David Foster was originally only going to play football at Cortland, but his passion for lacrosse was too strong to give the sport up in college.
Foster, who graduated from Sachem East in 2013, has started six of 11 games on defense for the Red Dragons, and was tight end on the football team in the fall.
“Originally, I wanted to play lacrosse in college but at the last minute I switched to football,” he said. “I enjoyed this football season, but I felt that competing for a national championship would be that much better. My parents played a huge support role in this switch and I’m very content with my decision. I have never participated on a team that plays with such high intensity all the time so it is a huge transition.”
The 6-foot-4 Foster is part of a lacrosse program at Cortland that has played in five of the last eight NCAA Division III National Championship games. The Red Dragons last won titles in 2009 and 2006. They are regularly ranked as one of the top programs in the country.
Foster was an integral leader on Sachem East’s football and lacrosse teams as an upperclassman.
“Balancing work and athletics can be hard at times, but playing on the football team first semester taught me time management,” he said.
He credits a sibling rivalry he has with his brother (Albany) and sisters (Cornell and Sachem East), with his own solid grades.
“All three of them are very intelligent so we all are constantly competing,” he said.
Cortland lacrosse competes in the State University of New York Athletic Conference. The Red Dragons are 8-3 this season as of April 5.
CORRECTION: It was previously stated that David Foster caught the game-winning touchdown against Connetquot in 2012 for Sachem East. That was actually Ryan Dippel.
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro