In the midst of No. 1 Penn State men’s lacrosse’s resurgent 2019 season, Chris Sabia and Nick Spillane were selected in the top 10 of the Major League Lacrosse Draft on Saturday night, held at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The first Penn State name called was that of defenseman Chris Sabia. The veteran starter was selected by the Dallas Rattlers in the first round, eighth overall. Spillane didn’t have to wait too long to be chosen, either. Two picks later, the midfielder was taken by the Ohio Machine with the first pick in the second round, tenth overall.

One of three captains this season for Penn State, Sabia has been a model of consistency for the Nittany Lions. Since the senior set foot on campus, he has been a starter for coach Jeff Tambroni. Over the course of his 51 games in a Penn State uniform, Sabia has 59 forced turnovers and 89 groundballs. He’s also added six goals and assist in his four years as a Nittany Lion.

The Haverford School product has also received national recognition for his play, earning a spot on the 2018 All-Big Ten second team as well as honorable mentions for the USILA All-American teams in 2017 and 2018.

Spillane has 98 career points — 52 goals and 46 assists — as a Nittany Lion. With redshirt junior Grant Ament’s injury last season, Spillane was thrust into an attackman role in Tambroni’s offense. He thrived in his new position and filled in admirably for Ament, scoring 19 goals to go along with 27 assists.

In his move back to the midfield this year, Spillane is again displaying his jack-of-all-trades qualities as he has tallied 13 goals and seven assists so far. Spillane will join fellow former Penn State midfielder Ryan Keenan on the Ohio Machine following Penn State’s season.