Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 9/25/09
From Press Releases
Midfielder Chris Ryan, a 2007 Haverford School graduate, has been added to the roster at Lehigh University.
Ryan transferred to Lehigh from the University of Pittsburgh this year. The midfielder started for two seasons as a defensive midfielder and also was on the Fords’ 2005 team that won the Keystone Cup championship.
Ryan was a three-sport varsity athlete at Haverford School, where he was also an Iron Man award winner.
Lehigh coach Kevin Cassese announced the addition of seven new players to the team for the 2009-10 season. Included in the group with Ryan were freshmen Devin Pullara, Chris Rinaldi, Griffin Farha, Baxter Lanius, Nathan Hunt and Kyle Stiefel.
Midfielder Pullara of Castle Rock, Colo. is a former high school captain in both lacrosse and football. He earned First-Team All-State distinction as a face-off specialist and was his team’s MVP.
Pullara was also a member of the 2009 Colorado state championship team. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Pullara was named an Academic All American, was a member of the National Honor Society, graduated sixth out of 525 students and was an AP scholar with distinction.
Rinaldi, a midfielder out of Greenwich, Conn. is a four-year letter winner in both lacrosse and football. He participated in three consecutive Division 2 Western New England League Titles and rounded out his senior season with a total of 31 goals and six assists. Rinaldi also participated for the New York City Empire Team in 2008.
Goalkeeper Farha was a three year starter and letter winner at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Md. Farha was named defensive MVP his junior year and team MVP his senior year while also being named Second-Team All-County and All-Division. His senior year, he was selected to the County Senior All-Star game and was a Second-Team All-Gazette selection. Farha was also a star in ice hockey earning two MVP awards and he was selected to the DC All-Area All-Star game. Academically, Farha is an AP Scholar and member of the Music Honors Society.
Also joining the Mountain Hawks is Lanius, a defender from Lawrenceville, N.Y. who attended the Hotchkiss School. Lanius led his team to a 34-3 record during his tenure at Hotchkiss and was an All-New England Selection. He was also a member of the Founder’s League Championship Team. Lanius received recognition for his leadership when he won the Christian Haley Prince Award for making significant contributions to the team without asking for major recognition. He was also named to the Dean’s List eight out of nine terms.
From Plymouth, Minn. is 2009 All-American Hunt. A four year starter and two year captain, Hunt was an All-Conference selection four times and First-Team All-State and All-Section as a senior. Also as a senior, Hunt won the team’s spirit award. On the football field, Hunt was a three-year two-way starter, earning All-Conference honorable mention distinction as a junior and All-Conference and All-Section honors as a senior. During his senior year, he served as the team captain and won both the MVP and team spirit award. Academically, Hunt is an AP Scholar with distinction and a National Merit Scholar in addition to serving as the head of the Athletic Council for the student government at the Breck School.
Rounding out the group of newcomers is attacker Stiefel of Princeton Junction, N.J. where he attended the Peddie School and lettered in lacrosse all four years. Stiefel received First-Team All Mid-Atlantic Prep honors as a senior captain and was a First-Team All-Prep A (N.J.) selection coming off a season in which he scored 45 goals and added nine assists. As a junior, Stiefel scored 57 goals and totaled 19 assists which earned him First-Team All Mid-Atlantic Prep League honors, a First-Team All-Prep A (N.J.) selection and Second-Team All-Pitt Conference honors. Stiefel was also the recipient of the Outstanding Player Award.
