Penn State lacrosse dominates 2023 Big Ten Lacrosse Awards

Somewhat surprisingly after two sub-.500 seasons, Penn State lacrosse put together one of the best seasons in program history in 2023. The Nittany Lions claimed a Big Ten Regular Season Title over the weekend and are poised to make a deep run in the conference and NCAA Tournament. On Wednesday, Penn State’s bounce-back season was recognized as the Lions dominated the 2023 Big Ten Lacrosse Awards.

Penn State lacrosse dominates 2023 Big Ten Lacrosse Awards

The names of Penn Staters were riddled all over Wednesday’s 2023 Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse Postseason Honors. It started at the top, with head coach Jeff Tambroni winning Big Ten Coach of the Year. This is the second time Tambroni has won the award, the first coming back in 2019. This season was the second time in four years that Tambroni has led Penn State lacrosse to a Big Ten Regular Season Title. Under his leadership, the team went 9-3 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten. He picked up his 100th win as head coach of the Nittany Lions in early March when the Nittany Lions beat Penn.

Penn State had an impressive six players named to All-Big Ten teams. Sophomore goalkeeper Jack Fracyon and senior attacker T.J. Malone were named to the All-Big Ten First Team. This marked the first time a Nittany Lion had been selected to the All-Big Ten First Team since Mac O’Keefe in 2021. It also marked the first time Penn State had multiple first-team selections since 2019.

Senior defensemen Grant Haus and Jack Posey, along with sophomore midfielder Jack Traynor, were all named to the All-Big Ten Second Team. Lastly, senior defenseman Brett Funk, who did not appear in a game this season, was named to the All-Big Ten Sportsmanship Team.

For the two first-teamers, the accolades didn’t stop there. T.J. Malone was named Offensive Player of the Year, recording 26 goals and 28 assists this year, resulting in a career-high 54 points. Jack Fracyon was named Specialist of the Year for his efforts in goal, making 166 saves this season, allowing only 10.03 goals per game while saving 58.2% of the shots fired his way.

Tournament time for the Lions

Penn State will have the week off to celebrate their awards before they head to Baltimore, MD, to play in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, May 4th, at 1:00 p.m. As the No.1 overall seed, they will play the winner of the first-round game between Ohio State and Michigan. After the Big Ten Tournament concludes, the Nittany Lions will hear their name called for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.

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