Buffalo, N.Y. (Sept. 10, 2009) – Former NYIT lacrosse player Matt Messina (Sayville, N.Y.) was selected in the fourth round of the 2009 National Lacrosse League (NLL) entry draft as the 38^th overall pick by the Boston Blazers. In May, Matt was also selected in the fourth round of the 2009 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) collegiate draft as the 30^th overall pick by the Boston Cannons. Furthermore, Matt is the only player from the NCAA Division II lacrosse to be drafted by both professional lacrosse leagues, this year.

NYIT’s interim head coach Bill Dunn shared his thoughts about the Messina and his impressive accomplishments “The NYIT lacrosse family is extremely excited to hear that Matt was drafted into the NLL. Matt was one of the hardest working players to come through NYIT lacrosse history and all of his hard work has paid off with this honor,” said Dunn.

This year Messina earned United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) First Team All-American honors, East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) First Team All-Stars in division II men’s lacrosse, and East Coast Conference (ECC) All-Conference First Team honors. He was also selected to play in the USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game. As a junior, Messina helped NYIT win the 2008 NCAA Division II National Championship, earning ECC All-Conference Second Team honors and USILA Second Team All-American honors that year. Messina, who finished his career at NYIT with 59 goals and 65 assists for a total of 124 points, is the third player in the program’s history to play in the NLL.