UMass, Vermont Sample Freshmen for Impact
by Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
Fall Ball: Men | Women
Catamount Classic
Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Site: Thayer Academy, Braintree, Mass.
Lax fax: Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for
youth and free for children under 5. More at catamountclassic.com.
Who’s in: Adelphi, Albany, Bentley,
Colgate, Holy Cross, Massachusetts, Providence, Robert Morris,
Siena, Vermont, Western New England
Why you should go:
The event is dedicated to raising funds for the Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, which aided former Catamount Colin Shore’s battle
against testicular cancer in 2007. He’s now in remission.
Event officials hope to double the $20,000 raised at the 2008
Catamount Classic through sponsorships and admission charges. Some
of the funds will go toward distribution of testicular cancer
screening material.
“(Coach) Ryan Curtis and Vermont have provided us with a
great opportunity to help aid (testicular cancer) research,”
UMass coach Greg Cannella said. “It is so
important for us to let our guys know how fortunate they are to be
in college and playing the sport of lacrosse. It is a privilege to
play in such an event.”
First impressions:
Cannella, never one to tip his hand, said only that his freshmen
attackmen Will Manny, out of Long Island power St.
Anthony’s, and Longmeadow (Mass.) All-American Kyle Smith
“are fighting for a spot.”
In order to fill the loss of last year’s graduated leading scorer Drew Kelleher at Vermont, Curtis said “we have a couple of freshmen we are looking at, Drew Philie (Deerfield Academy, Mass.) and Jack Cranston (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), and a transfer (from Connecticut College), Rory O’Connor (Haverford School, Pa.). We are expecting a lot of competition this fall at all spots. It should be a lot of fun.”
