Former Syracuse attackman Rob Kavovit, who helped the Orange win the 1995 national championship, died at his Florida home Tuesday. He was 45.
His death is a shock to his family, friends, and the Syracuse lacrosse community, as Kavovit leaves behind his wife, Marion, and two sons.
Paul Carcaterra, who grew up with Rob Kavovit in Yorktown Heights, New York, and won three state championships at Yorktown High School with him in 1991, 1992, and 1993, then played college lacrosse alongside his lifelong best friend at Syracuse, gave a touching tribute to his former teammate at the start of last weekend’s Syracuse-Holy Cross game.
“I just think from playing in his backyard with the flood light on to moving in together freshman year in college, he was always there,” he explained to his co-broadcaster, Anish Shroff. “His family helped raise me. From the first stick that I picked up to the last shot, he was always there. We won three state championships in high school, and then a national title in college. We captained teams together.
“In sports, certain players are responsible for the success of others, and he made me.”
Rob Kavovit put up 152 goals and 158 assists in his high school career, then totaled 125 goals at Syracuse, including a 42-score season in 1996 as a junior. He scored 246 points while with the Orange, placing him ninth in the all-time points list for the program. Kavovit was a three-time All-American in his four years at Syracuse.
Sean Carney, the current head coach at Yorktown, grew up in the area a few years behind Kavovit. He told Mike Dougherty of the Rockland/Westchester Journal News about what Rob Kavovit meant to the surrounding lacrosse community.
“We used to ride our bikes to all the games, and Rob was the guy you always watched and said, ‘Man, that’s how you play lacrosse,’” Carney said. “He’s one of those players who always comes up whenever I’m talking about attackmen. He’s a larger-than-life figure in lacrosse, but when you meet him, Rob is so egoless. This is such a devastating loss.”
A GoFundMe in support of his family has been created and can be found here.
This is the other lacrosse news for the week of March 16-22, 2021:
Last Week in Lacrosse
–A conversation from Boston with Chris Hogan about his decision to switch back to lacrosse and his prep for the PLL.
-Calvert Hall leads the first boys’ high school national rankings of the year, according to USL/Nike’s preseason poll.
-Despite every goalie on its roster missing the game due to COVID-19 protocols, Southwestern University upset Illinois Wesleyan this past weekend thanks to 13 saves (and a goal) from midfielder-turned-emergency-goalie Blake Sitterly.
–Some action finally this week in DII as No. 1 Tampa and No. 2 Le Moyne began play. Both teams won their first game of the season.
-Looking for a new women’s stick? Well, good timing, as Lax.com and the crew at ECD just dropped their rankings of the best complete sticks in the women’s game for 2021, from the Gait Whip to Nike Lunar Fly to sticks to beginners, like the Maverick Erupt ST.
-Inside Lacrosse serves up a list of the teams you 100% should be watching this spring, from an entertainment perspective.
-USL takes a peek at the rise of Delaware, which continued climbing in the polls this week after the Blue Hens climbed to 6-1 and No. 14 in the latest media poll.
Get Caught Up on LAS Content!
Miss out on what we did last week? Here’s a recap of some of our top content from the last seven days:
UNC to No. 1, Hopkins Emerges: NCAA DI Men’s Weekly Rankings Week 5 Ballots
Ryan Conwell and Nick Zoroya shared how and why they voted in their Week 5 ballots.
Overtime Overload: DII Round Up
DII men’s lacrosse was loaded with OT contests last week, and Ryan Kuhn has you covered on all the action, including a big one for Queens.
Division III Lacrosse Navigation of the Pandemic
Hope College men’s lacrosse head coach Mike Schanhals uses his experience and expertise of the DIII lacrosse world to explain how the level of the sport has navigated the perils of the pandemic.
I Chose MCLA Lacrosse
Professional lacrosse player Ronnie Fernando goes into detail on why he chose to play MCLA lacrosse and how it can be the right home for many young laxers looking for opportunities to continue playing after high school.
Jack Jasinski Talks OSU + Pro Future on Going Offsides
Pro lacrosse player Jack Jasinski was the latest guest on Going Offsides, discussing his recruitment to Ohio State, his time with the Buckeyes, his PLL aims and more. Check it out!
Michigan Earns B1G Win, CAA Moves Up Nationally – DI Rundown Week 6
Ryan Conwell goes through what happened in the last weekend of Division I men’s lacrosse, from Michigan picking up a B1G win to the CAA moving up nationally and more.
