BEVERLY, Mass. — Former Endicott men's lacrosse standout Reed Rezanka '21 (San Diego, Calif.) became the program's first-ever National Lacrosse League (NLL) Entry Draft selection on Saturday night when he was picked 67th overall (fifth round) by the San Diego Seals.
"We are extremely proud of Reed. He has been a Swiss army knife of a student-athlete as a 'do it all' midfielder over the past four years at Endicott," said Gulls' head coach Eric Hagarty '10 M'11. "Making the transition to the box game is not an easy one. His selection in the NLL Draft is a credit to his athleticism, coachability, and team-first mentality. Reed is an extremely hard worker that brings grit and toughness to the teams he is part of. It is a great honor to see student-athletes from Endicott drafted into professional lacrosse leagues."
Rezanka is the second student-athlete in program history to move on to the NLL ranks joining face-off specialist John Ortolani '09 (Billerica, Mass.) on the list. Following graduation in 2009, Ortolani was signed by the Boston Blazers and went on to play two seasons with the club.
Additionally, Rezanka is now the ninth student-athlete in program history to be signed or drafted by a professional lacrosse team joining Patrick Gaffney '07, Ortolani, Hagarty, Harrison Cotter '15, Cameron Bell '16, Tommy Hughes '17, Colin Bannon '17, and Will Jennings '17 who have all been signed and/or drafted to Major League Lacrosse (MLL) teams in their respective storied careers.
During his time as a Gull, Rezanka aided the men's lacrosse program to a 32-24 overall record (.571, only played five games in 2020), a 20-3 mark in conference play (.870), one Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) championship (2021), and three conference title appearances (2018-19, 2021).
Rezanka also compiled several individual honors including a selection to the 2021 All-CCC Second Team, New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) All-Region Honorable Mention accolades, and NEILA All-Academic Team honors.
Rezanka, who obtained his Bachelor of Science in sport management with a minor in communication at Endicott, will begin play with San Diego Seals on December 3-4 as part of the NLL's Face Off Weekend, which will feature six games across North America.
To find out more about the NLL's 2021-22 schedule click here: 2021-22 NLL Schedule/Realignment Procedures
MORE ABOUT THE NLL
Founded in 1986, the NLL ranks third in average attendance for pro indoor sports worldwide, behind only the NHL and NBA. The League is comprised of 15 franchises across the United States and Canada: Albany FireWolves, Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, Halifax Thunderbirds, Las Vegas NLL, New York Riptide, Panther City Lacrosse Club (Fort Worth, TX), Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, San Diego Seals, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock, and Vancouver Warriors.
Box lacrosse is played inside the confines of an ice hockey rink, with glass and rink boards intact. The playing surface consists of a green dieter turf carpet that is laid down over the hockey ice. Combined, teams score an average of approximately 25 goals per game.
Box lacrosse consists of four quarters, each fifteen minutes in length. A tied game at the end of regulation is decided in a sudden-death overtime. There are no tie games in professional box lacrosse. Each team has five runners (forwards, transition players, and defensemen) and a goaltender on the floor during the game. Each team dresses 19 players (17 runners and two goaltenders) per game, and the players rotate on and off the floor in shifts, similar to ice hockey.
MORE ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO SEALS
The San Diego Seals are a team in the 35-year-old National Lacrosse League, the world's only professional box lacrosse league. The league ranks third in average attendance for professional indoor sports worldwide, behind the NBA and NHL. San Diego joined the league in the 2018-19 season.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)
