Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 9/7/10
At a reception at the White House on Sept. 13, President Barack Obama will honor student-athletes from across the NCAA, including members of Duke’s men’s lacrosse team – which featured starting goalie Dan Wigrizer (Haverford School) and reserve defenseman Billy Conners (Malvern Prep).
The President will welcome student-athletes from dozens of schools and various sports to congratulate them on their accomplishments in the classroom as well as on and off the playing field. In association with this event, various championship teams and players will be recognized for their efforts to give back to their communities, continuing an effort begun by President Obama of sports champions being commended for service as part of a White House visit.
The Blue Devils captured their first NCAA Championship on May 31 with a 6-5 overtime victory over Notre Dame. The national title was the second for the Blue Devils in 2010 – the men’s basketball program won its fourth title in April. It was the first time in school history that multiple Duke teams have won a NCAA Championship in a single year.
Duke defeated Notre Dame, 6-5, in overtime for the crown, on May 31 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Wigrizer, a freshman, had a solid game in the goal with five saves while Conners had one groundball.
Notre Dame featured ace defenseman Mike Creighton (Malvern Prep), junior midfielder Tim Bemer (Malvern Prep), senior midfielder Adam Felicetti (Central Bucks East) and freshman defenseman Tyler Andersen.
In the semifinals, Duke edged Virginia, 14-13, while Notre Dame stopped Cornell, 12-7. Cornell featured freshman starting defenseman Mike Bronzino (Conestoga) and Virginia was led by four-time All-American defenseman Ken Clausen (Hill school) and junior midfielder John Haldy (Haverford School).
The following is a slideshow of pictures of Philly players from the Final Four weekend, courtesy of Steve Layne.
Duke owns 12 national titles in five sports, (men’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, men’s basketball, women’s golf and women’s tennis) in school history.
Also being honored at the White House will be the Maryland women’s lacrosse team – featuring senior reserve attack Jenny Collins (North Penn).
Schools and teams invited to attend the September 13 event include:
Augusta State University Men’s Golf
Boston College Men’s Ice Hockey
Duke University Men’s Lacrosse
Fairleigh Dickinson University Women’s Bowling
Oklahoma State University Men’s Cross Country
Pennsylvania State University Women’s Volleyball
Pennsylvania State University Men’s & Women’s Fencing
Purdue University Women’s Golf
Stanford University Men’s Volleyball
Stanford University Women’s Tennis
Texas A&M University, College Station Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field
Texas Christian University Men’s & Women’s Rifle
University of California, Los Angeles Softball
University of California Los Angeles Women’s Gymnastics
University of Denver Men’s & Women’s Skiing
University of Florida Men’s Indoor Track and Field
University of Florida Women’s Swimming and Diving
University of Iowa Wrestling
University of Maryland, College Park Women’s Lacrosse
University of Michigan Men’s Gymnastics
University of Minnesota Duluth Women’s Ice Hockey
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Field Hockey
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Women’s Soccer
University of Oregon Women’s Indoor Track and Field
University of South Carolina Baseball
University of Southern California Men’s Tennis
University of Southern California Men’s Water Polo
University of Southern California Women’s Water Polo
University of Texas at Austin Men’s Swimming and Diving
University of Virginia Men’s Soccer
University of Virginia Women’s Rowing
Villanova University Women’s Cross Country
Villanova University Football
