UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Two current players and one recent graduate from the Penn State men's lacrosse team were chosen in the 2020 National Lacrosse League (NLL) Draft on Thursday. Mac O'Keefe was selected 15th overall in the first round by the San Diego Seals, while Dylan Foulds was picked by the Philadelphia Wings with the 35th overall pick in the second round. Both players are set to compete in their final collegiate season with the Nittany Lions this spring. Recent graduate Grant Ament was the 65th overall pick in the fourth round by the New England Black Wolves.
O'Keefe joins a San Diego team that went 6-6 while playing in the West Division before the 2019-20 season was canceled due to the CoVID-19 pandemic. He is a three-time All-American at Penn State after earning second-team recognition last season. O'Keefe holds the Big Ten and program records and ranks seventh in NCAA history with 192 goals. He ranks third in program history and 10th in the Big Ten with 234 points. Those numbers were bolstered by an outstanding junior season in 2019 in which he scored a Big Ten and program record 78 goals.
Foulds was selected by a Philadelphia team that went 8-6 while playing in the East Division last season. He has totaled 106 points on 78 goals and 28 assists while playing 43 games at Penn State. Foulds was a starter in 34 of those games. In addition to his success on the field, he is one of the top students on the team, earning four-straight Academic All-Big Ten honors.
Ament wrapped up one of the greatest careers in Penn State history last season, earning his third All-America honor. He was the program's first-ever Tewaaraton Award finalist and was the NCAA's Lt. Col. J.I. (Jack) Turnbull Award winner in 2019. He holds program records for career points (284) and career assists (191). His assist total ranks sixth in NCAA history, while his points total is a Big Ten record. Ament, along with O'Keefe and Foulds, led the Lions to their first Big Ten regular season and Big Ten Tournament titles in 2019. He was the first overall pick by the Archers in the Premier Lacrosse League Draft this past May.
O'Keefe, Foulds and Ament helped Penn State go 5-2 before the 2020 season was canceled. The Lions held the top spot in the national rankings after starting the season 3-0.
