The Maroon-News would like to congratulate senior Brandon Corp, the Colgate Maroon-News male athlete of the 2008-09 school year.

Simply put, Brandon Corp is a one-man machine. He is currently the leading scorer for the men’s lacrosse team and one of the best players in Colgate’s history. His 125 career goals and 189 points are both second all-time, and his 64 career assists put him at sixth all-time in the Colgate record books. Furthermore, his goals and points totals are first all-time since Colgate switched to Division-I in 1991. Corp has also helped lead a men’s lacrosse class of 2009 to a 42-19 overall record, including a 19-3 mark in Patriot League play; both are best in Colgate’s D-I history. The seniors were also a part of the school’s first Patriot League regular season title in 2006, first-ever Patriot League Tournament title in 2008 and first-ever birth in the NCAA Tournament in 2008. Furthermore, Corp’s streak of 46 consecutive games of scoring at least one point is the most by a Colgate player, and second among active players in the nation. He was also the first ever Raider to be a Tewaaraton Award finalist, which is the lacrosse equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. Corp’s nomination was due in large part to his 4.46 points per game, good enough for first in the nation. His 33 goals and 25 assists are also tops in the Patriot League.

Before racking up collegiate accolades, Corp graduated from Chittenango High School in 2005 and was an All-American his senior season.

“Colgate was the only school I visited, and I knew it was the place for me. The team was up and coming and Coach Nagle wanted me more than any coach. The school was amazing academically, I loved it, and I liked the proximity to home,” Corp said. “I remember the freezing cold practices outside freshman year, and I was apprehensive about it for four more years. But I had to fight through it because this is Colgate.”

Luckily the cold didn’t bother him too much, because even though I have only been at Colgate for one year, I truly believe that I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing the best. He commands so much attention from the defense each game, as he’s always face-guarded by the opposing team’s top defender. Yet, he is always able to produce at an amazing rate.

It’s not all about the stats, or national recognition for Corp, though.

“I love the atmosphere in the locker room pre-game, or even before practice, it’s always energetic and puts a smile on my face.”

Even though he may be the best player in the best senior class in Colgate’s D-I history, Corp is still all about the team.

“Ever since my freshman year, we’ve improved more and more. It was great to see, and if you work hard things will work out in the end. I’ve been surrounded by a bunch of great guys and great teammates. We took this program from small-time and now we’re nationally ranked. As for the future, if I could tell them anything, I’d say play for each other. Lay it all on the line because that’s what matters. It’s how we have made it this far.”

The Raiders head into the Patriot League Tournament this weekend where their NCAA Tournament fate may be decided along with Tewaaraton Trophy implications for Corp.

“Honestly, I never dreamed of getting this much recognition; it never crossed my mind. So it’s very shocking, and it hasn’t really sunk in yet, but it’s a tremendous honor. A lot of it comes down to how far your team goes, so I have to count on my teammates too. We need to get into the NCAA’s, so I definitely will credit my teammates if I win the award. I feel that they do not get enough attention, and they definitely deserve more,” Corp said.

Forunately, Corp’s humility did not shield him from the recognition he deserves. This week, he was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year.

The easiest route to getting into the NCAA’s is via the automatic bid from winning the Patriot League Tournament, which happens to be the venue for Corp’s favorite win as a Raider (so far).

“Winning the Patriot League Championship last year [11-8 finals victory over Bucknell, 12-9 semifinal win over Navy] was great because it’s a competitive conference with competitive teams. It’s tough to mentally prepare yourself for every game, so to get those two victories last year in the tournament was great.”

However, Corp knew what it was like to be on the losing side, as he was on the wrong end of a 10-8 loss to Army in the Patriot League semifinals in 2006. Colgate was up 7-5 midway through the fourth quarter before allowing five consecutive goals.

“Freshman year, first round of Patriot League Tournament when we lost to Army was my toughest loss here. We were up and they came back to beat us, and that was the only time we hosted my four years here, so that game was hard to swallow.”

As for Corp’s plans post-Colgate, he will undoubtedly be one of the top draft picks into Major League Lacrosse, which re-starts play this summer.

“I’m definitely looking to play professionally this summer, but college lacrosse means the most; the next level is a different meaning because you play for money. It’s not as much of a team aspect, so I’ll miss that the most. Even off the field this year I just enjoyed hanging out with the guys, and I’m not sure if that culture will exist at the next level,” Corp said.

Unfortunately for my fellow lacrosse fans, we have seen Corp play his last game at Colgate. However, you can check out both games this weekend online via gocolgateraiders.com, and if you feel so inclined, you can go watch the Raiders take on the Syracuse Orange in the Carrier Dome on Saturday, May 2 at 1 p.m.