Rye Lacrosse Standout Bound for Binghamton

It was a month Michael Collins won't soon forget.

It started with the Rye senior learning he had earned a spot on the scholastic men's lacrosse team that represented the Hudson Valley in the 32nd Empire State Games, held July 21-25 in Buffalo.

And it ended with Collins making a verbal commitment to accept a scholarship offer from Binghamton University.

"Binghamton is an academics-first school," Collins said. "The coaches had focused on that from the day I was in contact with them."

Collins also said Binghamton's undergraduate enrollment of around 12,000 and the comfort level he felt after meeting the coaches were also important factors in his decision.

"The size was also a perfect for me," Collins said. "Coach (Ed) Stephenson and Coach (Kevin) McKeown are awesome guys and really made me feel welcome."

After helping Rye advance to the Class C sectional final for the sixth straight year, the 5'9", 165-pound left-handed defenseman performed well in several recruiting events, including the Section 1 All-Star Shootout at John Jay High School in Cross River on June 18.

"I would say my strengths are my speed, footwork, and stick skills," Collins said.  "I would describe my style of play as fast paced and always looking to push transition."

That style of play caught the eye of several Division I college programs besides Binghamton, including Siena, Marist, Fairfield, Sacred Heart and Air Force and Division III power Franklin & Marshall. In addition to Binghamton, Collins made visits to Siena, Sacred Heart and Franklin & Marshall.

Collins plans to spend plenty of time the next year preparing to play at the next level.

"I think I definitely need to get in the weight room," he said.  "I have a smaller frame and it is a must that I pack on more muscle.  I also could work more on my off-ball defense."

It was this time last year when Collins realized he had the potential to play Division I lacrosse after competing in the Battle of the Hotbeds Camp at the University of Delaware.

"During that tournament, I was selected to the all-star team, and had the opportunity to play in front of coaches like Dave Pietramala (Johns Hopkins) and Joe Breschi (North Carolina)," he said.

Along the way, Collins has gotten a big assist from teammates in improving his skills.

"Although he does not play the same position as me I've always looked up to our goalie Mike Linehan," Collins said. "Since my first year on varsity as a sophomore, he has always been there for me.  I respect his work ethic more than anyone I know. He is always pushing people to get better and better."