Mac O’Keefe Announces Return To Penn State Men’s Lacrosse

Penn State men’s lacrosse star Mac O’Keefe will return to the team in 2021, he announced on Twitter Friday morning.

“After much thought and consideration, I am excited to announce that I will be returning to Penn State next year to compete with my teammates and for this great university on last time,” O’Keefe wrote. “Being a member of the Penn State men’s lacrosse team has been a dream come true ever since day one.”

O’Keefe is the first Penn State senior to take advantage of the NCAA’s additional year of eligibility and return to the team.

“Having the ability to wear a Nittany Lion jersey for one more season is simply too much to pass up, and I am extremely grateful to have this special opportunity,” O’Keefe wrote in his tweet. “With that being said, I couldn’t be more excited to get back to work.”

O’Keefe ranks first in program history with 164 goals and third with 198 career points. In this spring’s shortened season, he was tied for fourth in the entire NCAA and first in the Big Ten after averaging four goals per game. His 28 total goals this spring ranked No. 2 in the country.

His impressive goal-scoring ability helped earn the top two goal-scoring seasons in program history — 51 his freshmen season and 78 his junior season, the latter of which set a Big Ten single-season record.

O’Keefe won’t be returning alongside fellow senior Grant Ament, however. Penn State’s all-time points leader announced last week he’d forgo his additional year of eligibility and focus on playing professionally.