March 19, 2008

Garden City, N.Y. - On Wednesday March 19th, members of the Adelphi men's lacrosse team worked out with assistant coach Brian Spallina however, the workout occurred in the classroom. Spallina, a first grade teacher at the Smith Street School in Uniondale, New York, brought four players from the team into his classroom to meet the kids and help out.

The players assisted the students with their work while also explaining the sport of lacrosse and building an excitement for both academics and athletics. "It was exciting to see both parts of my professional career come together, specifically to see my players helping my students in the classroom," Spallina said. "Chad Henry, Joe Benson, Ian Kuchta and Christian Colantuoni are role models not just on the field but also off the field."

The school visit was the first in the Panthers community outreach program as the team will visit the Stratford Avenue School in Garden City in early April. "Visiting various schools and organizations and sharing our love for reading with elementary students is important," Head Coach Gordon Purdie explained. "It is exciting to see our Adelphi athletes give something back to the community."

The Panthers return to action on Friday, March 21, 2008 when they host St. Michael's College at 1:30 pm at James M. Shuart Stadium on the campus of Hofstra University.