Wantagh grads star at Adelphi

A pair of Wantagh High School graduates keyed the defensive prowess for Adelphi University’s lacrosse programs this spring, with senior Joe Giardina leading the men’s squad in takeaways and junior Ryley Weber earning national accolades for a women’s team that came close to winning a third straight Division II championship.

Giardina, who chose Adelphi over a handful of other top-notch institutions to remain closer to home after graduating from Wantagh in 2012, earned USILA (United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association) All-America Third Team honors after leading the Panthers (12-5 overall) with 30 forced turnovers. He started 50 of 69 career games and served as an extension of head coach Gordon Purdie on the field.

“Joe had an outstanding four years here,” Purdie said. “He performed on and off the field. He developed into a player we could use at many positions. This year he played close defense, as a long pole middie, and took faceoffs.”

Giardina, a three-time All-County selection for Wantagh and Honorable Mention All-American as a senior who also played football and wrestled, saw his college career end May 6 with a tough 14-13 double overtime loss to Merrimack in the Northeast-10 semifinals.

“It’s bittersweet that it’s over,” said Giardina, who earned his degree in physical education. “I made millions of friends and have millions of memories from Adelphi,” he added. “We won two conference championships, and I feel I left everything on the field.”

Giardina was named to the NE-10 All-Championship Team for his performance in the postseason. And though he played in the defensive zone, he managed to score a pair of goals. “It was fun to take some pressure off the defense,” he said.

Purdie noted that although Giardina wasn’t a captain, he was captain material. “Joe was definitely a leader and absolutely an extension of myself out there,” Purdie said. “While his career is over, we’ll always have a strong relationship.”

Weber’s outstanding career still has one more chapter be written, and she’s hoping the Lady Panthers can regain their title after falling just short of a perfect season (21-1) and a third straight national championship.

“It’s not what any of us wanted,” said Weber, a 2013 Wantagh grad, referring to Adelphi’s 8-7 loss to Florida Southern in the title game on May 21. “We had a great season and one off day. Coming into next year we’re going to work so much harder. We don’t want to experience losing in the finals again.”

While Adelphi fell short of the crown, Weber earned a boatload of accolades including NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year, NE-10 Championship MVP, and All-American status.

“Ryley’s the cornerstone of what we do defensively,” head coach Pat McCabe said. “She’s a shutdown defender and as good a player as I’ve ever coached. Her combination of intensity, toughness and skill is tremendous.”

Weber has started 64 of 65 career games at Adelphi and ranks fourth in program history with 167 draw controls, and sixth in groundballs with 128. The Lady Panthers allowed 4.27 goals per game in 2016, tops in the nation. Weber also scored a goal against Franklin Pierce.

“I wouldn’t have gotten any awards without the support of my teammates, who help me get better every day,” she said.