La Salle senior defenseman Durkin commits to Mount St. Mary’s University

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/7/10

La Salle senior defenseman Tim Durkin has made a verbal commitment to play Division I lacrosse next season at Mount St. Mary’s University.

Durkin was a reserve for the Explorers last year when they won

their second straight state championship. He made the Fab Forty All-Star squad at the inaugural Philly Lacrosse Showcase in N

ovember and plays club lacrosse for LB3.

Durkin said three of his cousins graduated from Mount St. Mary’s, located in Emmitsburg, MD. Also, he will be joined by fellow La Salle senior Shane Pierce, a defenseman who signed in November.

“Once I visited Mount St. Mary’s, I just loved it,” Durkin said. “It’s like a little bigger La Salle. I also liked (coach Tom Gravante), he seems like a great guy.”

The popular Gravante, in his 15^th year as coach of the Mount, has made the national spotlight by licking blood cancer.

Durkin also said he will be happy to be close to his cousin, Johns Hopkins freshman defenseman Tucker Durkin, last year’s Phillylacrosse.com Player of the Year and already a key starter for the Blue Jays.

Tim Durkin, who earned Second Honors this year, plans to major in Criminal Justice at Mount St. Mary’s.

Durkin said he is excited about the first day of practice for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association season Monday. Last year the Explorers won the first PIAA crown with a senior-laden team that sent 10 players to Division I colleges. This year’s team has much to prove, Durkin said.

Besides Durkin and Pierce, La Salle seniors Anthony Cognetti (St. Joseph’s, midfielder) and Patrick Resch (Dartmouth, midfielder) and juniors Jack Bogorowski (Johns Hopkins, midfielder) and Kevin Forster (Maryland, attack) have committed to Division I colleges.

“I can’t wait for the season to start,” he said. “A lot of people are underestimating us. We have a great deal of talent and I think we’ll have a great season.

“Going up against guys like Pete (Schwartz) and Randy (Forster) every day at practice makes it a lot easier this year. We want to prove that it wasn’t just the seniors that won it last year, but the whole team.”