The Hofstra University women’s lacrosse team returned to the field for the first time in nearly five months to host the 17th annual Nick Colleluori Classic along with the HEADstrong Foundation on Sunday, Oct. 6, at James M. Shuart Stadium.

Bucknell University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Manhattan College and Stony Brook University all participated.

While each team competed, using Sunday’s games as an opportunity to see what next season’s teams could look like, the day was bigger than lacrosse.

“Really excited to get everyone out there and get everyone opportunities to showcase what we’ve been working on,” said Hofstra head coach Shannon Smith. “More importantly just the overall feel of today, being part of the HEADstrong event with the Colleluori family and what it means to represent the HEADstrong family…I think it’s unbelievable to give back and be a part of that community to show the love and support out there.”

Nick Colleluori played for the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team in 2005, starting in all 16 games that season before being diagnosed with Diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that targets the lymphatic system. Nick Colleluori started the HEADstrong Foundation later that year to raise awareness and support for those battling cancer.

“I think Nick really just was selfless, and he had experienced this firsthand and thought ‘I really want to use my platform to make others aware,’” said Cheryl Colleluori, Nick’s mother and the president of the HEADstrong Foundation. “He found himself here, it was his home away from home and he loved it, but he recognized a lack of resources available to families.”

Nick Colleluori’s impact reaches far outside just Hofstra, with 77 schools participating in the foundation’s fall events. As of Sunday, the foundation has raised over $130,000 this year alone with more events set through Nov. 2.

All funds raised go to support individuals and their families across the country in their fights with cancer as well as going toward the Nick’s House Program, an initiative that provides free housing and access to healthcare that may only be available in certain parts of the country.

“He told me that this brotherhood, this lacrosse community, student-athletes will always be able to resonate because that’s who he was…and he was so right,” Colleluori said. “This has given us tremendous purpose to be able to impact lives in his name.”

“In 2011 we opened our first Nick’s House, an 8,000 square foot, 7-bedroom home in Philadelphia, and we allow people to access healthcare and affordability because it’s all free of charge thanks in large part to supporters and events like this,” Collelouri said. “In May we opened a second in Boston…our plans are to continue to expand. Next up on our docket we are exploring Duke and the Durham area.”

Hofstra athletics has continued to honor Nick’s legacy in various ways beyond the Nick Colleluori classic. Nick’s jersey, is still assigned to a Hofstra student athlete who embodies the qualities of selflessness and team spirit that Nick valued dearly. As well as the Nick Colleluori Unsung Hero Award which recognizes senior student-athletes that impact their team in ways that go beyond the stat sheet. These efforts have not gone unnoticed by his family.

“He was just so happy here, so to have to leave that to go home for treatment was really gut-wrenching for all of us,” Colleluori said. “The University itself has never forgotten him, and I as a parent can’t tell you what that means. It’s immeasurable. The fact that Nick’s spirit lives on here is just a tremendous honor for us as a family, for me, as a mother, my heart is filled with gratitude.”

Sunday also saw the presentation of the Nick Colleluori Award which is presented to one player from each team in honor of exemplifying the player, person and teammate that Nick Colleluori was. The recipients of this year’s award were Hofstra’s Brynn Hepting, Bucknell’s Regan Sansiviero, Manhattan’s Stony Brook’s Isabella Caporuscio and Fairleigh Dickinson’s Mia Devino.

“[Hepting]’s very selfless. I think she always sees the best in people. She’s very intuitive and well-spoken and is able to hold people accountable, but also be there for someone to lean on who needs support,” Smith said. “She has displayed toughness both on and off the field and I think that it was very well-deserved for her being a senior as well.”

More information on Nick’s story and the HEADstrong Foundation can be found at headstrong.org or on Facebook, Instagram or X @HEADstrongFnd.

The Pride played two more games this month, taking on both University of Albany and Cornell University in Albany, New York on Saturday, Oct. 12.

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Antonio Giammarino Jr.