Laxmen Will Meet Cornell In First of Crucial Contests

This afternoon Tom Nicosia, Harvard's 71st lacrosse captain, will lead the surging Crimson varsity against a muscle-bound Cornell team in a game that he thinks "will give us the needed impetus to propel the team to the Ivy title."

"Actually these next three games (Cornell, Brown, and Princeton) will probably be the most important on our schedule," "Nick" said. "We have to take at least two of these games to stay in the race and if it comes to a showdown for the title, it'll be against Princeton."

"If we can beat Cornell, I think we can do it," he said. "We've been looking sharp in practice and team spirit is sky high. I've got an awful lot of confidence in our ability, and aside from needing more work on attack-midfield coordination, we'll be in top shape for Cornell."

Nicosia has always been confiedent when it comes to lacrosse. He was a standout midfielder at Manhasset High School on Long Island, a longtime breeding ground for some of the nation's top laxmen. Captaining the football and lacrosse teams his senior year, he took All-American honors for his midfield play.

Like most outstanding athletes who wind up at Harvard, Nick did not originally plan to come to Cambridge. Recruited by the U.S.'s top lacrosse schools, Johns Hopkins and Navy, he decided on Harvard after his father hinted that he was "not going to pay all that money just for me to play lacrosse."

Not Sorry

"I'm definitely not sorry that I came to a non-lacrosse school," Nick said. "We've got a lot of potential here and as captain I enjoy helping to shape it," he said. "And besides, it gives me added joy to beat a 100% lacrosse-oriented team like Rutgers or Princeton."

Nick started last year in his first season of varsity play and ranked fifth in scoring, with eight goals and four assists. Regarded by most observers as a strong team player, he concentrates more on assisting than on scoring goals.

"Naturally, I won't turn down a clear oportunity to score," he said, "but I really get more satisfaction out of setting up my midfield partner Jim Kilkowski for a difficult goal, than in shooting myself."

Small Starter

At 5-8 Nick is the smallest starter on the squad, but makes up for his lack of giant height with good speed and quick moves. "Lacrosse is great for a guy like me," he said, "because it's a blend of physical size and skill." "You just can't be a great all-around athlete to play lacrosse, and very often the lack of size is an advantage," he said. "That's why we do so well with so many guys under six feet," he added.

And as long as Nicosia keeps setting up Harvard scores and dodging around bigger opponents, the Crimson could fight their way to their first Ivy lacrosse championship since the league began.