Dylan Yonts Signs NLI for St. Leo University

November 23, 2011 - Penn Yan senior midfielder Dylan Yonts will be heading south a year from now, as the result of his signing a National Letter of Intent to play lacrosse at St. Leo University in central Florida. "It's a small campus. It's very, very nice. The weather is nice, the academics are good and they play good lacrosse down there."

The other schools in his top three were Siena College in Colonie (NY) and Pfeiffer University in Georgia. On one trip to St. Leo, taken early in the year, he was able to see the Lions in action with games that included a 21-13 win over Rollins. On a second trip he saw some basketball games, and spent a great deal of time with the team and with Penn Yan Alumnus, Ty Trombley who is currently a junior, playing midfield (F/O).

Head Coach Brad Jorgensen was excited about the two-time Class C All-Tournament team player. "He was very up front with me. He said what he wanted and when we talked about scholarships, I got want I wanted and that was very good. Some kids talk about having a hard time with recruiting, but he made it very easy for me."

St. Leo is in central Florida, on the west side of the state, north of St. Petersburg and a long way from the winters of Penn Yan, but Dylan is looking forward to the south. "I talked to my parents. If I went to Siena, that would be a four hour drive, but it's only two hours on the plane and so they can come and see me play in beautiful Florida. In the early season they may want to stay down for a couple of weeks!"

He started to understand just how good he is as a player, when, after Sectionals, he started receiving calls from D-1 and D-2 coaches at the end of his junior year. In his three years on the Varsity, Dylan has scored 66 goals and 67 assists (133 pts). At the end of his junior year he was named to the All Section Five team, the D&C AGR Super 16 list and MVP of the Class C All Tournament team.

The credit for his success lies with his coaches and teammates. "Coach [Brian Hobart. . . he rides you pretty hard, but he gets you prepared not only for lacrosse but for becoming an independent person and being a man. The kids I play with are great. I get them the ball and they score. . . it doesn't get easier than that."

As for his last year with the Mustangs, Dylan's plan is not unexpected. "I hope to help lead the team this year. My goal is to lead up back to Sectionals this year and hopefully face Silver Creek this year and pay them back."