Penn State men’s lacrosse continued its streak of athletes selected in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) Draft with Alex Ross joining the list of PSU draftees on Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions have now had a selection in all of the last three drafts, including back-to-back first round picks.
Senior defenseman Alex Ross, selected as the eighth overall pick (round one, pick eight), is headed to New York at the end of the 2026 college lacrosse season. Ross will join former Nittany Lions Matt Traynor and Mac O’Keefe as the only PSU student-athletes to be selected in the first round. The close defender will join Traynor, a 2025 PLL All-Star, on the Atlas. Ross was the first pole to be selected in the 2026 draft.
The Davidsonville, Maryland native is the Nittany Lions’ leader in caused turnovers this season, forcing 18 on the year so far. His per game number for CTOs (1.64) is the third best in the Big Ten and ranks top thirty nationally. Consistently tasked with tackling an opponent's top attacker, he has helped the PSU defense to rank 13th in the country this season in scoring defense. His unit allows just 9.36 goals per game this season. Ross is the perfect example of defensive discipline, as he ranks in the 100th percentile in caused turnovers to penalties ratio. He has yet to be flagged in 2026.
PSU PROS
The Blue & White boasts eight Premier Lacrosse League players on contract, including three first round picks since the league’s formation in 2019. The list includes last season’s sixth overall pick Matt Traynor `25, who plays midfield for the New York Atlas; Kyle Aldridge `25, a short-stick defensive midfielder for the Maryland Whipsnakes; former PSU netminder Jack Fracyon `25, who just signed a contract with the Utah Archers; 2024 PLL Rookie of the Year TJ Malone `24, an attackman for the Whips; Jack Posey `24, a defender for the Whipsnakes; three-time PLL Champion Mac O’Keefe `21, an attackman for the Archers; the number one overall pick in the 2020 draft and 2021 PLL Attackman of the Year Grant Ament `20, an attacker for the Utah Archers; 2026 Championship Series Champion and All-Tournament honoree Austin Kaut `14, who plays goalkeeper for the Chaos.