By Charles Kruzits
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/31/11
Allentown Central Catholic senior long stick midfielder Brian Topper – whose Vikings won their first District 11 championship last weekend – has made a commitment to play Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association Division I lacrosse at Richmond University.
Topper was a First Team Lehigh Valley Conference pick for a Vikings team that Friday defeated Nazareth, 16-5, to claim the District 11 crown and earn a berth in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament. ACC will meet District 3 third-place finisher Wyomissing at Emmaus at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the first round.
“Winning the District 11 championship was awesome,” Topper said. “It was bittersweet in that we didn’t get to avenge our three losses to Emmaus (knocked out in the semis by Nazareth) by playing them, but Nazareth beat them.
“It was exhilarating to play a virtually flawless game while we were in and great to get the whole team in for a lot of time. The senior captains- Adam Wydra, Kevin McDermott, Tyler Albanese, and myself – set this goal of winning the area championship (Penn Valley Lacrosse League at the time) our senior year back when we were in 8th grade and won the youth championship. It is very satisfying to be able to say we have accomplished that goal.”
Topper, who played club lacrosse for Rebel Elite and is a member of the National Honor Society, said his next goal is to help Richmond make the move up to MCLA Division I.
Last fall Richmond hired former Ursinus College coach Glenn Carter to bring it from National Collegiate Lacrosse League (NCLL) status to MCLA in 2012. The program is studying the possibility of moving to the NCAA Division I level in the future.
Topper plans to enter Richmond with an open mind while considering majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.
“There really wasn’t anything that could make me not choose Richmond,” Topper said. “I liked the excellent academics, amazing campus and facilities, awesome atmosphere, and warm weather.”
The transition from the NCLL to the MCLA played a huge part in his commitment to Richmond. “It was very appealing to be able to be part of something new down there,” Topper said. “The whole school seems to be really supportive of the transition as well.”
Topper joins three other Philly seniors headed to Richmond: Malvern Prep goalie Ryan McDevitt, Germantown Academy defenseman Sean Robins and Haverford School midfielder Nate Volpert.
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