Men's Lacrosse Looks to Make History at Homewood This Weekend, Takes on Hopkins on the U

SCOUTING THE BLUE JAYS

• Ranked No. 15 in the country in the preseason poll, Johns Hopkins now sit at 16th in this week’s Inside Lacrosse poll.
• The Blue Jays rank sixth nationally and first in the Big Ten in turnovers per game, only avergaging 13.22 a game.
• Senior Brooks English has 15 assists on the season, averaging 1.67 per game, which is good enough for second in the Big Ten.\
• Junior Hunter Chauvette leads the Johns Hopkins attack, ranking first in the Big Ten in goals per game with 2.78.
• The Blue Jays hold a 90.5 percent clearing percentage, good for sixth in the country and second in the Big Ten.
• Johns Hopkins senior goalie Oran Gelinas averages 9.86 saves per game, ranking third in the Big Ten.
• Senior Matt Collison and Junior Hunter Chauvette rank fourth and fifth in the Big Ten in points per game, averaging 3.22 and 3.00 respectively. 

LAST TIME VS. JOHNS HOPKINS

• No. 7 Penn State men’s lacrosse clinched a spot in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals with a 13-12 win over Johns Hopkins on Saturday, April 26. The Nittany Lions earned their way back to a third Big Ten Conference Tournament Semifinal and second consecutive. Penn State improved to 10-3, 3-2 Big Ten while Johns Hopkins falls to 6-8, 0-5 Big Ten.
• The win at home in Happy Valley marked the 11th 10-win season in program history and sixth under head coach Jeff Tambroni.
• Sophomore Kyle Lehman led the Penn State offense with five points using four goals and one assist. Seniors Matt Traynor, Ethan Long and Jack Aimone all produced two goals apiece, Traynor also added an assist to total three points while scooping five ground balls. Junior Luke Walstrum was instrumental in the passing game, contributing a career high four helpers.
• On the defensive end, junior Alex Ross and senior Kevin Parnham were disruptive, causing two turnovers and collecting two ground balls each.
• Sophomore Colby Baldwin led the faceoff unit, winning 14-22 attempts at the faceoff x, with Reid Gills winning two for PSU. Baldwin also gathered eight ground balls.

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.”

MIDSEASON CHECK-IN

• Penn State men’s lacrosse has earned a trio of midseason All-American honors, as announced by Inside Lacrosse on Friday morning. Senior defenseman Alex Ross garnered first team honors, senior short-stick Jon King was named to the third team, and sophomore faceoff Reid Gills was named an honorable mention. Notably, the Nittany Lion offense, which ranks number one in the big ten and top 10 nationally in goals per game and points per game, earned zero recognitions on the midseason list.
• Ross enters this coming weekend ranked second in the conference and 25th nationally in caused turnovers per game, averaging 1.78. Earlier this season, he eclipsed 100 groundballs in his career. While the senior’s statistical game doesn’t initially jump off the page, a greater analytical dive quickly shows how dominant of a defender Ross is. His defensive expected goals added, a metric that calculates how defensive plays translate to offensive goals, ranks in the 99th percentile. His caused turnovers per penalty ranks in the 100th percentile, as he has yet to find himself in the box this season. His groundball win rate of six percent ranks in the 96th percentile. All of these metrics culminate into one of the nation’s top defenders.
• King, who was recently named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week following the win over Maryland, currently is tied for second among short-stick defensive midfielders in caused turnovers, with 11 so far this season. Similar to Ross, his defensive expected goals added number sits ranks in the 98th percentile, and his groundball win rate of 5.2 is good for the 95th percentile among active lacrosse players.
• Gills is one of the nation’s top faceoff athletes. He ranks 11th in the nation and third in the Big Ten in faceoff win percentage, clocking in at 61.2 percent. He also ranks second in the conference in groundballs per game, scooping an average of five per outing.

 

LAST TIME OUT

• No. 10 Penn State men’s lacrosse moved to 2-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since the 2019 season with a 13-6 win over No. 8 Ohio State at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The last time PSU was perfect in the opening of its first two conference games, it went on to go 5-0, winning its first Big Ten regular season title. PSU again got to scoring early, jumping out to a 4-0 lead before Ohio State scored its first of the afternoon. The lead was one PSU never relinquished, as the Nittany Lions never allowed the home team within fewer than two scores.
• Four different Nittany Lions scored a pair of goals in the outing, helping to force Ohio State to give up its most goals surrendered all season. Freshman Jack Iannantuono was the leader of the pack, posting two goals and two assists on the day, while also scooping two groundballs. Redshirt sophomore Liam Matthews and true sophomore Chase Robertson followed with two goals and an assist each. Redshirt senior Michael Faraone was the final multi-goal scorer, putting away a pair of goals for PSU. Redshirt senior Luke Walstrum tallied a goal and an assist for two points, while graduate student John Jude Considine, junior Kyle Lehman, senior Jon King, and junior Mark Watters each tallied a goal of their own.
• In his homecoming game, freshman goalkeeper Preston Hawkins posted 10 saves and secured a 62.5 percent save percentage to help anchor his defense in the contest. The Nittany Lions were grittier than the Buckeyes, winning the groundball battle and forcing 23 turnovers from the home team. Sophomore Peri DiBartolomeo set the tone defensively, causing three turnovers and scooping three groundballs. His brothers Lucca and Roman DiBartolomeo followed with two caused turnovers apiece. Penn State’s faceoff unit had a rare off day, losing the battle at the dot for just the second time this season. Junior Colby Baldwin and sophomore Reid Gills combined for just seven wins compared to Ohio State’s 16.

WEEKLY LOOKS

• Penn State men’s lacrosse moves its Big Ten weekly honor total to 13 with first year Jack Iannantuono earning this week’s Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor. The honor marks Iannantuono’s second award of the category this year. PSU’s 13 total recognition nearly doubles the next closest Big Ten squad.
• Iannantuono led the Penn State attack with two goals and two assists, pushing his unit to a 13-6 win over No. 8 Ohio State. The freshman’s goals were both scored unassisted. The 13 notches by the PSU offense signifies the first time this season that OSU gave up double-digits to an opponent. The Buckeyes entered the weekend with the nation’s best scoring defense. Iannantuono’s four points match the second-most Ohio State has surrendered to a single player this season.

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.