METROPOLITAN LACROSSE CLASSIC TO FEATURE
MICHIGAN-COLGATE AND HOLY CROSS-NAVY
SUNDAY, MARCH 17 AT CITI FIELD
Tickets Go On Sale this Wednesday, December 19 at Mets.com/Lacrosse, Tickets.com and (718) 507-TIXX
FLUSHING, N.Y., December 17, 2012 – The New York Mets today announced they will host the first-ever NCAA Division I lacrosse games at Citi Field in 2013. The inaugural Metropolitan Lacrosse Classic will feature the University of Michigan playing Colgate University, and the College of the Holy Cross battling the United States Naval Academy on Sunday, March 17 at Citi Field.
Faceoff for the Michigan-Colgate game is at 1:05 p.m. followed by the Holy Cross-Navy match at approximately 4:05 p.m. Both contests will be played rain or shine. ESPNU is expected to telecast the Michigan-Colgate game with ESPN3 carrying the Holy Cross-Navy contest.
Tickets go on sale this Wednesday, December 19 at Mets.com/Lacrosse, Tickets.com and (718) 507-TIXX.
Colgate, Holy Cross and Navy are all rivals in the Patriot League, while Michigan is making its mark in the Eastern College Athletic Conference after dominating the club level. The games these first-rate athletic and academic institutions will play at Citi Field will count in their regular season standings as they compete for their league championships and a NCAA Tournament appearance.
“Lacrosse is immensely popular in our community and we are thrilled to bring together these four prestigious universities for the first-ever lacrosse games at Citi Field,” said Dave Howard, Executive Vice President, Business Operations, Mets. “This high-profile event further positions Citi Field as a world-class sports and entertainment venue that has hosted a myriad of events including international soccer, large-scale concerts and festivals.”
Located geographically on Long Island, Citi Field is within the hotbed of youth lacrosse. Long Island has produced thousands of NCAA All-American Lacrosse players over the years, including such notables as National Lacrosse Hall of Famers Jim Brown, Eamon McEneaney, Dave Pietramala, Jon Reese and John DeTommaso.
New York has deep ties to lacrosse with New York University fielding the country’s first team in 1876, and the first intercollegiate tournament taking place at the Westchester Polo Grounds in what is now the Bronx in 1881.
Colgate finished their best season in program history in 2012, compiling a 14-4 record, advancing to the NCAA Tournament and scoring their first tournament victory on their way to the Quarterfinals. The Raiders have collected 54 All-American selections with their 2012 honoree attackman Peter Baum also winning the Tewaaraton Award, as the top male player in collegiate lacrosse.
Michigan completed its first season of varsity lacrosse in 2012 after capturing an unprecedented three straight national club team titles from 2008-2010. Eight Wolverines from the 2012 team earned Academic All-ECAC selections, tied with Ohio State for most in the league.
Holy Cross has won three Colonial League titles and produced five All-Americans since the Crusaders lacrosse program started in 1958. This year’s team will be led by senior James Kennedy who was named a National Player of the Week last year. He was also the first Crusader ever named to the the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.
Navy has won 17 National Championships and appeared in 26 NCAA Tournaments, most recently in 2009, and produced 429 All-Americans. The 2013 squad will be led by junior attackman Tucker Hall and junior long stick midfielder Pat Kiernan, who were both named pre-season All-Americans.
Metropolitan Hospitality, the game’s promoter and producer, is Citi Field’s non-game day event company that has hosted almost 800 events since the ballpark opened in 2009. With more than 200,000 square feet of hospitality space, Citi Field can accommodate corporate meetings, holiday parties, weddings, trade shows, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and a variety of other events.
