No. 10 Penn State Takes on No. 8 Ohio State in Battle for Control of the Big Ten Race

SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES

• Ranked No. 10 in the country in the preseason polls, Ohio State now sit at eighth in this week’s Inside Lacrosse poll.
• The Buckeyes rank fourth nationally and first in the Big Ten for face-off win percentage at 61.2 percent, with Junior Jack Oldman placing eighth the nation in face-off win percentage at 62.5 percent.
• Junior goalie Caleb Fyock ranks second in the nation in goals-against average with 6.61 goals allowed per game, as well as ranking fourth in save percentage in the country with a percentage of 58.1 percent.
• Ohio State are statisctially the best defense in the country, allowing only 6.33 goals per game.
• Junior Garrett Haas spearheads the Ohio State attack, ranking third in the Big Ten in points per game with 3.78.
• The Buckeyes hold a 91.5 percent clearing percentage, good for fourth in the country and first in the Big Ten.
• Starting goalie Caleb Fyock, who has 71 saves on the season, left injured in the game against Rutgers, with backup goalie Jack Allen replacing him. Allen made 10 saves and only allowed two goals and helped the Buckeyes defeat the Scarlet Knights. 

LAST TIME VS. OHIO STATE

• No. 4 Penn State men’s lacrosse drops Big Ten opener to no. 9 Ohio State with a 13-9 final score. The Nittany Lions fall to 6-2, 0-1 Big Ten while the Buckeyes improve to 9-1, 1-0 Big Ten.
• Despite seven different goal scorers including three with multiple points, Ohio State’s saves between the pipes and faceoff efficiency proved to be the difference makers. Liam Matthews, Ethan Long and Luke Walstrum all tallied two goals apiece. Traynor also added four assists to lead PSU in points while also scooping three ground balls. Defensively, Alex Ross put forth another strong outing with four ground balls and one caused turnover. Kevin Parnham was also effective on defense, gathering two ground balls and causing three turnovers.

TEWAARATON TIME

• Penn State senior Alex Ross and sophomore Hunter Aquino were each named to the initial 2026 Tewaaraton watch list.
• The prestigious award, which recognizes the top man and woman lacrosse athletes across all divisions.

In the past two seasons, Penn State has had a pair of Tewaaraton Award nominees (in mid-April, the Tewaaraton commitee narrows down the watch list to 25 names per gender to created the nominee’s list). Matt Traynor was a two-time recognizee (2024, 2025) and Jack Fracyon was named to the list in 2024.

FRESHMAN PHENOM

• Rookie Jack Iannantuono was acknoleged by Inside Lacrosse this week on the outlets 2026 Freshman Impact Rankings. The first year was named the fifth-most impactful player so far this season.

IL’s review of Iannantuono: “A steady performer, Iannantuono has been a consistent contributor for a Penn State offense that likes to spread the wealth. His big games came with a two-goal, four-assist display vs. Yale and a three-goal, one-assist performance in the dominant win vs. Cornell. He’s up to 11 goals and 11 assists through seven starts. A St. Paul’s (Md.) alum, Iannantuono won a starting job to play alongside Kyle Lehman and Hunter Aquino. He has made sure there has been no drop off since Aquino got injured, too.”

DRAFT NIGHT

• With the recent injury to Maryland’s Will Shaller, Alex Ross has moved into the top spot for a defenseman or pole in the Premier Lacrosse League big boards.
• In Adam Lamberti’s latest 2026 College Mock Draft, he slated Ross as his seventh overall pick, going in the first round to the Denver Outlaws.
• Lamberti reasoned that “Denver needs defense here with the aging Jesse Bernhardt and Mike Manley. Schaller could be an option here for Denver, but the Outlaws would likely want defensive help this summer. Ross is a steady defender who does everything at a high level and would be a great second option to JT Giles-Harris.”

LAST TIME OUT

• No. 9 Penn State men’s lacrosse opened conference action with a 10-6 win over No. 11 Maryland in University Park, Pennsylvania, on Saturday afternoon. The victory signified the first win for PSU over UMD since the 2024 season, and just the fifth time in program history the Nittany Lions topped the Terrapins. The game, played in front of the largest ever crowd at Panzer Stadium, saw PSU jump out to a two-goal lead before the Terrapins had a pair of answers. The Nittany Lions then tallied five straight and never looked back, giving the 2,532 fans a show on home turf.
• The PSU offense saw a pair of multi-goal scorers in senior Mac Hobbs and sophomore Chase Robertson. Each tallied two goals. Redshirt senior Luke Walstrum was the leading point scorer, scoring a goal and dishing three assists for four points. Junior Kyle Lehman followed with a goal and two apples for three points. Lehman packed the stat sheet, also causing three turnovers and scooping four groundballs. Redshirt senior Michael Faraone was the last multi-point scorer in the outing, grabbing a goal and posting an assist for a pair of tallies.
• Freshman goalkeeper Preston Hawkins had a career outing against the Terps, posting 14 saves on a 70.0 percent save percentage. Both marked career bests for the rookie. The close defense unit held Eric Spanos, one of the top five favorites for the Tewaaraton Award in the preseason, to no points in his first action since February 21 this season. Elsewhere in the defensive unit, senior Jon King caused a pair of turnovers and scooped three groundballs, while senior Ryan O’Connor and sophomore Lucca DiBartolomeo each caused a turnover and vacuumed three groundballs. Penn State’s faceoff unit of Colby Baldwin and Reid Gills won 11 of the 19 pulls, holding Maryland’s Henry Dodge to just .500 from the dot. Dodge entered the weekend winning 69.7 percent of his spins, a number that led the nation.

WEEKLY LOOKS

• Penn State men’s lacrosse has garnered more weekly awards following its 10-6 win over Maryland at Panzer Stadium this weekend. Rookie goalkeeper Preston Hawkins was named the Big Ten Freshman of the week, and senior Jon King was named a co-Defensive Player of the Week by the conference offices. Hawkins also earned a spot on the USILA Team of the Week for his efforts.
• Hawkins had a career day for the Blue & White this weekend, posting 14 saves against the No. 11 Terrapin offense in what would go down as Penn State’s third win this season over an opponent ranked in the top 12 in the polls. His save percentage of 70 percent also marked a career best. Terrapin attackman Eric Spanos, one of the preseason frontrunners for the Tewaaraton Award, was back in action this week and took six shots on cage in the contest. Hawkins saved every one of them, holding the attackman to a goose egg.
• King led Penn State’s defensive unit this past weekend, pushing the Nittany Lions to its fifth-ever win over No. 11 Maryland while holding the Terps to just six scores. King scooped three groundballs and caused a pair of turnovers as a short-stick, nearing his career best in both categories.

PRESEASON NODS

• After putting the nation on notice in 2025, sophomore Hunter Aquino and senior Alex Ross raked in the preseason honors this year.
• Aquino, the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was recognized as a Second Team All-American by USILA and Inside Lacrosse, and earned a third-team spot on USA Lacrosse Magazines list.
• Ross was was a second-team honoree according to Inside Lacrosse, while he picked up third-team honors from USA Lacrosse Magazine.
• Senior captian Jon King joined the duo on Inside Lacrosse's list, earning an honorable mention recognition.
• The trio were named Big Ten Players to Watch by the conference offices prior to the start of the 2026 slate.
• The USILA preseason list also recognined short-stick Brendan Leary as a Third-Team Preseason All-American, alongside Aquino.