The Long Island Lizards of Major League Lacrosse selected Towson alumnus Jonathan Engelke with 40th overall selection in the 2008 draft in May.
Engelke is the eighth player in program history to be drafted. A Long Island native, the crafty attack finished his career with 113 goals ranking third on Towson's all-time list.
"He was very high on our whole front office's radar coming out of the draft," Lizards' general manager Casey Hilpert said of the fourth-round choice from Massapequa, N.Y. "He's a hard worker, he's got great numbers, and he's not someone who will play immediately but who can come in and play down the road."
Towson head coach Tony Seaman believes that Engelke's skills will translate well to the professional level.
"I think he's going to be terrific because attackers in the pros aren't expected to carry their teams as much," Seaman said.
He also said that there are more opportunities for attackers to simply finish offensive plays rather than control them. Engelke earned a reputation at Towson for being one of the best finishers at the school in the last decade.
With 33 goals to go with 21 assists his senior year, he will feel at home both in the fast-paced league and at Mitchel Field near his hometown.
Hilpert said that Engleke's Long Island roots had a lot to do with the decision to select him. According to Hilpert, about 80 percent of the team is from the area.
"He's going to play against the best players in the world," Seaman said, "and the game is faster. It's faster in college than in high school, and it's faster at the professional level than in college."
Seaman also said that the difficulty of Towson's schedule and the high level of its opponents should come in handy for Engelke early in his career.
"Our schedule is always ranked in the top 10," Seaman said. "It gets him more experience and gets him prepared to play against the best players out there."
However, like Seaman, Hilpert said he believes that Engelke will be able to adapt and become a long-term factor for the team's success.
"Going into the draft, we were looking for people that could help us in the long run," Hilpert said. "We want to build a franchise, not just get one or two good players to help us now."
Though he has yet to play a minute in the Major Leagues, Engelke joined a team that now sits at 5-3, tied for first place in MLL's Eastern Conference with the Philadephia Barrage.
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