ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten conference offices announced on Monday afternoon that Penn State’s Ella Gaitan was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. The award if Gaitan’s first Big Ten weekly award and is the third Nittany Lions to earn a Big Ten weekly accolade this season alongside Cam Standish and Aby Deverka.
Gaitan earned the honor after her efforts against Ohio State and then-No. 18 Michigan during the weekend. Gaitan scored both of Penn State’s goals in the ranked win over Michigan. The first goal came in a penalty corner to the top left corner and the second found the back of the cage during a two-on-one fast break. Against Ohio State, Gaitan set the tone in the shootout, scoring the first of Penn State’s three shootout goals to help lead the Nittany Lions to victory.
The junior transfer from Maryland has been on a tear during the 2026 season. Gaitan secured her first double-digit goal season of her career after her brace against the Wolverines. Her 11 goals, 24 points and five game-winning goals all lead Penn State with her total goals and points ranking within the top-six of all Big Ten players and top-25 nationally.
The Nittany Lions are headed to America’s heartland for the team’s last two regular season road games of 2026. Penn State will first take on the Indiana Hoosiers on Friday, Oct. 23 at Deborah Tobias Field at 3 p.m. before heading to Iowa City, Iowa to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Grant Field at noon. Both games will be streamed to fans on B1G+.
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