MLL Affiliate New York Lizards Draft Former Men's Lacrosse Captain Chris Coppolecchia
12/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
HAMDEN, Conn. – Former Quinnipiac men's lacrosse captain Chris Coppolecchia was recently drafted by the New York Lizards, an affiliate of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) based out of Hampstead.
Coppolecchia was one of 12 players added to the Lizards' 2015 roster. New York, originally the Long Island Lizards, is one of eight teams to compete in the MLL. Last season, they finished with a 9-5 record which had them third in the league standings. They fell short to the Denver Outlaws, 14-13, in the semifinals of the playoffs.
Coppolecchia played four years for Quinnipiac from 2009-12, serving as a team-captain in his senior season. After graduation, he was selected in the second round of the inaugural Professional Lacrosse League (PLL) College Draft.
Arguably the best defender to make his way through Quinnipiac lacrosse, Coppolecchia was instrumental in the growth of the program during his four-year stint. At the end of his final season, he was named to the 2012 Northeast Conference First Team. That year, he started in all 14 games, caused 43 turnovers, collected 61 ground balls and won 16 face-offs in the circle. Furthermore, his average of 3.07 caused turnovers per game ranked him first in all of Division I men's lacrosse.
He wrapped up his career in eighth place in career ground balls at Quinnipiac with 144 all-time, finishing just six shy seventh place on the list. He averaged close to three ground balls and 1.5 caused turnovers per game for his career.
These 12 new players will join the rest of the Lizards team when training camp kicks off at the end of March. The 2015 season is expected to kick off in early April.
| 2015 SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT RESULTS | |||
| Player | Overall Pick | Position | College |
| Shamel Bratton | 6th | Midfield | Virginia |
| Shane Sturgis | 16th | Attack | Penn State |
| Stephen Peyser | 20th | Midfield | Johns Hopkins |
| Lee Coppersmith | 22nd | Midfield | Johns Hopkins |
| Cody Jamieson | 38th | Attack | Syracuse |
| Chris Piccirilli | 46th | Defense | Villanova |
| Anthony Biscardi | 54th | Midfield | UMass |
| Matt Poskay | 70th | Midfield | Virginia |
| Andrew Casimir | 78th | Defense | Dowling |
| Max Van Bourgondien | 86th | Midfield | Cornell |
| Rhamel Bratton | 94th | Midfield | Virginia |
| Chris Coppolecchia | After Round 12 | Defense | Quinnipiac |
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