If you’ve been following our updates from the newsroom of our Lacrosse Insider premium coverage section, you know by now that Lafayette College has emerged as a presence in the world of Division I recruiting.
Most of those verbals have come from standouts in the nation’s No. 1 hotbed for lacrosse, the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut region.
But the Leopards’ latest commit is from well beyond the tristate.
He’s Trip Wray, an attackman from the Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Ga.
Wray had 33 goals and 28 assists this past spring and was a big reason Westminster won the Georgia state title. As a freshman, Wray registered 27 goals and 16 assists and started every game on varsity.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Wray, a lefty, is a feeder/finisher with outstanding field vision who is equally strong with either hand and an adept dodger from X. You can watch his highlight reel here.
Wray’s father, Chris, served in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2003 to 2005 as the 33rd Assistant Attorney General in charge of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division.
What were the main factors in your decision?
The main factors for me were how comfortable and at home I felt on campus and especially with (Head) Coach (Jim) Rogalski, (Assistant) Coach (Matt) Musci, (Assistant) Coach (Ed) Williams and the players, Lafayette’s strength academically, and my confidence that the program is on the rise in the Patriot League and in D-I.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
I was strongly considering Bucknell, Brown, Colgate and Villanova. I took visits at Bucknell, Brown and Colgate.
What area of your game do you need to work on?
I’d like to improve all aspects of my game, of course, but I would particularly like to keep improving my explosiveness, the quickness of my hands in close, and my dodge and shot selection.
How did you get introduced to lacrosse and what other sports have you played?
I first learned to play lacrosse growing up in Bethesda, but it was through my coaches in Atlanta that it really became my focus.
What travel team do you play on what showcase events did you participate in?
I have played club lacrosse for Thunder for the past three to four years, and played at NSCLA, Crab City Challenge and Best of the Best this past summer. I also played for the Atlanta Shockers at King of the Hill, and played for the FCA National team at the Dick’s NDP tournament (and will do so again this year). I played at Maverik Showtime each of the past two summers.
Any final thoughts?
I’m very excited to join Lafayette in 2015 and would like thank all the many coaches who have helped me, especially Coaches Tony Souza, Jeff Lowe and Kevin Hudson at Westminster, and my Thunder coaches, like Coach Mike Rabbitt.
I owe a special thanks to Coach Wesley Speaks, who worked out with me on a ton of weekends and evenings over the past six years and has been a great mentor and friend.
Have a recruiting commitment to report? Email us at info@laxlessons.com or joe@laxlessons.com or send a Tweet to @Joe_Lombardi or @LaxLessons.
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Posted In: Beyond the Northeast, Recruiting Rundown
If Northview played Lafayette, it’d be run clock by the second half.
Congrats to Trip though.