Sports

Sachem North's Mike Aronow Commits to Penn State

Sophomore will play Division I lacrosse for Nittany Lions.

Sachem North sophomore Michael Aronow gave a verbal commitment last week to play lacrosse at Penn State.

Aronow became the first Sachem athlete for the Class of 2014 to give a college commitment. He is one of 15 players on Sachem’s roster to commit to a college for lacrosse, including Division I prospects Tyler Andreassi (Massachusetts), Cody Petillo (Rutgers) and Jack Gannon (UMBC).

“I chose Penn State because it is an amazing school that offers the best in academics and athletics,” Aronow said. “I felt really comfortable there when I visited the campus. Committing as a sophomore was a little stressful because it’s easy to second guess yourself. I still have three varsity high school seasons to play at Sachem North. I can now focus on my studies and lacrosse and not have to think about college for now.”

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Aronow is the first Sachem alum since Anthony Basciano (East, Class of 2006) to play lacrosse at Penn State.

It’s been a quick, but eventful recruiting process for Aronow, who made his way around showcases and recruiting clinics across the east coast for the last year as much as any player in the country. He was heavily recruited by some of the top programs in the nation, including Maryland and Hofstra, among others.

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After the 2011 season he played on the Suffolk County Rising Sophomore Top 20 team, was an All-Star at Blue Chip 225 in the Elite Division, was mentioned for his play at the Jake Reed Camp this fall by Inside Lacrosse and also played all summer with the Sachem North varsity squad.

He played at the Lehigh Lax Fest, Long Island Lax Fest, Hogan Hero, Tri-State Lax, Hofstra Blue & Gold and Nor'Easter camps/showcases. In the fall he was also at tournaments at Stony Brook and Hofstra with Sachem.

“Michael is a great kid with tremendous athletic ability,” said Sachem coach Jay Mauro. “He has a great head on his shoulders. He understands that hard work pays off and the team comes first. I am very excited to watch him develop over the next three years."

Mauro is also proud of Aronow’s academic achievements, not getting below an 80 on his report card in any class.

“He takes pride in his academics,” said Mauro.

This season Penn State is ranked No. 4 in pre-season Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) polls. The Nittany Lions finished 2010 with a 7-7 record and advanced to their first appearance in the CAA tournament. Head coach Jeff Tambroni, entering his second season as head coach at Penn State this spring, is a marquee name and will likely bring this program to a new level in a short amount of time.

“Coach Tambroni and his staff made my choice easier because they are building a future National Championship team,” said Aronow, whose father Dave is President of the Sachem Sports Club and a former Sachem athlete from the 1980s.

Asked his thoughts on choosing Penn State just after it went through one of the worst publicized scandals in the modern era, Aronow said it did not weigh in his decision at all.

“Unfortunately all colleges get bad publicity at some point,” he said. “The things that happened at Penn State were horrible and those coaches are no longer there. That did not have any effect on my decision at all. Penn State is still Penn State; a great school that offers me unbelievable potential when I graduate. The lacrosse program at Penn State is going to be one of the best in the country in the years to come.”

Sachem Patch was first to break this news via Twitter last week.


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