UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- While Penn State has seen a historic start to its season on the offensive side of the ball, the Nittany Lions have been almost as impressive on defense in limiting their opposition.
With the Nittany Lions dispatching a ranked Cornell squad and Jacksonville down in Charlotte, North Carolina last week, Penn State moved up to No. 1 in two of the three major national polls this past week.
As much as the play of Grant Ament and his attacking counterparts has been the story of Penn State's season so far, it has been the defensive play of former Haverford and current Penn State teammate Chris Sabia that has gone under the radar thus far.
"Yeah, the offense has certainly had the ball a lot more in these last two games," Ament said. "Gerard [Arceri] is back on his regular [faceoff] numbers, but defensively they've played together for a while now."
"Since we were freshmen, our long-poles have all gotten time and the chemistry has built. Having trust in Chris [Sabia] to go against their best attacker is important for the unit. It's good to know we're ok even when we don't have the ball."
Head coach Jeff Tambroni credits the unit's success so far to a two-fold approach of having chemistry and accountability.
"It requires collaboration on the defensive end, and if you're not connected and accountable to each other, they won't be a successful group," Tambroni said. "I think those young men that compete and play for us are mature, but also connected to each other on and off the field and I think they're getting better. There's a number of really mature and dynamic leaders back there."
For Sabia, the journey to Penn State didn't exactly follow the typical recruiting path. He was recruited late in the process, but fell in love with the school when he set foot on campus his senior year of high school.
"I didn't know too much about Penn State, but I changed positions my senior year to long-pole and it opened new doors for me," Sabia said. "When I heard Penn State was interested and I came up and met some of the coaches and players, it seemed like a place where I could thrive as a player and become the young man my parents wanted me to be."
Tambroni thought back to Sabia's recruiting process this week, and noted some of the irregularities of how he arrived in Happy Valley.
"We started recruiting him late," Tambroni said. "It was not until spring of his senior year, and he had second thoughts about what level he wanted to play at, and someone alerted us to him and said there might be some interest."
"There was a playoff game late in the year, and we loved his performance on the field instantly. We got him up on-campus after his season was over and he committed at that point. It was a unique process, but we are thrilled that it worked out the way it did."
Sabia's adjustment to college lacrosse was two-fold. While he had to adjust to being a Penn State student, he also had continue to adapt to a position change, namely becoming a long-pole defender after being a short-stick player for much of his high school career prior to his senior year.
"Most people don't know that he was a short-stick, so on the field he's learned how to throw checks and his footwork is unbelievable," Ament said. "Off the field, he's developed into a great leader, as well as a guy who pays attention to the little things, but he's still the same kid that I've known for a while."
Sabia's leadership has taken on a new meaning this year as he suits up for his final season at Penn State. While the adjustment was difficult at times initially, he's making sure not to take a second of any game day for granted during the remainder of his time in Blue and White.
"I think the responsibility and time management pieces for me was kind of tough to adjust to at first, but I bounced back and figured it out," Sabia said. "I don't think you truly appreciate it until you're a senior and you realize it's your last shot. But it has been a wild ride, lot of ups and downs, and I wouldn't trade it for the world."
While it will be Sabia's final season at Penn State, he still has a professional career to pursue. The next steps for his professional career became apparent within the last week, as he was selected in the first round at the No. 8 pick and the first selection by the Dallas Rattlers.
"Chris has really taken strides this year as a leader," Tambroni said. "Athletically, he's always been there but has grown in the weight room and on the field. I think the Rattlers will get a special young man, someone who still has room to grow and hasn't played defense for that long. It was cool to be able to share the moment with these guys down in Charlotte."
"I am extremely honored to have been drafted by the Dallas Rattlers," Sabia said of his selection. "I'd especially like to thank Coach [Jeff] Tambroni and Coach [Peter] Toner. They have done a tremendous job allowing me to grow as a player and a young man."
Sabia's leadership was recognized this season as he was selected as a team captain for the Blue and White this year, while also recently being named one of 30 candidates for the 2019 Men's Lacrosse Senior CLASS Award.
On the field, on top of his leadership he brings talent. Sabia has started all 52 games in his collegiate career, and has accumulated 61 career turnovers, 90 groundballs, seven 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.
Leadership has multiple meanings this season for Sabia. Outside of being a team captain, he also knows that he represents something else important to many around Penn State lacrosse as he wears No. 16. The number has been represented since 2016 by a senior who best represents the heart of a competitor in honor of "Teammate for Life" Connor Darcey.
Sabia was selected to wear the number for the 2019 season by former Nittany Lion Ryan Keenan, a tradition that began when Connor passed away tragically on June 12, 2015 in a car accident, prior to his redshirt junior season.
"When I go to my locker and put on No. 16, I know that I have to try my best and give my best effort at all times," Sabia said. "I know from talking to Connor's parents, the seniors of that class, it gives them great joy to see the number is still out on the field. I just hope that I honor him in the best way I can."
