UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., May 17, 2004 - The Eastern College Athletic Conference recently named sophomore Nate Whitaker (Great Falls, Va.) and senior captain Matt O'Malley (Hunt Valley, Md.) to its 2004 men's lacrosse first team all-league list. The awards mark the first time that two Nittany Lions have earned first team all-league honors in the same year since joining the ECAC in 2000.

Whitaker finished the year carrying a 27-game scoring streak and continues to have scored at least one point in every game he has played in as a Nittany Lion. He led the team in points (31), goals (18) and assists (13) while contributing with 19 ground balls. Whitaker was named ECAC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring three goals and three assists against Villanova. On three other occasions he was awarded spots on the ECAC Weekly Honor Roll.

Senior captain Matt O'Malley was third on the team in groundballs with 42 and led Penn State defensemen in points with three. He was selected to the ECAC Weekly Honor Roll after finishing with one assist and two groundballs against Villanova. O'Malley was the recipient of the Lockhart Memorial Award, which is presented to the best defensive player on the Nittany Lions in memory of All-American defenseman Andrew Lockhart.

Penn State finished its season with a 6-7, 0-3 ECAC record and defeated No. 15 Virginia 10-8 in its season finale at Jeffrey Field.