Wright was sidelined with an injury for USA's 13-12 win over Canada.
- Penn State was also represented by associate head coach Peter Toner, who served as an assistant coach for the USA U19 team. Head coach Jeff Tambroni serves as an assistant for the USA national team, while assistant coach Chris Doctor served as an assistant for the Iroquois national team from 2013-14.
- Four players on Penn State's current roster have played for the USA U19 team. Redshirt senior Matt Florence played with the USA U19 team in 2012 en route to the team's seventh world championship with a 10-8 win vs. Canada.
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