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St. John’s Red Storm Captains Doing It Big

St. Johns Jerry Nevin

We’ve received a couple of different news items from the St. John’s men’s lacrosse team this week and both are pretty significant. First up, senior Captain Jerry Nevin made the Irish National Team, which is pretty freaking cool if you ask any person who has a little Irish in them. Second, Gavin Buckley (also a captain) was interviewed about his experience as a member of the St. John’s President’s Society, the most prestigious group on campus.

Give ’em a read:

Senior Captain Named To Irish National Team

He won’t take the field for St. John’s until the season starts with an exhibition game at Massachusetts on January 30th, but senior Red Storm lacrosse defender Jerry Nevin will gain invaluable experience well beforehand. Nevin has been selected as one of 12 Irish-American lacrosse players to represent Ireland in the World Championships of Lacrosse this upcoming summer.

From January 8-10, Nevin will attend a mini-camp in Dublin, Ireland to train with his team.

“I actually just found out a couple of weeks ago that I made the team that’s going to be competing in the World Championships,” Nevin said. “The whole process has been going really well.”

After finding out about the international competition a few years back, Nevin was immediately interested. He competed in a full-day tryout at the United States Merchant Marine Academy to make the cut down to 20 players. Those 20 then competed for 13 team spots at the New York Athletic Club on Oct. 18, one day after Nevin played with the Red Storm in the Lacrosse for Leukemia exhibition tournament in Maryland.

“I got a call and an e-mail saying I made the team,” Nevin said. “They made the team with 12 Irish-Americans and 12 or 13 Irishmen. I was very excited.”

The 2010 FIL World Lacrosse Championships will be held July 15-24 in Manchester, England. Nevin will fly with the team from Dublin, Ireland, to Manchester for the championships a week beforehand.

Before coming to St. John’s, Nevin was a top lacrosse player at St. Ignatius High School in San Francisco, Calif. The San Francisco Chronicle and CalHiSports.com named him a Top 100 athlete as a senior in 2006.

Nevin’s athletic accomplishments come as no surprise, as he comes from a very athletic background. His father, Dan, played basketball for Santa Clara University and his brother, Joe, played basketball for San Diego. During Joe’s stint at San Diego, the Toreros made an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003.

Nevin was a three-sport athlete at St. Ignatius, playing football and basketball, before eventually committing to lacrosse.

A native of San Francisco, Nevin is one of only three Red Storm players from the West Coast. While most major lacrosse programs are still on the East Coast, there is a growing interest in the sport in California.

“In high school, all of my coaches were actually from the East Coast and New York,” Nevin said. “But guys out there are enthusiastic about the game and more schools are picking it up now.”

For the full news release, click here.

Lacrosse Captain Gavin Buckley Reflects On The President’s Society

A little about the St. John’s President’s Society:

Founded in 1968, The President’s Society is the highest honor society in the University. It consists of those students who combine scholarship, integrity and maturity with leadership skills demonstrated by their significant contribution to the extracurricular life of the University.

Members of the Society are considered part of the President’s official staff and are designated special duties at University functions. They are often paired with prominent alumni, world leaders and well-known humanitarians. This is an opportunity to make connections and build a network, as well as realize their role as leaders in something even greater: the St. John’s Family.

This is part one of five highlighting their President’s Society student-athletes.

Last spring, St. John’s inducted 29 members into the prestigious President’s Society, a group of senior students who have excelled in academic achievement, leadership on and off campus and a comprehensive knowledge of the University’s core values. Five of those current members are student-athletes on four different varsity teams on campus.

The following interview with men’s lacrosse goalkeeper Gavin Buckley is the first in a five-part series on these student-athletes and their lives of leadership and achievement.

What attracted you to the men’s lacrosse program here at St. John’s University?

When I was looking at schools what really attracted me was that it was a new program. When I was entering my senior year, the team was made up of all freshmen. Going to a new program and helping it rebuild and reach a high level of competitiveness was really appealing.  It was in New York, and it seemed like a really exciting place to be.

What has been your best memory of your career on the field?

My best memory was last season when we defeated Georgetown, 10-9, at home. It was a great win for the team and the program. It was a complete team performance and the team prepared so hard that week. Everything came together for us.

What was your initial reaction to being inducted into the President’s Society?

I don’t want to say shocked, but I was definitely surprised and excited. At the first meeting, they talked about how many people apply and how hard it is to get in. I didn’t expect to get in, but I was really excited to get inducted. I’m happy to be in the Society.

What impact has the President’s Society made on the men’s lacrosse team? Do you see your teammates applying in the future?

People know what the President’s Society is now. Everyone on the team knows I’m a member. It’s definitely brought a new element of what a lacrosse player can do here. Some teammates may want to apply in the future as it’s yet another way to represent the school.

What has been your favorite President’s Society event?

I’d have to say the Arthur Reubenstein event at the University Club. We met Governor David Patterson, Ivanka Trump, and Al Roker. I didn’t realize the magnitude of a President’s Society event. I also didn’t realize that Reubenstein was such an influential alumnus who had been honored for his 50th anniversary out of the law school here at St. John’s.

What are some goals for the team this year?

We want to improve from last year. We want to get better. This is our first year of competing in BIG EAST lacrosse so we want to be competitive in the conference. We have a very tough schedule this year. Our schedule has gotten harder every year which makes it better. As a team, we don’t set win-loss goals. We set the percentage of how many shots we clear and other team goals. I want to have a great season being it my senior year.

For the full interview, click here.

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About the Author: LAS Co-Founder Jeff Brunelle loves lacrosse, the web and a nice chilled glass of Red Label. Originally from Idaho, a former Ducks defenseman and a current NYC tech nerd, he has enjoyed helping Lacrosse All Stars evolve into the pimped out Mercedes G-class ride that it is today. Hit him up with any LAS-related questions or tips at jeff@lacrosseallstars.com.