Michigan
Saint Joseph's (ex)
Michigan Participates in Fifth Annual Nick Colleluori Classic
10/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Oct. 8, 2011
FOLSOM, Pa. -- The University of Michigan men's lacrosse team finished its fall exhibition season with a pair of games at the Fifth Annual Nick Colleluori Classic on Saturday (Oct. 8). The two-day event raised money for the HEADstrong Foundation to combat blood cancers.
"This is a great event for a great cause on two fronts," said head coach John Paul. "It's a great lacrosse event. It's very well run and goes very smoothly. It's great competition and really neat to see this many top-level programs and such good lacrosse played in one spot. Off the field, the Colleluori family and the people that put this on are so passionate about what they do and put in so much effort for such a great cause. It's really humbling because at the end of the day what we're doing on the field doesn't really matter. What they're doing and what this event raises for their cause is what matters."
While the Wolverines gained valuable on-field experience against Saint Joseph's and Towson, an equally important component of the day was education of and fundraising for the HEADstrong Foundation. Each of the 19 NCAA teams involved in the weekend was assigned a HEADstrong Honorary Captain -- someone currently dealing with blood cancer. Michigan's honorary captain was Tiffany Kidd, 34, who is originally from Ontario.
"For Nick's family to do something like this to keep his memory alive and raise awareness for these diseases is great," said Kidd. "For the leukemia lymphoma society (these events) are rare. When I was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia -- 'oh, it's a kid's disease' -- well I'm 34, so apparently not. Activities like this help remind people that these cancers affect everyone. I told some of the guys on the team that maybe you have a friend who has leukemia or lymphoma and they have no idea who to talk to. Now they know about the societies and events and they can feel comfortable talking to a friend about it. They can see someone who can rise above it, kick it and keep going. I've kept my life going and I went back to work."
To assist with awareness of blood cancer and fundraising, the Wolverines sold HEADstrong t-shirts around Michigan's campus over the last few weeks with all proceeds going to Blood Cancer Research & Family Assistance.
Meanwhile, on the field Michigan lost its opener to Saint Joseph's by a 9-5 score. U-M was down 5-3 to the Hawks at halftime. Senior Alexander Vasileff (Birmingham, Mich./Seaholm) scored twice. In their afternoon scrimmage, the Wolverines were beaten by Towson, 14-2. Fifth-year senior attackman Trevor Yealy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) and freshman midfielder William Meter (Beverly Hills, Mich./Brother Rice) were the goal scorers.
About Nick Colleluori
Nicholas "Head" Colleluori #27 graduated from Ridley High School in Folsom, Pa., in June 2004 as a three-sport athlete, and joined the Hofstra Pride Lacrosse team the next fall. With hard work and determination, Nick earned a role on the Hofstra team in the spring of his freshman year.
Nick was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in September 2005, which started a brutal 14-month battle with cancer. Although Nick fought a relentless battle, he passed away on November 28, 2006.
• www.HeadStrongFoundation.org
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
