Serling picked in MLL Draft

Being selected by the Denver Outlaws as the ninth-overall pick in the Major League Lacrosse Draft Jan. 21 provides Steve Serling with an exciting option for the future, but the Rockville Centre native said he’s focused on finishing out his college eligibility right around the corner from home.

Serling, who played three years at Lafayette College and earned All-American and Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2010, is a graduate student at Hofstra and set to contribute to the Pride’s midfield.

“I grew up going to Hofstra games, so it’s a dream come true,” said Serling, a 2006 South Side High School graduate and member of the ’04 New York State Class B championship team. “I want to help take the program to the next level and reach the Final Four,” he added.

After missing all of his junior year at Lafayette due to injury, Serling last spring led the Leopards to their best record since 1984. They finished 8-6 and were ranked as high as No. 8 in the country. Serling poured in 37 goals and had 12 assists, while his younger brother Colin, a 2008 SSHS graduate, recorded 18 goals and 14 assists.

“Steve came from a strong high school program and always had a lot of confidence in his abilities,” Lafayette coach Terry Mangan said. “He worked really hard from the first day he stepped on campus. He dealt with some highs and lows and really left his mark.”

Serling started all but two games as a freshman and totaled 12 goals and three assists, although the Leopards managed just a single victory. He enjoyed a breakout year as a sophomore with 23 goals and nine assists, and the team had four wins.

Adversity struck in 2009 when he suffered a lacerated spleen during practice and underwent season-ending surgery. It was the first year of lacrosse Steve missed since the age of 7 when his father Robert, who played at Ithaca College, signed him up for the Rockville Centre Lacrosse Club. “Sitting out was really difficult,” said Serling, “but I’m someone who believes everything happens for a reason. I just wanted to come back strong.”

In his first game as a senior, and first with his brother as a college teammate, Steve had a goal and an assist in a narrow defeat to Navy. Colin scored twice and picked up an assist. “It didn’t take Steve long to get back to where he was and then get to another level,” Mangan said. “He’s a selfless player who takes what the defense gives him. He’s fast and shoots well on the run and in tight spaces.”

At South Side, Steve had 47 goals and 37 assists in three varsity seasons under coaches Joe Baccarella and Steve DiPietro. Serling is the first former Cyclone to earn Division I All-American accolades. “It has been a pleasure watching Steve grow into the player and person he is today,” DiPietro said. “I’m extremely proud of him and look forward to watching him at Hofstra.”