2016 TEWAARATON NOMINEE
2016 UNANIMOUS ALL-BIG TEN
2015 & 2016 ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN
2016
2016 Tewaaraton nominee ... Became Penn State’s first ever first-team All-Big Ten selection, earning a unanimous vote to the 10-man team … Earned a spot on the Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse All-Tournament Team … More than doubled his goal-scoring from a year ago, leading the team with 30 goals, while also finishing second on the team with 19 assists for 49 total points … Started all 15 games at attack, scoring at least one goal in all but three games … Posted nine multi-goal outings and dished out at least two assists in five games … Enters the 2016-17 season on a 32-game point-scoring streak, having amassed 46 goals and 34 assists for 80 points during the stretch … Set a career-high mark with six points in the season-opener against Robert Morris (2/6), scoring two goals to go along with a career-high four assists and a pair of caused turnovers … Paced the team with three goals and three assists in a 13-12 OT win against No. 8 Harvard (3/12) … Closed out the season with a career-high-tying four goals in each of the final four games of the season, netting four in both the regular season and Big Ten Tournament semifinal meetings against No. 3 Maryland (4/10,5/5) … Earned his first career Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week award following a 5-point outing (4g/1a) in a 14-9 win against Michigan (4/30).
2015
Appeared in every contest, starting 10 … Third on the team with 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points … Scored at least a point in every game, producing six multi-point contests … Had 4-point performances at Villanova (2/21), Johns Hopkins (4/11) and Michigan (4/25) … Netted four goals against the Wildcats and a hat trick against the Wolverines … Three assists versus the Blue Jays and a pair of helpers in the season opener against Vermont (2/7) … Picked up 22 ground balls, including a season-best seven against Penn (2/28) …4 caused turnovers was tied for the most among attackmen ... Recorded 4 caused turnovers at Villanova, against Rutgers (4/19), Michigan and the Big Ten Tournament game versus Johns Hopkins (4/30) … Took 34 shots on the year, seven of which came at Villanova.
2014
Played in 11 games, scoring two goals and recording five assists … Took 23 shots … Picked up eight ground balls … Caused two turnovers … Collected one assist in three consecutive games against Denver (3/10), Dartmouth (3/18) and Albany (3/22) … Had a season-best six shots against Hofstra (4/26).
BEFORE PENN STATE
Named Under Armour All-American as a senior, scoring 24 goals, 25 assists and picking up 81 ground balls while serving as team captain ... Ranked 22nd by Inside Lacrosse junior year and 29th entering freshman year of college ... Earned three All-County and All-League honors ... Led team to state title junior year, while earning Most Valuable Player Championship Game honor as West Islip recorded a 22-1 record, earning a No. 3 national ranking ... Lettered three times in lacrosse and twice in football ... Named All-County twice in football, leading West Islip to league title senior year.
PERSONAL
Born Nicholas Wayne Aponte on June 20, 1995 in Manhasset, New York … Parents are Mary and Armando Aponte ... Has an older sister, Lindsay, who is a thrower on the track & field team at Sacred Heart University ... Aunt, Diana Cimino, is a 1983 graduate of Penn State ... Majoring in management.