Spring Sports Update: Men’s Lacrosse Advances to Big Ten Final

KYLE LEHMAN (4) of the Penn State Nittany Lions possesses the ball during an NCAA men's lacrosse game at Class of 1952 Stadium in Princeton, United States, on February 14, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images

Men’s Lacrosse (8-5)

The men’s lacrosse team beat Maryland 8-6 on Thursday to advance to the Big Ten championship game. A hat trick by Hunter Aquino provided the winning margin in a mostly tight-checking defensive game. Preston Hawkins made eight saves and forced one turnover in one of his best performances of the season.

At No. 10 in the RPI, Penn State has likely secured a bid to the NCAA Tournament already. A win in the Big Ten title game against Johns Hopkins tomorrow (noon on Big Ten Network) would clinch the automatic bid and remove all doubt.

Women’s Lacrosse (12-6)

The women’s team has been idle since falling to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament. Penn State should be safe to get an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is Sunday, May 3 at 9pm on ESPNU.

Men’s Volleyball (22-7)

Men’s volleyball secured the EIVA tournament championship with a 3-0 sweep of Princeton. Sean Harvey (12 kills, 5 blocks) and Owen Rose (10 kills, 5 blocks) led the way for the Nittany Lions to clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

In head coach Mark Pavlik’s final season, Penn State will begin its NCAA Tournament journey with a match against UC Irvine tonight (9pm on ESPN+). The winner will face No. 1 seed UCLA tomorrow (8pm on ESPN+).

Softball (32-17)

The softball team turned in a three-game sweep against Illinois, outscoring the Fighting Illini 26-4. Brevyn Kellepouris and Mackenzie Duncan combined for a shutout win in Game 2. Penn State’s hitting was red-hot all weekend, including a strong performance from Breanna Hanik (3-5, 3 RBI, 2B, HR) in Game 3. The Nittany Lions moved over .500 in conference play with the final weekend of the regular season looming.