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Playing three sports has helped Chris Zanelli become an appealing college recruit in lacrosse.

The junior midfielder at New Jersey power Summit has a combination of strength and speed developed through playing football and skills and unselfishness acquired by playing hockey.

Zanelli’s college destination is Providence College, a commitment first reported by Joe Lombardi when it was made Oct. 8 from the newsroom of LaxLessons.com’s premium coverage section, Lacrosse Insider.

“I feel that my biggest strength is in the transition game,” the 5-foot-9, 175-pound righty said. “I love to get the ball up the field and try to get the offense going.  I take pride and work hard in picking up ground balls, playing defense and being a team player. I would describe my style of play as blue collar and aggressive.’

Now, here’s a Q&A with Chris on his commitment.

What were the main factors in your decision?
Providence had everything I was looking for in a college: great academics, the right size for me and a competitive Division I lacrosse program.  (Providence Head) Coach (Chris) Gabrielli, (Assistant) Coach (Brett) Holm and (Assistant) Coach (John) Galloway all spent a lot of time with me during the recruiting process not only discussing lacrosse, but other aspects of the college as well.

I really enjoyed spending time with each one of them and it became pretty clear to me the commitment the coaches and college have made to the program.

What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
I’ve made a lot of visits starting in my sophomore year and initially had no idea what I was looking for in a school. It was great for me to see the variety of schools that I did because it helped to understand what was really important to me when narrowing down my options.

I visited Michigan, Ohio State, Syracuse, Rutgers, Delaware, Villanova, UMass, Harvard, Loyola, UPenn, Hofstra, St Joe’s and Providence.

In the end, the schools I strongly considered were Syracuse, UMass, St Joe’s, Delaware, UPenn, Harvard and Providence.

What area of your game do you need to work on?
All areas of my game need work.  Specifically, being more of a threat with the stick in my left hand and dodging from up top.

How did you get introduced to lacrosse and what other sports have you played?
By my dad when I was in first grade. My dad played lacrosse and has coached at both the youth and high school level for many years, so it was only natural for me to take up the sport.

What travel team do you play on what showcase events did you participate in?
I play for Summit Futures and STEPS All-Stars in the summer.  I attended Jake Reed’s Nike Blue Chip as both a Rising Sophomore and Rising Junior, Jersey Strong Showcase, Rutgers MVP Tournament, UPLax, Summer Slam, Legacy Lacrosse Invitational, National High School Lacrosse Showcase and FLG in 3D.

Any final thoughts?
I would like to thank my parents for all they’ve done and their support.  I would also like to thank my high school coach, Jim Davidson, for his guidance throughout the recruiting process.