In an era of early recruiting commitments, with high school sophomores and even freshmen, deciding where their college destinations will be, Graham Savio’s story is all the more unique.
The recent Greenwich High School (Conn.) graduate had received limited recruiting interest prior to the start of the 2013 spring season.
But after several dominant performances in the faceoff X, the midfielder’s stock suddenly soared.
“He just went under radar until this season where he won close to 80 percent of his faceoffs,” Greenwich coach Scott Bulkley said. “His breakout really came against Chaminade when he won over 80 against one of the best FOGOs on the Island (Hofstra University-bound Kris Clarke in a 12-5 loss on May 4).”
After drawing strong interest from several of the nation’s top programs, Savio finally decided on 2012 NCAA Division I national champion Loyola just days after his graduation ceremonies, as first reported at Twitter.com/Joe_Lombardi.
Savio, who was named a US Lacrosse All-American, has made a rapid rise after first giving faceoffs a try as a freshman, shortly after starting playing the sport just a year earlier.
“Graham is one of those kids who just outworks his competition,” Bulkley said. “He is very dedicated to the craft of facing off and put in countless hours of practice to make himself the best FOGO in the area.”
Now, here’s a Q&A with Graham on his commitment.
What were your college options prior to this past season? Where were you planning on going?
Prior to the start of this season, I did not have many lacrosse specific options. High Point University did show interest in me as well as some of the NESCAC schools, but I did not receive any hard commitments from a specific academic institution.
What were the main factors in your decision to attend Loyola?
Loyola represents everything that I was looking for in a school. Loyola has both excellent academics and an amazing lacrosse program.
At Loyola, I will be able to experience the vast spectrum of majors, an accomplished coaching staff, and top of the line athletic facilities.
When did you first start drawing interest from D-I programs, and what colleges?
I started to draw some attention towards the latter part of my senior season. I received interest from Bryant University, the University of Denver and the University of Richmond, as well as Loyola of Maryland.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
I was considering attending Gettysburg. I did make a visit there, as well as to Bryant, Denver and Loyola.
When did you first start taking faceoffs and what steps did you take through the years to improve?
I started taking faceoffs during my freshman year and found that I really enjoyed the physical and technical aspects of the position.
For me, it all boiled down to practice and physical training. I spend a great amount of time on my technique and timing, as well as with my strength and conditioning coach.
How did you get introduced to lacrosse and what other sports have you played?
I was introduced to lacrosse by my older brother KJ while I was in eighth grade. I have also played both football and baseball.
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Posted In: Connecticut, fciac, Recruiting Rundown
Amazing accomplishment Graham. What a great success story too.
Good job by him. With all these sophomore and freshmen committing it’s nice to see a story like this.
Welcome to the LU lax family Graham!