Penn State Wins Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse Tournament Title
Dominant second half fuels Nittany Lions to second title in program history
Piscataway, N.J. – No. 2 seed Penn State (9-5, 3-2) defeated No. 1 seed Johns Hopkins (9-5, 3-2) 16-8 in the Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse Tournament Championship game. The Nittany Lions dominated the second half to earn the program’s second title, the last being in 2019.
The first half was met with back-and-forth action that included three ties and three lead changes. A goal by Johns Hopkins’ All-Tournament Team member Jimmy Ayers early in the second quarter put the Blue Jays up 4-3, but Penn State scored three unanswered goals to take a 6-4 lead heading into the locker room.
To open the third quarter, Matt Collison and Hunter Chauvette scored back-to-back goals for the Blue Jays to even the game at 6-6. Shortly after, Penn State found its footing and demonstrated why it is second in the NCAA in shooting percentage, scoring five unanswered goals to end the quarter.
A quick goal from Chauvette closed the lead to 11-7 to start the fourth quarter, but the Nittany Lions went on another run, scoring four straight, which included two goals from junior Kyle Lehman, effectively putting the game out of reach.
Penn State sophomore Hunter Aquino earned Most Outstanding Player honors. He opened the match with the first goal, and finished the day with two goals, two assists and a caused turnover. He also recorded a hat trick in the semifinals win against Maryland.
All-Tournament Team member and faceoff specialist Colby Baldwin was instrumental in the Nittany Lions’ tournament efforts, going 11-of-15 on the day and 17-of-25 in the tournament. Penn State led all schools with five players on the All-Tournament Team.
The Big Ten will find out how many of its teams qualify for the postseason when the NCAA Selection Show airs Sunday evening at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Tournament Most Outstanding Player:
Hunter Aquino, Penn State
2026 Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse All-Tournament Team
Brooks English, Johns Hopkins
Hunter Chauvette, Johns Hopkins
Jimmy Ayers, Johns Hopkins
Thomas Gravino, Maryland
Nick Roode, Michigan
Alex Ross, Penn State
Colby Baldwin, Penn State
Hunter Aquino, Penn State
Kyle Lehman, Penn State
Preston Hawkins, Penn State