Matt Mulqueen, Pat Heim and Dan Saltsman have been named captains for the 2007 season.

State College, Pa. ¨C September 26, 2006 ¨C The Penn State Nittany Lion men¡¯s lacrosse team, under the direction of veteran head coach Glenn Thiel, will rely upon a trio of veteran leaders in 2007. Seniors Pat Heim (Wayne, Pa.), Dan Saltsman (Concord, N.H.) and Matt Mulqueen (Downingtown, Pa.) have been named captains for the 2007 campaign.

Heim returns for his final go-round with the Nittany Lions after earning his second straight first team All-ECAC nod in 2006. The midfielder had 22 points off 17 goals and five assists last year and posted a .254 shot percentage. He also had 28 ground balls. Over three years as a starter, Heim has 67 points off 44 goals and 23 assists.

¡°Pat is the backbone of our offense,¡± Thiel said. ¡°He will team with Gil Pearsall to give us great leadership on attack.¡± Heim was also an honorable mention All-American last year.

Saltsman emerged as a defensive anchor for Penn State in 2006. He started all 13 games in the backfield and had 28 ground balls. Saltsman was honored as a first team All-ECAC pick. He has played in 40 games at Penn State.

Mulqueen also played in 13 games last season, starting eight of them. He was third on the team with 38 ground balls as he helped anchor the defense with Saltsman. Mulqueen has played in 33 games over three seasons as a Nittany Lion.

¡°Defensive captains Saltsman and Mulqueen are Penn State prototypes,¡± Thiel said. ¡°They are hard working, intense and physical defenders.¡±

Penn State is coming off a solid 8-5 year that saw it finish 5-2 in the ECAC, just one final game win out of claiming its second straight ECAC title. The Nittany Lions, which will participate in this weekend¡¯s Price Modern Lacrosse for Leukemia Tournament, will open up the 2007 regular season by hosting Denver on February 17 at 7 p.m.