Junior co-captain Craig Andrzejewski has a brother on a professional lacrosse team, but he's not letting that overshadow his own accomplishments: Craig is making a name for himself as the Quakers' offensive leader.
After his brother D.J. departed for the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse following the 2005-06 season, Andrzejewski (pronounced andrew-JEFF-ski) assumed a starting role. He has made the most of it, earning second-team All-Ivy and honorable mention All-America honors last season.
"We're expecting a really big year out of him," coach Brian Voelker said. "He's going to be a big leader on our team, the captain as a junior. He's going to be the quarterback out there."
Growing up outside Baltimore, D.J. and Craig both became active in lacrosse because, as Craig says, "in Maryland, playing lacrosse is what you do."
The two consistently trained with each other and worked toward improving each other's games.
"We practiced as often as we could," D.J. said. "It was always nice having someone as competitive as Craig to practice against. I think it made us both better."
D.J. became a standout for the Quakers from 2003-2006, earning honorable mention All-Ivy his final three years. Like Craig, he served as captain for his junior year.
After Craig graduated from the St. Paul's School, he was debating going to Cornell or Penn. Voelker jokes that the decision was a no-brainer.
"He had to come here," Voelker said. "I was the only coach who could actually spell his name correctly."
Craig cited his brother as a reason for his choice, but was not "not a huge factor," as he knew he would only be playing with D.J. for a year.
For D.J., though, that year was "the best experience I've ever had playing lacrosse in my entire life."
After the his brother graduated, Craig moved from midfield to attack and became the Quakers' primary offensive weapon. He led the team in goals, assists and points by wide margins. Nationally, he finished ninth in points per game and tenth in assists per game.
These statistics, along with clutch performances against Dartmouth - when he won the game with two goals in the final two minutes - and against Lehigh, when he scored nine points in a one-goal game, led Voelker to refer to Andrzejewski as the team's most valuable player.
Even though D.J. has moved onto the professional ranks, D.J. and Craig remain in close contact, advising each other as "mutual mentors."
Craig knows that with his last name and his success last year, opponents will likely watch him closely.
"I have to play a lot harder this year," he said. "People are definitely going to be going after me a little more."
And, while he does not like to think too hard about his future, with continued success and a little mentoring from his big brother, he may hear his own name called in the 2009 MLL draft.
