Head of the Class

M. Lacrosse attack Andy CroftonM. Lacrosse attack Andy Croftoncan set the all-time goal markM. Lacrosse attack Andy Croftoncan set the all-time goal markin his final two games Sometimes an individual athlete's success is overshadowed by the failures of his team. Such has been the case for Penn men's lacrosse captain Andy Crofton. A senior and four-year starter at attack for the Quakers, Crofton is the shining star of a lacrosse program that has accumulated a combined 20-34 record over the past four seasons. "Andy came to college looking forward to being part of a successful program, and it's obviously disappointing to find himself part of a very small senior class and a real young team," Penn coach Terry Corcoran said. "He's had the courage and the mental toughness to put all that aside and come out and be a player." With 100 career goals to date in a Red and Blue uniform, Crofton is likely to break John Shoemaker's Penn record of 101 career goals during one of this season's final two unplayed games. Crofton's 81 career assists place him third all-time for Penn, and his 181 total career points place him 11 points behind the record which is held by Chris Conforti. Thus, an extraordinary final two-game effort by Crofton would also put him in a position to tie or break Penn's career points record. "My freshman year when I started and had as many goals and points as I did, I knew that if I played for four years it was going to be close," Crofton said. "It's something that during the hard times when the team wasn't successful, when I wasn't happy with the way things were going for the team, it was kind of a personal drive that kept me going. "I've had personal success, but I would give it all up if we could win games. If I get the record [against Adelphi] and we don't win the game, it's not going to mean all that much to me. Anyone that's competitive and a real winner would give up personal achievements for team success." Crofton is a native of Garden City, N.Y., where he lead his high school team to Long Island championships as a junior and a senior. After being named all-county and his team's MVP his senior year, he opted to enroll at Penn instead of Harvard. Crofton's younger brother, Douglas, currently attends Harvard and plays midfield for their varsity lacrosse team. Andy and Douglas played against one another both last season and this season, with Douglas' Crimson prevailing over Penn in both contests. "The first reason I came to Penn was because of academics, and the second reason was to play lacrosse," Crofton said. Crofton's dream of an Ancient Eight Championship at Penn has gone unfulfilled. The Quakers have accumulated a 3-20 Ivy League record over the past four years and are currently in the midst of a 15-game Ivy League losing streak. "The first two years I played here went by, and then they fired the coach [G.W. Mix]," Crofton said. "And obviously when you're bringing in a new coach, you're re-starting. So my whole four years here have always been rebuilding years, and I've never really been on the team when we're not young or when it's not a new coach getting experience. Yeah, it's been frustrating." But Crofton's presence on the Penn squad has kept the program afloat and has undoubtedly helped the team's younger players improve and develop into quality Division I players. "Andy has done a super job," Corcoran said. "He certainly draws a lot of attention and is a big name for the team. When we line up against the opposition, he's somebody who usually draws the top defender. I think a lot of defenses have been prepared to stop Andy. "What's been real, real important is that he's come out every day and kept real focused and been real positive on the younger guys. It's easy when you lose a couple of games to just fold up your tent and go home. But Andy has shown that day-in, day-out ability to muscle through the tough times." And his influence on the freshmen and sophomores on this year's team will inevitably contribute to any improvements the Penn program may experience during the next few years. Crofton will have two final chances to leads the younger players. Tonight, the Red and Blue take on Adelphi at a neutral sight. With a 3-9 record, Penn will challenge the Panthers at 7:00 p.m. at Mitchell Park. "My best memory of lacrosse is the friends I've made here," Crofton said. "It's been a struggle, but it hasn't been for nothing. I think it's made myself and my senior teammates stronger people?And will I get satisfaction in the end if these younger guys win and I were a part of building it? "No question about it."

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