Male Scholar-Athlete: Council Rock South’s Simone learns that effort pays off

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/26/08

When Council Rock South senior captain Dave Simone was accepted at Notre Dame, it fulfilled a lifelong dream.

“My older sister (Diane) went there and I visited there when I was little,” said Simone, who will major in mechanical engineering. “Ever since I was little I was a huge Notre Dame fan. It was a natural choice; I never had any other schools I wanted to go to.”

Simone has earned the right to attend the school of his choice. He has a perfect 4.0 GPA, is No. 1 in his class (with seven others), is a member of the National Honor Society and is President of the Spanish Honors Society.

Now, add the honor of the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Male Student-Athlete of the Week.

“I feel like I always try to do the best I can at everything,” Simone said. “I probably am the most competitive person. That applies straight across board; I can make a competition out of tying shoes.

“If I can do better, why would I not?”

Simone has been tested in his competitive spirit this year. The Hawks are young and inexperienced and have shown some growing pains during a 3-9 start. But Simone, who has 18 goals as both at midfield and attack this year, sees the effort and improvement.

“We have a lot of younger players, but we’re doing pretty well,” he said. “Our schedule is certainly not easy. We definitely have potential to have a winning team. My role is to try and bring everybody together.”

Simone is unsure whether he will play lacrosse at Notre Dame. But he cherishes the speed of the game.

“I love the speed and how fast lacrosse is,” he said. “I love the transition game and I enjoy the running. As a middie I get to run the whole field. It really is the fastest game on two feet.”