2024 PLL Cash App Championship review

The Premier Lacrosse League wrapped up its season this past weekend, as the Utah Archers were crowned as the back-to-back champions of the PLL.

Penn State graduates were a part of the success of the Archers in their title run in a multitude this season.

Mac O’Keefe and Grant Ament, both Penn State lacrosse graduates, aided tremendously in the victory for the Archers.

O’Keefe had three goals and Ament had a goal and assist in the 12-8 victory.

Ament graduated from Penn State in 2020 and put on quite a show while he was at Happy Valley. The exclamation point in his success came in a COVID-shortened season, in which he put up 13 goals and 31 assists in only seven games!

The absurdity of that statistic alone defines him as an all-time great player.

O’Keefe graduated from Penn State in 2021 and was an offensive superstar during his time with the Blue and White.

His senior season he was able to accumulate 29 goals off of 35 points in the 11 games played that season.

O’Keefe is no stranger to the spotlight either, considering the fact that he scored 51 goals his freshman season (which was the record at the time), and then broke that same record his junior campaign when he put up an unbelievable 78 goals in a season.

It’s no wonder that he is so dominant on the field now in his professional career.

On the other side, recent Penn State graduate TJ Malone led the Whipsnakes with points. He had four assists, which resulted in half of the goals for the Whipsnakes.

Malone, who graduated in 2023, led that year’s rendition of the lacrosse squad with 39 goals and 33 assists on the season. Penn State fell in heartbreaking fashion to Duke that season in the Final Four of collegiate lacrosse.

The Archers who came in this season as the No. 2 overall seed, now have established their stamp on how the PLL is run.

Now they will have a target on their back heading into the next season, due to the simple fact that they are the standard in the sport of professional lacrosse.

Brett Dobson had one of the most legendary performances in the championship's history, stopping 17 of 25 shots that were shot on goal.

Dobson was named championship MVP postgame, as the Archers goalie has reached superstar status in the league up to this point.

For coach Chris Bates, the rebuild has been one that has been fortuitous for the overall success of the Archers brand.

Now with the Utah name embedded on the front of the jerseys, it wouldn’t be crazy to assume that the Archers could go on a dominant run for years to come.

Giustino Racchini is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at gar5448@psu.edu.