On Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012, Abington seniors Ryan Ambler, Christopher Duffy and Matthew Figueroa were recognized at a special news conference for signing letters of intent to play collegiate lacrosse.
Ryan Ambler – Princeton University (Lacrosse)
Major: Possibly Psychology or Sociology but undecided
Final list of colleges: Princeton, Lehigh, Penn, Johns Hopkins, Drexel, Rutgers
Reasons for choosing Princeton: “Princeton is unique in its athletics and its academics, but they’re also unique as people. I think the work ethic and overall philosophy coach (Chris) Bates has fits well with the way that I play and the kind of person that I am. I’m pretty proud to say that I’m going to be part of his team and a university like Princeton. It’s been a grind, but I’m a a better person for it, a better student for it and definitely a better player for it.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate lacrosse? “My freshman year I had a pretty good year. My sophomore year I had an even better year, and going into that summer, I started to get some questionnaires from some Division One teams. By August, I visited Hopkins, and it seemed to me that I was going to find somewhere to play, but in going through a couple of visits, I just realized Princeton was the place for me, and I didn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Coach Ryan Greer says: “Ryan was basically our offensive captain on the field. It was like having a third coach out there for us. He’s very intelligent, he’s a very great person, and he’s a great lacrosse player with great athletic skills. Ryan was someone the whole team looked up to and followed. He was a great leader for us. Out of the left side, he had roughly 90 points and was just as good a finisher as an assist man, which really tells you what a well-balanced person he was on the field as a lacrosse player. Off the field, he was a great guy, which is the thing I liked the most.”
About Ryan:
Favorite food: Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Favorite movie: Scent of a Woman
Favorite music: ‘A little bit of everything.’
Chris Duffy – Hartford University (Lacrosse)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Hartford, High Point, Penn
Reasons for choosing Hartford: “I like the atmosphere up there. It’s nice and cold, and I love the winter. The campus is perfect – it’s not too big, and it’s not too small. The people seem really down to earth, and the coaching staff is really nice. I like their plans for the future and everything they have in store for me.
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate lacrosse? “In ninth grade, I only saw a little bit of time on the varsity field. It all came about in 10th grade when I started to get a few looks, and then in 11th grade, I got involved with a good club team – Dukes Lacrosse. Once that happened I started to get a lot of looks, started to get e-mails. Wet Bandits Lacrosse also helped me out – they also got my name out there, and Colin Ambler talked to a few coaches for me.”
Coach Ryan Greer says: “Chris was one of our defensive captains. He’s a two-sport athlete – he played football also. Chris was a great athlete and would always cover one of the best guys we could put him on. He’s a guy that showed up every day and gave 100 percent. You never had to worry about him slacking off. Everybody fed off him energy-wise, and he was the first person to tell anyone if they were slacking or not holding up their end of the bargain for us. He’s a great academic student, and he’s one of those guys who would be the first one to show up to practice and the last one to leave. He really was our blue collar worker.”
About Chris:
Favorite food: Hot Wings
Favorite movie: Shooter
Favorite music: ‘I like everything.’
Matt Figueroa – Hartford University (Lacrosse)
Major: Secondary Education
Final list of colleges: Hartford, Cabrini
Reasons for choosing Hartford: “I really liked the campus overall – it was really nice. It has the perfect amount of students, it has my major, and the coaches were great.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate lacrosse? “I started playing in sixth grade. I never really thought it would progress to the college level until my sophomore year when I started to get attention from coaches. That’s when I realized this could be possible.”
Coach Ryan Greer says: “Matt was a midfielder for us. He started off the year with a dislocated elbow, so he missed our first five games of the season. From then on, he was the right hand to the left hand of Ryan Ambler, and he was one of our two-headed monsters on offense. He pushed the ball whenever we needed to and really stayed on the field as much as he could. Matt was used as an offensive middie and a defensive middie for us. He’s kind of the unsung hero on our team. He doesn’t get a ton of accolades because he’s a midfielder, but he’s a guy who did the little things for us, whether it be ground balls, playing defense or just blocking off – doing those little things every team needs.”
About Matt:
Favorite food: Steak
Favorite movie: Taken
Favorite music: Blink 182
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