UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Two Penn State players were selected in the 2021 Premier Lacrosse League College Draft, which aired on NBC Sports Network on Monday night. Mac O'Keefe was drafted by the Chaos in the first round with the sixth overall pick, while Gerard Arceri was taken by the Atlas in the fourth round with the 26th overall pick.
Penn State has had four players taken over the first three PLL College Drafts. Chris Sabia was a second-round pick by the Chrome in 2019 and now plays for the Waterdogs. Grant Ament was the top overall pick by the Archers in 2020.
O'Keefe is the most prolific scorer in NCAA Division I history with 219 goals in 65 games played, breaking the previous record of 212 goals in 75 games. He has added 47 assists to give him 266 points while also contributing 99 ground balls and 28 caused turnovers. He is a two-time Tewaaraton Nominee, a two-time USILA All-America selection, and a two-time Big Ten honoree.
O'Keefe was dominant offensively in 2019 while helping Penn State earn the program's first-ever Big Ten regular season and Tournament titles. He broke the Big Ten and program records for goals in a season with 78 and went on to be named the Big Ten Tournament MVP after finishing with 12 points on nine goals and three assists in wins over Rutgers and Johns Hopkins. He then tied an NCAA Tournament record with nine goals in a quarterfinal win over Loyola (Md.).
Arceri is the program record holder with 898 career faceoff wins and owns the Big Ten and program career records with 585 ground balls. He is a two-time USILA All-American, earning third-team honors in 2018 and 2019, and is a two-time Big Ten selection. Arceri's 2018 season was one of the best by a specialist in school history as he earned the Big Ten Specialist of the Year award. Arceri has also contributed 20 goals, including a career-best eight as a junior in 2019.
