Penn State women’s lacrosse captains Katie O’Donnell and Maggie Gallagher will play their final regular season game Saturday at 2 p.m. against Michigan at Panzer Stadium.

The two senior midfielders reflected on what’s been a wildly successful past four years both individually and for the program prior to Thursday’s practice.

“I’m just really grateful for the position I’ve gotten to be in the past four years being a part of this program,” O’Donnell said. “The lifelong friends I’ve made, the bonds we made with our coaches, and all the people I’ve come across here really have been the best parts.”

“It’s sad. I’m not ready to leave yet,” Gallagher said. “I’ve had a great four years and I don’t want it to end. It’s going to be a different transition.”

But before they decide what’s next for them after graduation, O’Donnell and Gallagher will try to lead the Nittany Lions on another deep NCAA tournament run.

After losing to North Carolina in the Elite Eight as freshmen, O’Donnell and Gallagher helped Penn State make consecutive trips to the NCAA semifinals the next two seasons. Prior to 2016, the Nittany Lions hadn’t advanced that far since 1999.

Head coach Missy Doherty credited this senior class with setting the bar high for their younger teammates and showing them you don’t have to be the Maryland Terrapins to find consistent success in the Big Ten.

“They’ve been a huge part of our transition forward,” Doherty said. “In their four years here, we won a Big Ten championship and went to two Final Fours. They really helped us take the program to the next level.”

O’Donnell, a West Chester, PA, native who’s currently tied with Laurie Gray for sixth place on the program’s all-time points list (216), was recently recognized among the 25 nominees for the prestigious Tewaaraton Award.

“You grow up playing lacrosse hoping you get to go to a Final Four, so when it comes to fruition it’s a really great feeling,” she said.

The Nittany Lions (9-7) are on a three-game losing streak, but their season-long goals are well within reach. Sitting in third place in the Big Ten standings, they are in excellent shape to qualify for the four-team conference tournament in Ann Arbor next weekend.

Doherty said the team’s large crop of freshman contributors have gained invaluable experience simply by practicing against a goal-scoring machine like O’Donnell all season long. Her 51 goals rank second in the Big Ten behind only Maryland’s Megan Whittle.

“Certainly going against K.O. defensively at practice, for a freshman midfielder, you’re not going to face anyone who’s harder to mark than her,” Doherty said.

Gallagher, who hails from Bel Air, MD, has been a steady two-way presence for the Nittany Lions throughout her career, but particularly turned it on offensively as an upperclassman. She’s tallied 60 points over the last two seasons with more games to play.

“If the opportunity presents itself, I definitely would be interested in playing [professionally],” Gallagher said.

O’Donnell echoed her teammate’s sentiments, saying she would love to give the UWLX or WPLL a shot like fellow Nittany Lions Ally Heavens, Madison Cyr, and Steph Lazo.

“It’s going to be hard to put down a lacrosse stick,” O’Donnell said. “To finally hang it up just seems so surreal, but it’s been a great four years. It’s crazy it’s coming to an end.”