Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/19/16
Staff Report
St. Joseph’s University senior attackman Pat Swanick (St. Joseph’s Prep, HEADstrong L.C.) is among the top vote-getters for the 2015-16 Senior CLASS Award® for collegiate lacrosse.
To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be classified as NCAA Division I seniors and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The field was narrowed down from 20 candidates, which was announced on February 16.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their athletic platforms to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Swanick is one of 10 finalists. The finalists were chosen by national media from the list of 20 candidates announced earlier this month. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to submit votes online at the Senior CLASS Award website through May 9. Fan votes will be combined with those of the media and Division I head coaches to determine the winners. The Senior CLASS Award recipient will be announced during the 2016 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse National Championships® in Philadelphia, May 28-30.
A team captain and four-year starting attackman for the Crimson and Gray, Swanick is a two-time all-conference selection between the Northeast Conference and Colonial Athletic Association and has extensive community service experience. All of Swanick’s achievements in the areas of community, classroom, character, and competition can be found in his Senior CLASS Award biography.
Click here to vote for Swanick – http://www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/lacrosse_2016/
Pat Swanick bio
Classroom
Pat Swanick is an accounting major with a cumulative GPA of 3.43 and on track to graduate in May of 2016. He twice qualified for the Northeast Conference Spring Academic Honor Roll (2014-15) and was selected as SJU’s Scholar-Athlete Award recipient in 2014. He interned with PricewaterhouseCoopers, a company that focuses on audit and assurance and tax and consulting services, in Summer 2015 and will begin full-time employment with the company in Fall 2016, following graduation.
Character
Pat Swanick is a team captain and genuine leader both on and off the field. Swanick has never been one of the biggest or strongest players on the team, but he more than makes up for that with his character and leadership. Swanick is the first player on the field and the last player to leave. He is constantly working on his game, and the greatest part about it is that he always makes sure to bring others with him. He is the type of player that the coaching staff has to tell, “Pat, it’s time to take a day off!” When there is an issue within the team, Swanick is the type of leader who will call a players-only meeting and make sure the issue is addressed. Additionally, his toughness is unmatchable; last year he suffered a quad contusion in the semi-finals of the NEC Tournament, and he could barely walk, let alone run. The next day, the coaching staff was doubtful, but Swanick told them that he was ready to play, and he did, in the championship game against Bryant. It was the only game of the season he didn’t start, and it was an inspiring effort from a player who inspires his teammates on a daily basis.
Community
Pat Swanick has participated in the Martin Luther King Day of Service for four consecutive years (2013-16), which has involved cleaning up public trails and blocks and renovating elementary schools throughout Philadelphia. Swanick has participated in the SJU Kinney Center for Autism 5k for the last two years, through which he and his teammates have raised the most money out of all SJU varsity teams on campus both times. This fall, the men’s lacrosse program hosted the first annual HEADstrong SJU Fall Scrimmage, which fundraised over $3,000 in donations in an effort to improve the quality of life for cancer patients and their families through providing essential programs and services. Swanick received the Nicholas Colleluori Award for the Hawks, presented to a member of each program whose contributions both on and off the field are transforming the landscape of their represented programs. Swanick also has been involved in multiple free lacrosse clinics for local youth, including this fall’s clinic for the Care 4 Cure Blood Cancer Foundation for high school students at Henderson High School in West Chester, Pa. Swanick has also participated in the John C. Anderson Thanksgiving Dinner and is currently on the executive committee for the Hawklympics, to be held April 3.
Competition
Pat Swanick is a two-time all-conference selection, having earned Northeast Conference Second Team honors last season (2015) and Colonial Athletic Association Rookie Team honors in 2013, becoming the first player in program history to earn a CAA All-Conference honor. Swanick will enter his fourth year as a starting attackman for SJU this season. He has 68 points on 57 goals and 11 assists to go with 57 ground balls in 45 career appearances and 42 starts. Swanick has put together three consecutive seasons with at least 18 points and 16 goals scored. Last season, he ranked third for SJU in goals (19), shots (64) and shots on goal (45) and posted a single-season career-high 26 ground balls. He has scored in 32 career games, including 16 multi-goal games, and totaled five ground balls in three separate games. His top games include at No. 7 Virginia (3g) and vs. Wagner (4g) in 2015, at Michigan (4g, 1a) and vs. Sacred Heart (3g) in 2014, and vs. Wagner (3g, 1a), Mercer (2g, 2a), Marquette (3g, 1a) and Marist (3g) in 2013.
FINALISTS
Carter Brown, A, Ohio State
Dylan Donahue, A, Syracuse
Matt Dunn, D, Maryland
B.J. Grill, D, Marquette
Jack Kelly, GK, Brown
Walker Kirby, D, Harvard
Dan Lomas, A, High Point
Joseph Radin, A, Marist
Pat Swanick, A, Saint Joseph’s
Tyler White, GK, Towson
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