A complete recruiting overview of the early-fall college commitments of the leading seniors and juniors from the Hudson Valley/Long Island, New York/Connecticut region.
If you’re a high school lacrosse defenseman with your choice of several of the top college lacrosse programs in the nation to take your game to the next level, there’s one that has a bit of a distinction.
After all, with head coach Dave Pietramala and associate head coach Bill Dwan, Johns Hopkins has two coaches who were also two of the top defenders to play the game. With that in mind, Hopkins proved to be a perfect fit for Mike Pellegrino of Connetquot (N.Y.), a 5-foot-9, 175-pound junior defender.
Pellegrino joins another standout junior defenseman from the Hudson Valley/Long Island, New York/Connecticut region to commit to Hopkins. Somers (N.Y.) standout Eddie Schurr will also become a Blue Jay after playing two more varsity seasons.
With his college lacrosse choice now set, Pellegrino, meanwhile, has been pretty productive on the football field. He recently rushed for 234 yards and five touchdowns on 34 carries in a 40-35 win over Longwood.

Eddie Schurr, Somers
File photo by Jim Stout
Fall recruiting roundup
Here
’s an overview of the college choices of the leading seniors and juniors from the Hudson Valley/Long Island, New York/Connecticut region:
Class of 2010
(Player, HS - College, position)
Bryan Anecchino, Darien - Providence, midfield
John Bello, Somers - St. John'
s, defense
Drew Belinsky, Manhasset - Penn, midfield
George Benitez, Darien - Stony Brook, defense
Okie Bernabo, Mahopac - C.W. Post, midfield
Ricky Buhr, Manhasset - Syracuse, midfield
Stephen Burke, Yorktown - C.W. Post, defense
John Brandofino, Mahopac - New York Tech, attack
Tyler Brenneman, East Hampton - Notre Dame, midfield
James D’Aprile, St. Anthony’s - Army, defense
Harley Brown, Fairfield Prep - Denver, defense
Greg D’Arienzo, Carey - Maryland, midfield
Peter DeSalvo, Iona Prep - Fairfield, midfield
Colin Dunster, Greenwich - Bryant, midfield
Mike Ehrhardt, Chaminade - Princeton, defense
Ryan Fitzgerald, Putnam Valley - St. John's, attack/midfield
Fletcher Franklin, John Jay - Kenyon, goaltender
Nicky Galasso, West Islip - North Carolina, attack
Mike Galione, Ridgefield - Lafayette, attack
Todd Heritage, Cheshire - Bucknell, attack
Will Himler, Chaminade - Princeton, attack
Andrew Hodgson, West Islip - Towson, attack/midfield
Shawn Honovich, Lakeland/Panas - Fairfield, midfield
Kevin Interlicchio, Yorktown - Hopkins, attack
Thomas Keane, Chaminade - Holy Cross, defense
Christian Kennedy, Cold Spring Harbor - Cornell, midfield
Derek Koelsch, Yorktown - Trinity, goaltender
James Lang, Hicksville - St. John's, defense
Remy Lieberman, Yorktown - Wesleyan, attack
Cole McCormack, Rye - Cornell, midfield
Dan Mellynchuck, Sayville - Maryland, defense
Brandon Merlino, John Jay - UMBC, midfield
Jack Meyer, Manhasset - Yale, defense
Maxx Meyer, Half Hollow Hills East - University of Pennsylvania, long-stick midfielder
Rob Moore, West Islip - Jacksonville, midfield
Kurt Mueller, Ridgefield - Towson, midfield
Bobby Nolan, Darien - Gettysburg, midfield
Will O'Donnell, John Jay - Army, midfield
Greg Petre, Somers - Army, attack
Erik Pfiffner, Somers - Colgate, midfield
Jameson Pickel, John Jay - Hopkins, defense
Brendan Rotanz, Fairfield Prep - Dartmouth, attack
Thomas Schreiber, St. Anthony's - Princeton, midfield
Brendan Schroeder, St. Anthony's - Navy, attack/midfield
Bobby Sincero, Hen Hud - Army, goaltender
Doug Tesoriero, Syosset - Cornell, midfield
Scott Thomson, Wilton - Delaware, defense
Chris Walsh, Bronxville - Wesleyan, attack
Zack Waldman, John Jay - Tufts, defense
Matt Weiner, Mamaroneck - Union, goaltender
Andrew West, Darien - Cornell, goaltender
Class of 2011
(Player, HS - College, position)
Mike Pelligrino, Connetquot - Hopkins, defense
Eddie Schurr, Somers - Hopkins, defense
Joe Lombardi, who has been a fixture on the lacrosse scene during the sport’s rapid growth in the New York metropolitan area, produces editorial content for LaxLessons.com. He may be reached at joe@laxlessons.com.