By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 11/17/09
Radnor senior midfielder Harrison Lawrence has signed a National Letter of Intent to 
play Division I lacrosse at Lehigh University.
Lawrence was a member of a red Radnor team that went 15-4 last year and tied for second in the powerful Central League. The Raiders were knocked out in the first round of the District 1 tournament, but finished 10th in the final PA Media Rankings for PIAA schools.
Lawrence had originally committed to Fairfield University in the summer, but changed his commitment when a spot opened at Lehigh, his first choice.
“When I first started the recruiting process, my No. 1 choice was Lehigh,” said Lawrence, who plays club lacrosse for Competitive Edge. ‘But it (a spot) wasn’t available. I weighed the options and Fairfield (became) the No. 1 choice.
“But about two or three weeks after I committed, coach (Radnor’s John Begier) approached me because he had heard from Lehigh. He said they had some guys that decommitted and he knew how much I liked it there.”
Lawrence said he was impressed with the business school and the academic atmosphere, as well as the coaching staff at Lehigh.
“When I first went up there on junior day last November, the first thing that stood out was the coaching staff,” he said. “And, academically, when I looked at it, I saw that short of an Ivy League school, the Patriot League was very well-rounded academically.”
Lawrence first is pointing toward his senior year. He acknowledges that the Raiders have lost a lot of standout seniors, but is confident the team will be competitive with anyone in the Central League.
“Certainly, it will be a challenge to try and fill those spots after losing all those seniors – guys I grew up playing with,” he said. “But we have a lot of young guys that I think are ready for more leadership roles. “One thing coach talks about is not being entitled to any position. Come March, lots of guys will be fighting really hard for some spots that are up for grabs, and I’m hoping we can surprise some people this spring.”
Lawreence is one of two Radnor seniors to sign with a Division I college; goalie Beau Brady has signed with Delaware. At Lehigh, Lawrence will join fellow Philly recruits Ryan Buttenbam (face-off specialist) and Matt Smith (attackman) of Conestoga and Ty Souders (defenseman) of Emmaus.
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