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MEN'S LACROSSE Lions top Ohio State, claim Creator's Trophy Penn State used a six-goal run span- ning two quarters to capture its second Creator's Trophy, defeating 19th-ranked Ohio State, 11-8, on March 1 at Ohio Stadium. It was the 14th consecutive road victory for the Nit- tany Lions, who improved to 3-1. "Our seniors made sev- eral plays down the stretch today against a very good Ohio State team," head coach Jeff Tambroni said. "We feel fortunate to have come away with a road win and we are very proud to have the Creator's Trophy back in Happy Valley." The Nittany Lions, who went into the game ranked ninth and later moved up to seventh, the highest ranking in the pro- gram's history, got four goals and an as- sist from Shane Sturgis, the leading scorer in NCAA Division I, along with a five-point outing from Kyle VanThof. Sturgis, who came into the game aver- aging 6.0 points and 4.67 goals, contin- ued his torrid pace with his fourth game of five or more points. He was 4 for 6 shooting and picked up a ground ball for good measure. Heading into a road trip to sixth-ranked Denver on March 10, Sturgis had 18 goals and 23 points with a shooting percentage of .643. Penn State went on a 6-0 run during a span of 10 minutes, 13 seconds bridging the second and third quarters. The Nit- tany Lions' scoring binge turned a 2-1 deficit into a 7-2 advantage. The Lions' stifling attack held Ohio State (1-3) to only 28 shots on the after- noon and didn't allow the Buckeyes to score for more than 19 minutes. Austin Kaut made nine saves, including six second-half stops. Kaut also picked up seven ground balls in the winning ef- fort. The Nittany Lions improved to 13-5 all-time against the Buckeyes and have now won two of the past three contests. Those two most recent victories coin- cide with the launch of the Creator's Trophy. The trophy is awarded as part of an annual competition between Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan, the three current Big Ten schools that play men's lacrosse. Next season, Big Ten lacrosse action begins when Maryland, Rutgers and Johns Hopkins join the fold for the inaugural campaign. WOMEN'S LACROSSE Cyr's 6-point effort fuels win over Loyola Paced by sophomore midfielder Madi- son Cyr's career-high six points (four goals, two assists), ninth-ranked Penn State rolled past No. 12 Loyola, 18-11, at the Penn State Lacrosse Field on March 8. The Nittany Lions, who evened their all-time series with the Greyhounds at 14 wins apiece, improved to 3-3 overall with their first victory against Loyola (2- 4) since 2010. Cyr matched her career high in assists and also caused a pair of turnovers and a ground ball. She dominated the Grey- hounds all over the field as she set per- sonal bests in goals, points and draw controls (five). Midfielders Kelly Lechn- er and Jenna Mosketti netted four-goal games, while freshman Abby Smucker notched her first three-goal perform- ance. ■ more than happy to share the credit with longtime coach Glenn Thiel, who retired in 2010. "The leadership of this senior class has made the biggest di9erence, top to bottom," Tambroni said. "They com- mitted to one coaching sta9, and then a month later, they're coming in and playing for another sta9. I think the most impressive thing is, these guys have stuck together. A lot of them started for us as freshmen, and they've all made signi8cant contributions somewhere along the line." The stars of that senior class include Shane Sturgis – who tallied 18 goals in the Lions' first four games – All- America goalie Austin Kaut, and All- CAA defenseman Tyler Travis. Look- ing back on Tambroni's hiring shortly before he and his classmates stepped on campus, Sturgis said they had little trouble accepting the new guy. "I was actually really happy, because of his history," Sturgis said. "We thought he was the right guy, and each year since he's been here, we've gotten better." Continued improvement this season would mean a regular-season CAA title (the conference coaches, in a bitter farewell to the program leaving for brighter pastures, voted to ban the Lions from the postseason tourna- ment) and winning at least once in NCAA play. It can't happen fast enough for Tambroni, who simulta- neously insists his team is "just start- ing to scratch the surface" while ac- knowledging that, right now, his play- ers believe "they can play with any- body in the country." He says his play- ers have bought into his vision, that they understand the level of selfless- ness and commitment it takes to win trophies. He thinks they're close. But in early March, with just four games on their resume, he wasn't about to say just how close. For a short-term update, you'll have to wait until the NCAA tournament rolls around in May. Long term? Mark your calendars – for next May, and beyond. ■ STURGIS

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