Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Stevens to Host Warrior MLL Draft Festivities

BOSTON, Mass. (March 25, 2008) – Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, today announced that the 2008 Warrior Major League Challenge and Collegiate Draft will take place on Wednesday, May 28 at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J., according to MLL Commissioner David Gross.

“Major League Lacrosse is pleased to hold this event at Stevens,” said Commissioner Gross. “We appreciate the cooperation of Director of Athletics Russell Rogers and the rest of the staff at Stevens as a lot of preparation goes into making this day a success. The facilities at Stevens are first-rate and the location right along the Hudson can’t be matched. The draft is always a big event for us, but this year has the potential to be one of the most important drafts in the eight year history of the league.”

The Warrior Major League Challenge, an all-star game featuring invited college seniors and played under MLL Rules, begins at 5 p.m. EST and will take place at the De Baun Athletic Complex. Following the game, the 2008 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft will begin at 8 p.m. and will once again be broadcast live on ESPNU. The draft will be conducted in the Bissinger Room, situated on the fourth floor of the Wesley J. Howe Center located on the Stevens campus. Both events are open to the public.

"We are very pleased to bring the Warrior Major League Challenge and Collegiate Draft to our campus in May,” added Rogers. “This is a great way to promote the sport of lacrosse, and we look forward to what should certainly be a very exciting day.”

Each spring, Major League Lacrosse invites approximately 40 of the top graduating college lacrosse players to participate in the event. Invitations are based on the recommendations of both MLL and college coaches, overall collegiate performance, and statistical evaluation. This is the first year that the event has been held at Stevens.


For the players, the day begins at 9 a.m. when they report for registration, orientation, and physicals. Also in the morning, the players will attend a presentation conducted by Northeastern University’s Center for Sport in Society. Throughout the day, athletes will also have the chance to speak with representatives from each of the MLL teams.


For the second consecutive year, EXACT Sports will also be on hand to administer a series of tests to the athletes designed to measure speed, strength, and agility. After the results have been complied, they will be distributed to the teams and will be used as an additional evaluation tool leading up to the draft.

The Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft is made up of five rounds, with each round consisting of ten picks. The New Jersey Pride currently hold the most picks of any MLL team with nine. The Philadelphia Barrage hold just two picks in this year’s draft. The 2008 Major League Lacrosse season begins on Saturday, May 17.

Additional league information can be found at
www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.

From the Stevens Ducks website - Brian Granata

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