Courtesy Stony Brook Athletic Communications
Stony Brook, N.Y. - Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, announced today that the date and location for the seventh annual Warrior Major League Challenge has been set, according to MLL Commissioner David Gross. America East will be represented in the challenge by Albany's Frank Resetarits and Merrick Thomson and UMBC's Drew Westervelt.
The 2007 Warrior Major League Challenge will be held at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York on Thursday May 31st, 2007. The event features the elite graduating college seniors playing in an all-star game under MLL rules, including a two-point goal line, 60-second shot clock and a limit of three long poles per team on the field. Face-off for the game will be at 5:00 p.m. and played at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, which was home of the 2006 Men's Lacrosse NCAA Quarterfinals.
Immediately following the game, Major League Lacrosse will hold its 2007 Collegiate Draft, beginning at 8:00 p.m. The draft will be held at The Goldstein Family Student-Athlete Development Center located on Stony Brook's campus.
"We are delighted to have Stony Brook hosting our Warrior Major League Challenge and Collegiate Draft," said Gross. "The MLL is very appreciative of the support we are receiving from Stony Brook University and Director of Athletics Jim Fiore in particular. The school's facilities are top-notch and provide the ideal location for two of our most important events. The 2007 graduating senior class is very strong and I expect another outstanding game. This will be one of our league's most important drafts, one that all of our fans will want to see."
"The sport of Lacrosse is an undeniably important component of the culture of Long Island and is clearly a sport of emphasis for the Stony Brook University Department of Athletics," said Fiore. " Hosting the 2007 Warrior Major League Challenge and Major League Lacrosse College Draft provide exciting opportunities for Stony Brook University to showcase both our athletic program and our incredible University. We are thrilled to partner with Commissioner David Gross and his talented staff at Major League Lacrosse to host these exciting events."
Major League Lacrosse invites only the top 40 college senior lacrosse players to participate in the Warrior Major League Challenge. Invitations are based on recommendations from college coaches, statistical evaluation of player performance and input from MLL coaches. Players from all divisions of play are considered.
After checking in and undergoing physicals in the morning, players will participate in drills and situational play during the afternoon. Teams will also conduct player interviews during the morning.
Once again there will be a presentation by The Center for the Study of Sport in Society (Northeastern University) for the players. Prior to the game EXACT Sports Testing will conduct a series of tests on the athletes for speed and strength. This information will be compiled and distributed to the teams prior to the draft.
Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse, a ten-team professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded in 1999 by fitness entrepreneur Jake Steinfeld, CEO of Body by Jake Global L.L.C., and founding partners Dave Morrow, a former champion lacrosse player and now CEO of Warrior Lacrosse, a leading global provider of innovative and high performance lacrosse equipment; Timothy B. Robertson, former CEO of The Family Channel and the current chairman of Bay Shore Enterprises, L.L.C., an investment holding company with activities in international media and Internet technology ventures; and Jim Davis, chairman and CEO of New Balance. The MLL commenced play in June of 2001. The MLL is comprised of two conferences. The Eastern Conference contains the original six teams, Boston, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Rochester and Washington. The Western Conference debuted in the 2006 season with MLL expansion franchises Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Additional league information can be found at www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.