PETRULLO APPOINTED AS HEAD MEN’S LACROSSE COACH AT MOLLOY

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (May. 28, 2009) - On Thursday afternoon, Molloy College announced the hiring of Eric Petrullo (Massapequa, N.Y.) as the head coach of its men's lacrosse program. Prior to this, he served as an assistant coach for the Lions under the tutelage of former coach Joe Catalanotti (Massapequa, N.Y.) from 2008-09. Petrullo was also an assistant coach at Holy Trinity High School, and is presently the Town of Hempstead Lacrosse League Coordinator and Lacrosse Camp Head Counselor.

"We are excited about Eric leading our men's lacrosse program. His knowledge of the lacrosse talent on Long Island, and his relationship with the coaches of the high schools and youth programs is a plus," stated Director of Athletics Susan Cassidy-Lyke. "His vision for the future of our program is consistent with what we expect of our athletic programs and our student-athletes. His involvement and contributions as an assistant coach for the past two seasons will make his transition to head coach seamless."

Last season, he helped to guide Molloy to a No. 4 national ranking in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division II tally. In the process, the Lions put together a 10-3 mark overall and a 3-3 record in East Coast Conference play. Petrullo also assisted in leading five players to All-ECC status. Plus, he was in part of the direction to place senior midfielder Keith Galante (Plainedge, N.Y.) and junior midfielder Albert Maione (West Islip, N.Y.) on the respective USILA All-America first- and second-team, respectively.

As a player, Petrullo spent four seasons at league foe New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, N.Y. A 1998 graduate, he worked hard in the midfield, and was a member of a Bears' team that claimed the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1997. Three years earlier, NYIT played for the title, but fell to Springfield College. Petrullo lives in Massapequa, N.Y. with his wife, Christine, and their daughters, Allison and Jaime.