Nikko Pontrello

Classroom

Pontrello has been an outstanding student in the classroom at Loyola where he has earned honors as a student in the Sellinger School of Business. He earned Sellinger Scholar honors in the spring of 2014 and was also a member of the Loyola Dean’s List. He was also a member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll as a junior in 2014.

During the summer of 2014, Pontrello completed an internship with MatchPoint Consulting Group in the Philadelphia area where he assisted the company in recruiting new clients.

Character

Pontrello was named a team co-captain for his leadership in the locker room and on the field by vote of his teammates and coaches. He also has been an active participant in the Loyola Leadership Academy in cooperation with Janssen Sports Leadership.

Community

Pontrello has been a volunteer youth lacrosse coach and a longtime member of the Headstrong Foundation. He has served more than 100 hours of community service with the lacrosse-oriented group and has personally raised more than $3,000 for blood cancer research.In addition to those activities, Pontrello has worked with Loyola’s Campus Ministry group to participate in the men’s lacrosse program’s “Homeless Hookups.” The program has reached out to less fortunate members of the Baltimore community at homeless shelters to distribute food and provide fellowship and support to the homeless.

Competition

Pontrello was a key member of Loyola’s 2012 NCAA Championship Team as just a freshman, and he then joined the starting lineup as a sophomore, scoring 16 goals and assisting on 19 in 2013. He burst onto the national scene with even more impact last year, earning Honorable Mention USILA All-America honors and First-Team All-Patriot League recognition after finishing fifth in NCAA Division I in goals per game (3.0). He scored 51 goals in 2014, the third-most in school single-season history and No. 3 in all of Division I last year. He scored a goal in all but one game and tallied two or more in 14 of 17 contests a year ago.

This year, Pontrello was a first-round draft pick of the Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Entry Draft when he was selected eighth overall by the Denver Outlaws.

Pontrello was also named to the Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America Second Team prior to the start of the 2015 campaign.