May 31, 2012

By Marta Lawrence
NCAA.org

Shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, Nick LoRusso was deciding what college he would attend. The Long Island, N.Y., native knew he wanted to play Division I lacrosse and with the memory of the Twin Towers fresh in his mind, Army seemed a logical choice.

He was one of the first classes to attend the Academy after the attacks and he committed knowing there was the distinct possibility of going to war--a fact that took some getting used to for his parents.

Like many mothers Elizabeth LoRusso was scared by the idea of her son being in harm's way, but her oldest son Nick started a family tradition that has forced his mother to come to terms with the reality of military service.

Nick and his three brothers - Kevin, Brian and Larry - all decided to play lacrosse at Army. Three of them played on the same team and two of them were team captains. All of them enrolled knowing they could face combat.

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