Pat Colleluori of HEADstrong Foundation Visits BYG
It has been almost a decade since the creation of the HEADstrong Foundation. They were created by and in honor of Nicholas Colleluori, a Hofstra University lacrosse player who was diagnosed with terminal cancer during his sophomore year. Since then, his family has devoted their efforts into providing mentorship, family support, and grants hospitality services to improve patients experience. In this time, they have created HEADstrong Lacrosse, a competitive sports club focused on developing student-athletes and coaching them to their greatest potential. The Collelouri family also offers Nick’s House, an extended stay residence offered to families who must travel to seek treatment.
The Passing of Sayville Native Madison Mergl and Teammate Ann Wray
Long Island – The lacrosse community received devastating news on March 13th 2020 regarding the passing of Madison Mergl and Ann Wray. The Mount Olive Lacrosse Players were in a jeep with six others when they were struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle. The loss is shocking, sudden, and unbelievable to those who knew them.
LILJ Top Collegiate Freshmen from Long Island
Photo by Lehigh Athletics
The College level is filled with so much talent across various teams. While many tend to view the juniors and seniors as the ones who lead a team, every team has a freshman that can show their talents with the upperclassmen. Long Island is well represented with talent in this year’s freshman class. These freshmen boys have earned the honor as one of the top freshman performers because of the minutes they played and the contributions they have made to their teams.
LILJ Top Collegiate Freshman Women from Long Island
Long Island graduated a large amount of talent in girls lacrosse at the high school level last year. Many of these girls have taken their talents to the college level and are looking to make their mark for their respective teams. It’s not always easy getting a lot of minutes as freshman, but these are the girls who got to see some playing time and helped contribute to their team in a big way. Here is the list of Long Island’s top freshman girl performers.
Katie Goodale; Looking to Finish Her High School Career on Top
The Riverhead Blue Waves have continued to rise over the past few years and are now one of the top teams on Long Island. Senior defender Katie Goodale is one of the leaders of the Blue Waves defense and has high hopes of finishing her high school career on top. She has been on the team since she was in eighth grade and has seen the team get significantly better each and every year. Despite the season being currently put on hold, it hasn’t stopped her work ethic and determination to making sure that she puts herself in the best position possible to succeed when the season begins. Katie is wrapping up a tremendous five years playing for Riverhead, and her next stop will be up north in Syracuse where she will continue to show off her amazing talents and skills. Read more about Katie as she talks about her time playing for Riverhead in an interview with the LILJ.
Jake Naso; Beginning his Final Chapter as a Friar
Photo Credit: (Inside Lacrosse)
Last season was one to remember for Senior, Jake Naso. He was part of a St. Anthony’s team that won the league championship over their biggest rival, Chaminade. As one of the best faceoff specialists on Long Island, Naso will look to help the Friars have another amazing season. For Jake it’s all about getting better each and every day so that he can become the best version of himself. While his career as Friar will come to close at the end of the 2020 season, he will be looking forward to starting a new journey on the field when he takes his talents to Duke University. Read more about Jake and his experience playing for the Friars in a recent interview with the LILJ.
Jackie Amato; Helping Lead Westhampton to Greatness
Photo Credit: (Kerri Tufano).
This season, junior defender Jackie Amato looks to help take the Westhampton Hurricanes to the next level. Amato will look to take on a leadership role for Hurricanes defense and help the new defenders coming up to the team continue the success that they had last year. While the talent is clearly there, she knows that they still have to put in the work each and every day in order to help them reach their ultimate goal. Amato is still in her recruiting process in regards to where she will play in college, but hopes to get more exposure to different colleges in 2020. Read more about Jackie and how she is taking on the 2020 season in an interview with the LILJ.
Lorenzo Ramos; The Sky is The Limit For Farmingdale
Junior long stick midfielder and defender Lorenzo Ramos is a major part of Farmingdale’s success. He is still undecided about where he will continue his lacrosse career in college, but is focused on the task at hand which is helping Farmingdale reach their ultimate goal. The Dalers have high expectations this season and Ramos believes that with the talent that they have anything is possible. Read more about where Lorenzo is considering playing lacrosse in college, and what the key will be to Farmingdale’s success in a recent interview with the LILJ.
The Gino Macchio Foundation
