2024 - GRADUATE SEASON
Game-by-Game: Bucknell (2/13): Had one caused turnover...at Rutgers (3/9): Recorded first goal of the season...at Lehigh (3/12): Notched two assists...Vanderbilt (4/3): Netted two goals and one assist...Michigan (4/6): Recorded one caused turnover...at Maryland (4/13): Notched one assist...Johns Hopkins (4/18): Earned two assists.
2023 - SENIOR SEASON
Awards: Earned Academic All-Big Ten... Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
Season: Played in all 18 games and started in nine... Totaled 10 goals, 11 assists, six ground balls and four caused turnovers.
Game-By-Game: Bucknell (2/11): Started season with five points scoring three goals and passing for two assists. Drexel (2/18): Notched one assist and one ground ball. Duquesne (2/21): Earned one goal and one assist...caused two turnovers and scooped up one ground ball. Arizona State (2/24): Won one draw control and tallied an assist. vs. Rutgers (3/11): Netted a goal. Towson (3/14): Scored game winning goal off a pass from her twin sister Regan. at Princeton (3/18): Dished out one assist. at Pittsburgh (3/21): Obtained a goal. Ohio State (3/25): Picked up season high two ground balls. Cornell (4/2): Scored a goal. Maryland (4/13): Notched an assist and a ground ball... at Johns Hopkins (4/22): Scored two goals and added two assists... also forced one turnover and scooped one ground ball... vs. Stony Brook (5/12): Added one assist.
2022 - JUNIOR SEASON
Awards: Earned Academic All-Big Ten... Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
Season: Appeared in all 15 games with 13 starts…Led team with 21 assists...Recorded four goals, four ground balls and one caused turnover.
Game-By-Game: at Drexel (2/16): Tallied two assists. at Duquesne (2/23): Recorded three assists. at Cornell (2/26): Notched a season-high four assists. at Loyola Maryland (3/5): Made an assist. James Madison (3/9): Tallied three assists...forced a turnover. Saint Joseph's (3/12): Scored two goals...Made two assists...Collected one ground ball. at Towson (3/15): Notched three assists. Princeton (3/19): Netted a goal. at Ohio State (3/26): Recorded one goal and two assists..Picked up two ground balls.at Maryland (4/7): Scooped up a ground ball. at Rutgers (4/23): Had one assist.
2021 – SOPHOMORE SEASON
Awards: Earned Academic All-Big Ten... Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
Season: Played in 10 games, making nine starts…Collected nine goals, 18 assists, 10 ground balls and two caused turnovers…Led the team in assists…Had seven multi-point games.
Rankings: Ranked third in the Big Ten and 47th in the country averaging 1.8 assists per game…Sat ninth in the conference with 18 assists.
Game-By-Game: Rutgers (2/14): Tallied two goals and two assists…Added two ground balls and a caused turnover. Maryland (2/21): Scored one goal…Collected one assist and one ground ball. at Northwestern (3/11): Recorded a career-high three goals…Had one assist. at Northwestern (3/13): Posted a career-best nine points with two goals and a career-high seven assists…Was one assist shy of Penn State game record…Picked up two ground balls and caused one turnover. Michigan (3/19): Tallied one assist…Scooped up a career-high three ground balls. Michigan (3/21): Recorded one goal and one assist…Added two ground balls and one caused turnover. at Ohio State (3/26): Assisted on two goals. at Ohio State (3/28): Registered two assists. at Johns Hopkins (4/7): Posted one assist and one ground ball.
2020 – FRESHMAN SEASON
Season: Played in four games, including one start…Collected one goal, one assist and one ground ball…The 2020 season was canceled on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Game-By-Game: Duquesne (2/19): Scored first career goal in second half. at Vanderbilt (3/8): Made first career start…Assisted on a man-up goal by Meghan Murray in the first half…Picked up one ground ball.
HIGH SCHOOL
Played at Garnet Valley High School for head coach Jenny Purvis…Was a four-year starter and served as a team captain in 2019...Guided Garnet Valley to a 21-4 record as a senior...Led Garnet Valley to four appearances in the state semifinals and three district semifinals...Helped the Jaguars to a 22-3 record, District and Conference titles and an appearance in PIAA 3A Semifinals in 2018…Tallied 59 goals and 45 assists as a senior...Recorded 98 goals and 112 assists in her prep career...Was an All-American selection in 2019...Earned four All-Delco selections, including a first-team honor as a senior...Was a three-time all-conference honoree...Rated a four-star prospect by Inside Lacrosse...Also played soccer at Garnet Valley...Was an Academic All-American and a member of the National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society.
PERSONAL
Full name is Kara Marie Nealon...Daughter of Denny and Lynn Nealon...Has two brothers, Denny and Ryan, and a twin sister, Regan...Sister, Regan, is also a member of the Penn State roster...Grandfather, Tom, played football at Navy...Father, Denny, played lacrosse at Navy...Brother, Denny, currently plays lacrosse at Lehigh...Hobbies include art, theatre, playing piano and ukelele and traveling...Plans to pursue sports management.
Why Penn State?
“I chose Penn State because I love the atmosphere of the campus and the team along with great academics. It has everything I want in a school!”
Doherty on Nealon:
“Kara has a great feeding ability and sees her teammates really well. She is a very mature and smart player and could contribute both at the midfield or the attack.”