UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's lacrosse freshman Kristin O'Neill and sophomore Taylor Suplee were named Big Ten Players of the Week on Tuesday. O'Neill was selected as Big Ten Freshman of the Week, while Suplee was tabbed Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. The duo led Penn State to a 20-11 win over Rutgers in their season opener on Sunday.
O'Neill had an impressive debut as a Nittany Lion, leading the team with six points, including four goals and two assists. She tallied three goals and an assist in the second half. Two of O'Neill's four goals came on free-position attempts. She added three draw controls and a team-high three caused turnovers.
The Maryland native contributed four of Penn State's 20 goals, its most in a Big Ten opener and most in a season opener since 2017.
Suplee was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in her career. The Inside Lacrosse honorable mention Preseason All-American made 12 saves in the win over the Scarlet Knights. Suplee made six stops in each half to earn her 16th career double-digit save performance. She also picked up four ground balls and caused one turnover.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Missy Doherty, are ranked 21st in the IWLCA Poll and moved up to No. 16 in the Inside Lacrosse Poll this week.
Penn State welcomes No. 7/8 Maryland on Sunday for a 1 p.m. contest. It will be live streamed on Big Ten Network+.
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewlax).
