UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – 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.
UP NEXT
Penn State is back in action tomorrow for yet another nationally ranked conference matchup. The Nittany Lions travel to Baltimore, Maryland to square off against No. 16 Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field. The contest, slated for noon on Saturday, April 4, will be broadcast live on ESPNU for fans at home.
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