By Natasha Wetten
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 12/23/10
Strath Haven senior defenseman Darrel Hunter has committed to play Division III lacrosse at Swarthmore College.
Hunter chose Swarthmore for its superior academic reputation and size.
“I chose Swarthmore because I felt that it would best prepare me for what I want to do in the future,” he said.
“Their acceptance rate to medical school is one of the highest in the country, and they have an engineering program that is entirely on campus for four years. While I am not sure if I want to do either of these things, both of these options appeal to me.”
At Swarthmore Hunter will be led by 16-year head coach Pat Gress. Gress has led the Garnet to the ECAC championships three times during his tenure (2000, ’03 and ’08).
“Coach Gress really understands what Swarthmore is about,” said Hunter. “Some coaches I talked to were not thrilled with the ideal of a math or science major, but this was not a problem with Coach Gress.
“He knows that people go to Swarthmore to get an education, but he also wants everyone on the team to become better lacrosse players and for the team to be successful.”
Hunter, an honor roll student, is a National Achievement semi-finalist and captain of the Hi-Q team. He was a two way starter and co–captain on the 2010 Central League and District 1 championship football team and played on the varsity ice hockey team.
Hunter, a club player for Competitive Edge, has seen Strath Haven reach the playoffs the past three years, and has started for the varsity lacrosse team the last two.
“I hope we are competitive in the central league, and win multiple playoff games,” he said. “We return a lot of talent and leadership on defense, and I am confident that our young offensive talent can step up to replace what we lost from last year’s team.”
