Dennis Township native Bobby Smith returned to Division I Lacrosse Final Four last week as a long stick midfielder for the University of Notre Dame. It was Smith’s second trip to the event, which was won by Loyola of Maryland.
“It was still very exciting to make it that far and I’m very proud of my teammates,” said Smith, who prepares to leave South Jersey next week for a job with PNC Bank in Pittsburgh. “It might not have been as amazing as it was to get there for the first time as an underclassman but we all had just as much appreciation and gratitude for making it that far.”
The son of Fred and Jean Smith, Bobby excelled at hockey as a youngster before trying lacrosse for the first time as a seventh grader. It was meant to supplement his primary sport but it turned into much more. He attended high school at Lawrenceville Prep for the academics and to play for the hockey team, but it was lacrosse that earned him a scholarship to play for the Fighting Irish.
Smith was named New Jersey prep lacrosse player of the year in 2008 and was named an Under Armour All American. He earned seven combined letters for lacrosse and ice hockey at Lawrenceville. His squad took back-to-back state titles in his sophomore and junior seasons, respectively, including a 20-0 mark for 2006 and a whopping 37-1 over those two years.
Fourth ranked Notre Dame, which finished 13-3 and 6-0 in the Big East, defeated 2011 champion and fifth ranked University of Virginia to reach the Final Four, which was contested at Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium. The 12 seniors, including Smith, had a special graduation ceremony at Malvern Prep in the Philadelphia suburbs because the university’s commencement conflicted with the Final Four schedule. Smith, who competed in water polo as a freshman, earned a degree in finance from Notre Dame’s prestigious Mendoza School of Business.
“Bobby started with a club program in Avalon for the seventh and eighth grades,” said his father. “We traveled everywhere for ice hockey since the third grade. He was on all star teams and traveling teams that required a lot of traveling.”
A high school All American, Smith was most pleased with this season’s team effort from the Fighting Irish.
“Everyone played all out all season,” he said. “We were balanced all year. Nobody stands out on the team. Our goal was to win the national championship but we came up short.”
Smith’s sophomore season saw Notre Dame drop a heart-breaking overtime contest versus Duke in the finals.
Smith, a six-foot, 195-pounder, said he was drawn to lacrosse by the various facets the sport offers.
“It’s a great combination of other sports,” he said. “It’s fast and team oriented. It’s an open style of play.”
As Smith prepares to start his career in the banking world, he maintains great nostalgia for his collegiate years. Smith still considers the Notre Dame campus and architecture “majestic” although he called his first winter in South Bend “the worst.” He and the other athletes attended all of the Fighting Irish football games and enjoyed the tailgating.
“It was all about my teammates and the relationships I made,” he said. “We went through a lot of blood, sweat and tears and I have friends for a lifetime. I have friends all over the country. I’m actually loneliest when I’m home.”
Reach Rossi at joerossi61@comcast.net
