Kayla Abernathy Season 2024

Career: Earned second team All-Big Ten in 2023.

2024 - SENIOR SEASON
Game-By-Game: Bucknell (2/13): Registered second career hat trick...Added five draw controls...Colorado (2/16): Scored one goal and notched one assist...Earned four draw controls...Pitt (2/20): Scored one goal...Caused a turnover...Notched six draw controls...Princeton (2/26): Registered one goal...Earned one caused turnover and two draw controls...at Drexel (2/28): Recorded two draw controls...at Loyola (3/2): Notched one draw control...at Rutgers (3/9): Recorded one assist and four draw controls...at Lehigh (3/12): Scored one goal...at Cornell (3/16): Earned one caused turnover and three draw controls...Northwestern (3/22): Recorded her third hat trick of her career with three goals...Notched one assist and five draw controls...at Ohio State (3/28): Earned one caused turnover and one draw control...Vanderbilt (4/3): Scored two goals...Notched two caused turnovers and one draw control...Michigan (4/6): Recorded two goals and one draw control...at Maryland (4/13): Registered one goal and two draw controls...Johns Hopkins (4/18): Scored a hat trick...Earned a season high 10 draw controls and one caused turnover.

2023 - JUNIOR SEASON
Awards: Earned second team All-Big Ten... Academic All-Big Ten honoree... Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.

Season: Played in 18 games and started in 17... Earned her 100th career draw control against Vanderbilt to total 78 on the season... Recorded 13 goals and three assists.

Game-By-Game: Bucknell (2/11): Won six draw controls. Drexel (2/18): Tied career high in goals (2) and points (3)...Recorded seven draw controls. Duquesne (2/21): Tied previous career high with eight draw controls. Arizona State (2/24): Notched two draw controls and a personal best four caused turnovers. Loyola (3/4): Scored her third goal of the season...Caused two turnovers and picked up a career high four ground balls...won five draw controls. at Vanderbilt (3/8): Earned five draw controls to total 100 in her career and scooped one ground ball. vs. Rutgers (3/11): Scored a goal scooped up three ground balls...grabbed two draw controls. Towson (3/14): Collected three draw controls...caused a turnover and got a ground ball. at Princeton (3/18): Notched 3 draw controls and two ground balls. at Pittsburgh (3/21): Won eight draw controls for the second time this season...added two ground balls. Ohio State (3/25): Scored two goals...forced two turnovers and grabbed a ground ball. at Northwestern (3/30): Netted a goal and earned a ground ball. Cornell (4/2): Secured career high nine draw controls and recorded an assist...caused three turnovers and collected three ground balls. at Michigan (4/8): Earned two draw controls.  Maryland (4/13): Won three draw controls... at John's Hopkins (4/22): Recorded a goal and sixdraw controls... at Michigan (4/29): Scored a free position goal and won three draw controls... vs. Stony Brook (5/12): Posted an assist and six draw controls in first NCAA Tournament appearance.

2022 - SOPHOMORE SEASON
Awards: Earned Academic All-Big Ten… Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.

Season: Started all 15 games…Recorded nine goals, three assists, 20 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers. Led team with 66 draw controls.

Game-By-Game: at Drexel (2/16): Scored one goal on a free position shot and collected an assist...Collected six draw controls, two ground balls and a caused turnover. at Duquesne (2/23): Netted a season high two goals off of two shots...Won seven draw controls....Caused one turnover and collected one ground ball. at Cornell (2/26): Scored one goal...Picked up a ground ball...Caused one turnover...Recorded a career-high eight draw controls. at Loyola Maryland (3/5): Collected five draw controls. James Madison (3/9): Tallied one goal and two assists for a career-high three points...Scooped up three ground balls...Forced one caused turnover...Won two draw controls. Saint Joseph's (3/12): Scored one goal...Recorded one ground ball and two draw controls. at Towson (3/15): Tied career-high eight draw controls...Recorded one turnover and collected one ground ball. Princeton (3/19): Scooped up two ground balls and tallied two caused turnovers. at Ohio State (3/26): Scored one goal... Notched four draw controls... Collected one ground ball and one caused turnover. Northwestern (4/1): Tallied two ground balls and one draw control. at Maryland (4/7): Won two draw controls. Pitt (4/12): Netted one goal... Won seven draw controls... Scooped up one ground ball...Recorded one caused turnover. Michigan (4/16):  Recorded two caused turnovers... Tallied one ground ball and one draw control. at Rutgers (4/23): Scored one goal... Scooped up three ground balls... Forced one caused turnover...Won five draw controls. Johns Hopkins (4/28): Tied season-high with eight draw controls...Caused three turnovers and picked up a ground ball.

2021 – FRESHMAN SEASON
Season: Appeared in 13 games, including two starts…Recorded one goal, four assists, six ground balls, six draw controls and four caused turnovers.
 
Game-By-Game: Rutgers (2/14): Collected a career-high two assists…Added one ground ball and one caused turnover. at Northwestern (3/11): Scored one goal, her first career goal…Recorded one ground ball. Michigan (3/19): Picked up a ground ball. at Johns Hopkins (4/7): Notched one assist and one draw control. Maryland (4/11): Won two draws and picked up a ground ball. at Rutgers (4/15): Collected an assist, two draw controls, a ground ball and a caused turnover. Johns Hopkins (4/18): Caused two turnovers and won one draw. Johns Hopkins (4/29): Scooped up a ground ball.

High School:
Played four years at McDonogh High School for head coach Taylor Cummings…Led McDonogh to IAAM A Conference Championships in 2017 and 2019…Named All-Metro second team in 2019 and earned the Coaches Award…As a junior, tallied 24 goals, nine assists, 95 draw controls, 11 caused turnovers and 26 ground balls…Collected 14 goals, 19 assists and 44 draw controls as a sophomore…Registered 17 goals, nine assists and 35 draw controls as a freshman…Rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 15 overall prospect in the 2020 class by Inside Lacrosse...Played for M&D Black Lacrosse Club.
 
Personal:
Full name is Kayla Paige Abernathy…Daughter of Shane and Kristin Abernathy…Has a brother, Michael…Father, Shane, played basketball at the Division III level…Majoring in supply chain management.
 
Why Penn State?
“I chose Penn State because I was extremely impressed by the coaches, players on the team, the facilities, and by the high standards set for the players both on and off the field.”
 
Doherty on Abernathy:
“Kayla is a great two-way middie who is an extra asset on the draw. She is coming from one of the most competitive high school programs in the country and we are excited she is bringing her talents to Happy Valley.”