TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Grove City College captured its sixth consecutive Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Men's Lacrosse Tournament Championship Saturday night, as 12 different Wolverines scored in a 22-7 victory over Chatham University in a game played at Grove City's Robert E. Thorn Field.

The second-seeded Cougars (13-6) charged out to a 1-0 lead just one minute into the contest on a goal by junior Jacob Lubawy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin), but the lead was short-lived. The Wolverines (12-6) answered just six seconds later following a goal by graduate student Luke Rios (Centennial, Colo./Cherry Creek). That was followed by a goal from senior Zachary Hougan (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) a minute later and Grove City would lead the rest of the game.

Senior Matt Blythe (Mendon, N.Y. Honeoye Falls-Lima) struck for three goals in the opening quarter to help give Grove City a 7-2 lead. Chatham senior Ethan Rinker (Laurel, Md./St. Vincent Palotti)  logged the initial goal 32 seconds into the second quarter, but the Wolverines seized control of the game with a run of five straight goals. Sophomore Tyson Bui (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) sandwiched goals around another strike from Hougan and junior Stewart McClain (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter Strasburg) finished the surge with a pair of man-up goals. Chatham did get one more on the board before halftime on Lubaway's second goal of the game, which made it a 12-4 Wolverine lead at the break.

Grove City added to their lead after halftime, outscoring Chatham 10-3, which was highlighted by three goals in the final 24 seconds of the third quarter. McClain capped off a big night with two goals in the third quarter and sophomore Davis Schneider (Winfield, Ill./Wheaton Academy) added a pair in the final 15 minutes as the Wolverines completed the title-clinching win, which gives them the PAC crown in all six seasons the conference has sponsored men's lacrosse as a championship sport.

Of the dozen Grove City players to score a goal, five logged multiple tallies, led by the PAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player McClain, who scored five times in the final following a seven-goal outburst in the semifinal win over Westminster College. Blythe scored four times, while Bui, Schneider and Hougan had two goals apiece. Hougan added four assists to register a team-leading six points, while assisting on a pair of scores for a four-point night. 

The ground ball leaders in the win were Grove City's two faceoff specialists. Junior Colton Lehberg (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Santa Fe Christian) won 11-of-13 faceoffs and scooped a game-high 10 ground balls, while Rios won 11-of-14 and gathered seven GBs. 

Earning the win in net was graduate student goalie Danny Stone (Chantilly, Va./Flint Hill), who turned away a dozen shots in three quarters of action. Taking over in the fourth quarter was junior goalie Tyler Gladstone (Marriottsville, Md./Marriotts Ridge), who made six saves. 

Chatham. who was appearing in its first PAC Tournament final following the program's initial postseason win in the semifinals, had three players with multiple goals. Lubawy finished with a hat trick, while Rinker and sophomore Tanner Marsh (Windsor, Colo./Berkshire School) had two each. In the setback, senior goalie Zen Smith (Herndon, Va./South Lakes) recorded a season-high 21 saves.

As the PAC champion, Grove City receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines will find out their draw for the postseason, when selections and pairings are announced Sunday's night at 9 pm on NCAA.com.

2025 Presidents' Athletic Conference Men's Lacrosse Championship
Semifinals - Wednesday, April 30 - campus sites
No. 2 Chatham 10, No. 3 Saint Vincent 7 - Box Score
No. 1 Grove City 26, No. 4 Westminster 7 - Box Score

Championship - Saturday, May 3
No. 1 Grove City 22, No. 2 Chatham 7 - Box Score