UNIVERSITY PARK — Wednesday, Nov. 13, was the national signing day for all Division I and Division II sports outside of football and basketball.
Here’s a look at some of the 2025 recruiting classes that were confirmed as of the national signing day.
MEN’S LACROSSE
For men’s lacrosse, 11 players signed up to join Jeff Tambroni’s side in Happy Valley for 2025. The class includes nine four-stars and two three-stars, according to Inside Lacrosse.
Leading the class is four-star Mark McNamara out of Darien, Connecticut. Inside Lacrosse gave him a 90 rating, making him one of the top defenders in the class.
“McNamara’s size stands out at first glance, but on second look, his stick skills looked top notch,” Inside Lacrosse said. “He won his one-on-one matchups on ball and did well to rotate efficiently as a great team defender.”
Tambroni brought in four other defenders along with McNamara, three more four-star close defenders and one three-star long stick midfielder. Paul Bruder out of The Episcopal Academy, Luke Marra from Ridgewood, New Jersey, Billy Henderson from Springfield, Pennsylvania and Aharon Bloshuk out of Academy of the New Church Boys School wrap up the defense.
On the offensive side of the ball, Beckett Vance and Matthew Beachley lead the way. Both were given four-stars by Inside lacrosse.
Vance did not have an official rating, but Beachley was given an 86 by Inside Lacrosse.
“Beachley plays the game the right way. He plays hard, moves well off-ball, rides with urgency and when he decides to let the ball fly it often ends up in the back of the net,” Inside Lacrosse said. “He did a great job of orchestrating offense for the Hawks and shows a burst of speed that allows him to attack the middle of the field with pace.”
The only goalie taken in the class was Worthington Kilbourne High School product, Preston Hawkins. He was also listed as a four-star.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
Missy Doherty also had a successful signing day, with eight players in the class of 2025 signing the dotted line. The class includes four midfielders, two attackers, two defenders and one goalie.
The only two players given stars were Anna Mellinger and Sarah Anné. Anné , a midfielder from Olympus High School in Utah, has an 87 rating from Inside Lacrosse. Anné’s sister, Lizze, also committed to join the midfield, but does not have a rating at this time.
“I chose Penn State because from the moment I first visited, I could tell that the team, coaches, campus, traditions and university spirit were the right fit for me,” Mellinger said in a statement on Penn State Sports. “I have wanted to play collegiate lacrosse ever since middle school and playing for a school with top athletics and academics, like Penn State, was my dream.”
Mellinger leads the 2025 attack group with four stars. She will be joined by Maggie Porter out of St. Paul’s School for Girls on the offensive end.
Coming from New Jersey, Susannah O’Connell is the highest rated defender in the class. She will come to Happy Valley accompanied by Tatum Schneider. Schneider did not sign yesterday but is still expected to round out the 2025 class.
GYMNASTICS
The Penn State gymnastics team added three new athletes to its squad on signing day. The program is on the uptrend after reaching its first NCAA regional finals in 2024.
“I’m so excited about the 2025 signing class,” head coach Sarah Brown said. “We’ve known these athletes for quite some time — they’ve visited our campus, spent time at our camps and we’ve watched them in their home gyms and competitions for years. I know they’re ready for the next step and each of them have the ability to make an immediate impact on every event. I’m so excited to welcome these ladies to Happy Valley.”
The three signees are Ava Cash, Saidat Omilabu and Alexandria Zambrano.
Cash comes from Crossroads FLEX H.S. in North Carolina. She won the level 10 bars national title in 2022 and received regional titles in all four events including all around.
Omilabu is from Texas where she was a three-time state champion, as well as a three-time level 10 regional champion.
To wrap up the class, Brown helped bring in Zambrano from New York. She comes from the same gym and coaches as current Nittany Lion Kalea McElligott.
BASEBALL
Similar to men’s lacrosse, the Penn State baseball team brought in 11 players to the 2025 class on signing day.
The majority of the players were right-handed pitchers, as seven of the 11 play on the mound
The highest rated of these pitchers, according to Perfect Game, is Ethan Bauerschmidt. Bauerschmidt hails from Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin where he plays for Kenosha Tremper High School. In 2024, he was ranked the No. 3 prospect and No. 1 pitcher in Wisconsin by Prep Baseball Report.
Moving to the infield is another Wisconsin native, Preston Yaucher. Perfect Game has Yaucher as the No. 3 prospect and No. 1 short stop in Wisconsin. He batted .427 with 32 hits, 33 RBI, 34 Runs in 2024. Yaucher will be joined in the infield by Chase Roberts from Medford Lakes, New Jersey.
Two catchers were also brought in for the 2026 season. The first was Avery Smith, a Pennsylvania native. Smith was ranked the No. 3 catcher in the state by Prep Baseball Report.
Just a few spots behind Smith is Jimmy Gray from Aston, Pennsylvania Perfect game ranked him as the No. 8 catcher in Pennsylvania. Gray was 2nd Team All-State in 2024.
SOFTBALL
Penn State’s softball team had a more modest recruiting class with five players committing to the Nittany Lions for 2026. But head coach Clarisa Crowell went for quality of quantity. All five signees were ranked top 65 nationally and top 25 in their respective positions.
Leading the class is, according to Extra Inning Softball, the No. 19 prospect nationally and the No. 5 ranked infielder, Allison Oneacre. Oneacre hails from Alpharetta, Georgia where she was Offensive Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022. She has also been named to the First Team All Region team all four years of high school with PGF All-American nods in both 2023 and 2024.
The next highest player was Kirsten Finarelli who came in at the No. 21 catcher and No. 41 player nationally. Finarelli is a Pennsylvania native, playing high school ball for Lake Lehman. In 2024, she was the Pennsylvania 3A Player of the Year.
The final three players that will be joining the Nittany Lions in 2026 are pitcher Mackenzie Duncan, outfielder Breanna Hanik and pitcher/infielder Gabby Gradishar.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
The Nittany Lions women’s volleyball squad also brought in five high level players from the class of 2025. The Nittany Lions are No. 4 in the country right now with only two losses on the season.
Marin Collins was the gem of the loaded class, coming in as the unanimous No. 1 player in the class of 2025. Collins, a 6-foot-4 outside hitter, recorded 478 kills while playing for Frontier Central High School in Lakeview, New York.
Another 6-foot-4 outside hitter joining the Nittany Lions in 2026 is Alexis Ewing from Bethesda, Maryland. Ewing is a four-star that averaged four kills per set in her senior season. She is also the daughter of former Long Beach State volleyball player Cheryl Weaver and Knicks legend Patrick Ewing.
Commit Ava Jurevicius also comes from a family of athletes. Her dad Joe Jurevicius played wide receiver at Penn State and her sister Caroline currently plays for the Nittany Lions. Jurevicius is also an outside hitter who is originally from Ohio.
Wrapping up the 2025 class are Gabrielle Nichols and Lexi Gin. Nichols is the only middle blocker in the class. She is an interesting prospect as she only started playing high school ball in 2023. Regardless, she recorded 500 kills in her first two seasons.
Gin is the sole libero and therefore the smallest in the class coming in at five foot six. Gin had 1,446 total digs and 957 total receptions in her high school career for Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School.
