Michael Colleluori

Classroom

Michael has been a member of the Hofstra Athletics Academic Honor Roll and received the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award from 2006-09.  He completed an internship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in the Oncology Department and plans to join the research team at the hospital following graduation and take classes to qualify for medical school and become a physician.  He is in pursuit of a degree is community health.

Character

While Michael has been a key member of the program for the past three years, his main contribution to the Pride program may be from his heart and spirit. In November 2006 his brother Nick, who played for Hofstra as a freshman in 2005, lost a courageous 14-month battle with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Nick was forced to sit out the 2006 lacrosse season while undergoing treatment leaving his little brother, then a freshman, at Hofstra worrying about his brother. While Michael looked forward to playing with his older brother in 2007, Nick’s condition became hopeful during the early summer of 2006 and then took a turn for the worse in late August.

The brothers’ love was clearly apparent and Nick’s strength and courage inspired and made Michael able to cope. In the final weeks of Nick’s life, Michael took a temporary leave of absence to spend with his brother and help with Nick’s creation of the HEADstrong Foundation to raise awareness and fight the disease.

Community

Michael’s brother’s strength has become his own strength and the younger Colleluori has picked up his brother’s cause and creation and many of the charitable branches that it has developed. Ever-mindful of his brother’s spirit, Michael has worked tirelessly to honor his brother’s memory and fight the battle against non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  The past two years over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday breaks, Michael has volunteered at a soup kitchen, and at hospitals serving meals and helping others cope. He presented the first Hofstra University Athletics-Nick Colleluori Unsung Hero awards last May. He is vice-president of the HEADstrong Foundation and the many charitable events and activities it entails. He founded and is president of LEAN ON ME, which is a support group focusing on young adults who are dealing with the loss of a loved one.

During the summer of 2008, Michael completed an internship in the Oncology Department at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP). After he graduates from Hofstra in May with a degree in Community Health, Michael has already received permission and plans to join the research team at HUP. During that time he plans to take classes to qualify for medical school and become a physician.  Through a terrible tragedy, Michael and the entire Colleluori family have dedicated themselves to helping others afflicted by this disease, assisting their families, and helping with the search for a cure. The second annual Nick Colleluori Memorial Lacrosse Tournament at Ridley High School in Pennsylvania last October raised over $150,000 and continues to grow.  In addition, Michael takes time to volunteer as a youth lacrosse coach.

Competition

Hofstra University men’s lacrosse midfielder Michael Colleluori will conclude his college career in 2009. Over the past three seasons he has played in 47 games and recorded 29 goals and 23 assists for 52 points with 37 career ground balls. Last season, he posted a career-best 25 points and led the team in assists while in 2007 he tallied a career-best 15 goals…Fourth season on the Pride lacrosse roster…2008: Played in all 16 games as a junior…Was sixth on the team in points, but led the team and ranked 68th in the country in assists with 15…Recorded 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points…Tallied two goals at both Drexel and North Carolina…Had a season-high three assists in the CAA semifinals against Delaware and two against Drexel, Delaware and Stony Brook during the regular season and Drexel in the CAA title game…Posted a season-high four-points (2-2) at Drexel during the regular season and three points against Stony Brook, and Delaware and Drexel in the CAA Championship…Recorded man-up goals against Towson, Army and Sacred Heart…Tallied at least one point in 11 consecutive games before the NCAA Tournament…Picked up 12 ground balls on the year, including three in the CAA title game at Drexel and two at Stony Brook, and at Johns Hopkins in the NCAA Championship…Took 49 shots, including a season-high six at Stony Brook…Received the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award and was a member of the Hofstra Athletics Academic Honor Roll…2007: Played in all 14 games and started eight as a sophomore…Ranked fourth on the team in points with 19 and was second in goals with 15…Tallied multiple-goal games six times, including a season-high three goals at Sacred Heart…Also posted two goals against Massachusetts, Princeton, Villanova, Robert Morris and Stony Brook…Had four assists on the season…Was tied for the team lead with seven man-up goals, including two each in games against Princeton, Robert Morris and Sacred Heart, and had the game-winning goal in the season opener against Massachusetts…Picked up 17 ground balls, including four against Villanova, and three against Princeton and Sacred Heart…Took 52 shots, including 28 on goal…2006: Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie Team selection…Played in 17 games as a freshman with 13 starts…Ranked ninth on the team in scoring with four goals and four assists for eight points…Tallied two goals in CAA Semifinals against Villanova…Also notched goals against Sacred Heart and Robert Morris…Recorded an assist in his first college game at Massachusetts…Posted assists against Towson, Villanova and Delaware…Took 23 shots and picked up eight ground balls…Had two ground balls against Sacred Heart.