This year marked the ninth annual Nicholas Colleluori Classic organized by the HEADstrong Foundation. Three sites were chosen to host the event, and Hofstra University was one of them. Head Coach of the Hofstra Pride men’s lacrosse Seth Tierney couldn’t have been more thrilled at the opportunity.
“It means everything. It means more than the sport today. It means more than the ground balls. it means more than the stats. It means we hosted an event for a young man that was in our locker room, that wore our colors, that gave everything he had for Hofstra lacrosse. Today, we were able to host an event in his name and raise some money to the foundation that he started.”
The Classic started at 10 a.m. when Hofstra took the field first against Lafayette College. It was a great opening quarter for Hofstra as they were led by Korey Hendrickson’s two goals, with contributions from Alex Moeser and Dylan Alderman. The second quarter saw Lafayette take control, but Hofstra remained in the lead with a goal from Brian von Bargen going into halftime. Hendrickson and Alderman contributed to the offense again as the Pride traded goals with the Leopards during the third quarter. Brendan Kavanagh’s early goal in the fourth quarter sealed the 8-6 victory for the Pride.
Dartmouth College and Quinnipiac University took the field next, and Quinnipiac was victorious over Dartmouth 9-4. After a little break to allow Mrs. Colleluori, Nick’s mother, to come onto the field and show her appreciation for the support of the players and fans, Dartmouth was back on the field to take on Lafayette. Dartmouth was defeated once again, 9-2.
In the last game, it was Hofstra going up against Quinnipiac. First quarter was similar to the first quarter against Lafayette, with Kavanagh, Kris Clarke, and Mitch Kingsley scoring goals for the Pride. In the second quarter, Hofstra saw von Bargen and Alderman record more goals for their stat line to go into halftime in the lead 5-3. The third quarter was all Hofstra’s as von Bargen, Kavanagh, Alderman, and Moeser contributed a goal each. Quinnipiac attempted to get back into the game in the fourth quarter, but another goal by Alderman and a late goal by Christian Durkota made the lead too large for Quinnipiac to recover and Hofstra finished the Classic with a 2-0 record.
Nicholas Colleluori was a three-sport athlete who accepted an athletic scholarship from Hofstra Universeity to play lacrosse. Nick had played in all 16 games his freshmen year at Hofstra, getting notable time on the man-up unit. In April 2005, Colleluori noticed he was having a hard time hearing plays and his family’s cheer. After a doctor removed inflamed adenoids and performed some biopsies, he was given the news that he had non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He withdrew from Hofstra and underwent several treatments, but ultimately there weren’t enough resources for Colleluori and his family. Colleluori had started the HEADstrong Foundation with the hope of helping athletes and their families get the resources they need to battle the cancer. The HEADstrong Foundation has raised over $7 million; $1.5 million has been raised during the Nicholas Colleluori Classic, and helped over 12,000 patients and their families. On November 28th, 2006, after a 14-month battle, Nicholas Colleluori drew his last breath. He was 21 years old. Coach Tierney says Colleluori was a type of player that doesn’t come around very often.
“He was a guy that had IT. It’s something that isn’t describable. He was an overachiever. He played like he was 6’4”, 220 and he wasn’t. He had a huge heart, and whatever he did, he did with loyalty and with pride, and we try to emulate our program after him.”
While the HEADstrong Foundation holds the Nicholas Colleluori Classic annually to honor Nick, Hofstra men’s lacrosse does their own little tribute to him. Every year, the Hofstra player that best resembles Colleluori’s character and determination gets the honor of wearing his #27. This year, the honor was bestowed upon senior defenseman Finn Sullivan. Sullivan was also awarded the Nicholas Colleluori Award during the ceremony in-between games.
“Finn Sullivan is one of our captains. He’s one of our leaders. He is the anchor of our defense,” Coach Tierney explains.
This event marks the end of the Hofstra men’s lacrosse fall ball schedule, as their focus now shifts to individual workouts to improve for the upcoming spring season.
