UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Nick Cardile and Mac O'Keefe were announced as team captains by Penn State men's lacrosse head coach Jeff Tambroni on Saturday. Both Cardile and O'Keefe are back for their fifth year with the Nittany Lions.
Cardile and O'Keefe will serve as team captains for a second consecutive season. Last year they were joined by Tommy Wright and Grant Ament, both of whom were drafted to play professional lacrosse following their time at Penn State.
"Our staff is blessed to have two all-time Penn State lacrosse greats leading our program into the 2021 season," Tambroni said. "Nick and Mac are courageous and passionate leaders who continue to lead in the face of adversity. We are proud to be represented by such amazing men."
Cardile was named a second-team All-American by Inside Lacrosse following the shortened 2020 season. That came one year after he was selected as an honorable-mention All-American by the USILA in 2019. Cardile has won three Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week awards and was a Big Ten All-Tournament Team honoree in 2019 while helping lead the Lions to their first title. He has started 23 of the team's 25 games over the past two seasons.
O'Keefe is a three-time All-American earning second-team honors in 2019 and 2020 and honorable mention recognition in 2018. He is one of the top offensive threats in the country as he holds Big Ten and program records for career goals with 192. That ranks seventh in NCAA history. He also ranks third in program history and 10th all-time in the Big Ten with 234 points.
O'Keefe was named the 2019 Big Ten Tournament MVP while leading the Lions to the league title. He has won four Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week awards and earned one Academic All-Big Ten honor.
Penn State is 21-4 over the past two seasons and has been ranked in the top 10 in 22 consecutive national polls. The Lions were ranked No. 1 in 10 of those polls.
