Megan Ames isn't sure where the past four years have gone.

Lucky for her, the senior goalkeeper and three-year starter for the Penn State women's lacrosse team has a list of accomplishments and teammates to remind her.

"When you score, you get most of the glory," senior Heidi Rothfuss said. "I feel that sometimes Megan doesn't get noticed for what she's done. She's made a lot of big saves in a lot of big games."

Ames will finally get some recognition, however, when the Nittany Lions celebrate Senior Day against Ohio State at noon tomorrow at Jeffrey Field.

"I've had the best experience anyone could have," Ames said. "I love Penn State and everything it offers. I'm really sad it's all ending, and surprised it came so fast."

While her time with Penn State, according to her, went quickly, Ames has still been able to squeeze quite a bit into her four years.

She has started every game since 1999, when she helped lead the Lions to a 15-5 record, the NCAA tournament semifinals, and a No. 3 national ranking.

In addition, she set a new Penn State individual goalkeeping record for saves in a season (187 in 1999). In 2000, she was also selected to the Mid-Atlantic Regional All-America second team, and she advanced to the final round of tryouts for the U.S. national developmental team.

But, despite these impressive achievements as a player, Ames' teammates feel it is her guidance and leadership that will be missed the most.

"I think the best thing about her as captain, and her as a leader, is she sets an example," senior Jamie Shalbrack said. "Rather than just expecting people to listen to her, she completely leads by example."

She does so, Rothfuss said, by keeping a positive attitude and showing the benefits of a hard work ethic.

"She's an overall great player with a great attitude, " Rothfuss said. "She's always there to listen to the team and always positive about every game. She goes beyond the call of duty. She stays after practice, and she goes early."

Senior Brooke Bailey agreed.

"She's one of those people everyone looks up to," Bailey said of her teammate. "You can talk to her about everything. There's always a smile on her face. That's what we're losing, a very positive and friendly person."

But they're not really losing her. Not yet. Ames has one more semester left on campus, and she'll help coach in the fall.

After that, the marketing major would like to continue playing through either the U.S. developmental program or club teams, and she would also like to pursue coaching while working towards her masters degree.

"Goalie coaches are a hard thing to come by, and I know she'll do well," Shalbrack said. "She's great with kids and with all age levels, and she's such a great goalie. She just has so much to offer other people."

In fact, Ames already has some experience teaching others about the game. She played a key role in the development of sophomore back-up Andrea Sorgi, who is set to take over in the net next season.

"Just getting the opportunity to watch her for two years has helped me tremendously," Sorgi said.