By Ed Morrone

When time ran out of Nick Colleluori’s life on Tuesday morning, doctors would say he lost his battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. However, considering the sheer tenacity and valor that Colleluori fought the disease with, there is simply no way he could be called a loser. Not in sports, not in life, not in anything.

Colleluori, whose brother Michael is a sophomore midfielder on the Hofstra lacrosse team, played in all 16 games as a freshman defender for the Pride during the 2005 lacrosse season. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in Sept. 2005 and waged a courageous battle with the disease before passing away at the age of 21. Nick was on the road to recovery and even had ambitions of suiting up for the Pride this season.

“The Hofstra community is deeply saddened by the loss of Nick Colleluori,” Hofstra Director of Athletics Jack Hayes said. “He was an outstanding representative of Hofstra Athletics and will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Colleluori family.”

The Pride traveled to Colleluori’s home in Holmes, Pa., to visit with their friend and teammate one final time for what head coach Seth Tierney called an “emotional and inspiring visit.”

“Yesterday, we were blessed to spend several hours with Nick and his family at their home,” said Tierney, who took over the lacrosse program in August when longtime head coach John Danowski took the coaching job at Duke. “The team sat around his recliner and Nick took over. He told some funny stories of his Hofstra days and that put everyone at ease. There were many watery eyes but there was a lot of laughter, too.”

Tierney also said that Colleluori was “a wonderful, caring person” and though he only knew him for a short time, “I feel like I’ve known him all my life.”

Colleluori is survived by his parents, Pat and Cheryl, his brothers Michael, Dan and Patrick, his fiancée, Jordan Costa, and countless friends in the Hofstra community and beyond.

Funeral services for Colleluori will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 2130 Franklin Avenue, in Morton, Pa., on Saturday, Dec. 2. Public viewing will be held from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. with a funeral Mass at noon.