UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's lacrosse team has selected four team captains for the 2020 season. Senior attacker Madison Carter, senior defender Hayley DeAgostine, junior attack/midfielder Quinn Nicolai and junior midfielder Sophia Triandafils were all tabbed as team captains.
"I'm so excited for the 2020 season, and our captains definitely bring in some great experience and work ethic," said Head Coach Missy Doherty. "It will be great to have significant leadership at every position on the field."
Carter was named Preseason All-American third-team by Inside Lacrosse and selected as the 39th-best player in college lacrosse, men's or women's, by Inside Lacrosse. The Davidsonville, Maryland native is a two-time IWLCA All-American selection, earning second team honors in 2017 and 2018. Carter is set to make her return to the field after suffering an injury early in 2019. She will return for her fifth year in the program after graduating with a degree in rehabilitation and human services in May 2019. She enters the 2020 season sitting fifth all-time at Penn State with 197 career goals and seventh in program history with 218 points. She has earned three Academic All-Big Ten selections.
DeAgostine, a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, started all 17 games in 2019. Last season, the West Chester, Pa. native collected 16 ground balls, two draw controls and nine caused turnovers. She has made 41 career starts, tallying 52 ground balls, seven draws and 23 caused turnovers.
Nicolai made 15 starts on attack last season. She led the squad with 34 goals and ranked second with 42 points. In Big Ten play, Nicolai recorded 16 goals and four assists. She registered at least one goal in all 17 games and had 11 multi-goal efforts. The 2019 Academic All-Big Ten pick ranked seventh in the league with 4.0 shots on goal per game.
Triandafils tallied 14 starts at midfield in 2019. She paced Penn State with 17 assists to go with 24 goals, 11 ground balls, 16 draw controls and eight caused turnovers. Triandafils registered 11 multi-point performances and eight multi-goal games. She was also an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2019.
The Nitttany Lions won eight games in 2019. Penn State is set to return 24 members for the 2020 season and add 11 newcomers. The returnees include Carter and All-Big Ten senior attacker Maria Auth.
Penn State will play its second season in Panzer Stadium. The Nittany Lions earned five home wins in 2019, including four in Panzer Stadium.
The Nittany Lions begin the regular season on Saturday, February 8 at Towson at noon.
