UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men's lacrosse head coach Jeff Tambroni has announced the addition of senior defenseman Chris Sabia as the third and final team captain for the 2019 season.
"When you look at the core values of our program: work ethic, compassion and an ability to compete without fear or complaint, Chris [Sabia] embodies all of them," Tambroni said of his starting defenseman. "But when it comes to being a competitor, he is a fearless and appropriate bearer of the symbolic No. 16."
The No. 16 uniform will be worn by Sabia in 2018 as he was selected by former Nittany Lion Ryan Keenan to next wear the number, which has been presented annually, since 2016, to a senior who best represents the "Heart of a Competitor" in honor of our "Teammate for Life" Connor Darcey. Connor passed away tragically on June 12, 2015 in a car accident, prior to his redshirt junior season. The No. 16 is passed down by the student-athlete who had the honor of wearing the No. 16 during the previous season.
Sabia joins fellow seniors Michael Aronow and Matt Donnelly in the captaincy role.
Sabia has started all 45 games in his collegiate career, and has accumulated 51 career turnovers, 75 ground balls, six goals and an assist in his time at Penn State.
The defenseman has earned both conference and national recognition as he was named both a 2017 and 2018 All-Big Ten second team honoree and was a USILA honorable mention All-American in 2017 and 2018 as well.
The Nittany Lions will open the 2019 season with a home game versus Villanova on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 12 p.m.
