Eipp Selected By Rochester Rattlers in MLL Collegiate Draft

Three years ago, Harvard men’s lacrosse midfielder Daniel Eipp led the Crimson to the Ivy League Championship game, tallying a goal and an assist in Harvard’s 12-8 upset of Penn in the semifinal match. This Friday, the 5’10”, 180-pounder was recognized for his talents at the highest level when the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse took him with the 32nd pick in 14th MLL Collegiate Draft.

With the fourth round draft choice, Eipp became the fifth player in Harvard program history to be drafted by an MLL team and the first since when former teammates Kevin Vaughn ’12 and Daniel DiMaria ’12 were taken 14th and 41st, respectively, in the 2012 draft.

The Syracuse, NY native has scored 46 goals in just 36 games in his three-year collegiate career and has accolades such as being the NEILA All-New England Rookie of the Year and a sophomore All-Ivy second-teamer.

Eipp posted his best statistics as a sophomore, when he was second on the Crimson in total points scored, 42. A knee injury midway through junior year kept him out of eight games and perhaps pushed him a few slots down the draft board.

Even with the minor setback, the midfielder not only has earned high honors as a collegiate athlete but also has played at the international level. Competing on the Under-19 U.S. National Team for the 2012 Lacrosse World Championships in Finland, Eipp was one of eight American players to score in the United States’ 10-8 win over Canada for the U-19 team’s seventh straight gold medal.

The former high school All-American, who told laxmagazine.com for his US National Team biography that the best advice he received from a coach was to “Dream big, but take it one day at a time and give your best”, now has the chance to take the step of a lifetime.

Immediately after Eipp completes his senior campaign at the College, he will have the opportunity to sign with the Rattlers and compete for the professional team. But with Major League Lacrosse schedule beginning on April 26, the same day Harvard faces off against New Haven rival Yale, Eipp won’t be able to make the switch, should he choose to, until after the Ivy League Tournament in early May.

—Staff writer Caleb Lee can be reached at caleblee@college.harvard.edu.