Men's Lacrosse Alumni Game Set for Friday, Chris Sanderson to be Remembered

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Oct. 9, 2012

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s lacrosse game will host its alumni game on Friday evening in conjunction with the University’s Homecomings weekend. The game will be played at the lacrosse practice field, adjacent to Emmett Street and accessed best from the lower McCue Center parking lot, located north of the field. Faceoff is slated for 9:30 p.m.

Admission is free for the event, however donations to the Chris Sanderson Memorial Trust are encouraged. Sanderson, a former UVa and Major League Lacrosse standout goalie, passed away in June after a four-year battle with cancer. One hundred percent of the funds collected will go to the education of Sanderson’s two surviving daughters, Stevie and Clementine.

“Having the alumni back in town is always one of my favorite events of the year,” said Virginia head men’s lacrosse coach Dom Starsia. “It is especially poignant this year with Chris Sanderson’s recent passing still such a vivid memory. There may be a game played in the midst of the weekend’s activities but it will be our present team meeting some of yesterday’s stars, storytelling of glory gone by and comforting each other with Chris’ family that will carry this day. The weddings, births and funerals in recent months serve as a consistent reminder of the strength of the Virginia Lacrosse family. Friends, fans and family are warmly invited to join the present and past players for Friday evening’s game.”

“This weekend is an opportunity for us to remember and strengthen Chris’ legacy with Virginia lacrosse,” said former UVa letterwinner and assistant coach Hannon Wright. “He was one of the greatest lacrosse players to put on a Virginia uniform and he obviously went on to be an all-world goalie with the Canadian national team. More importantly, we can serve Chris’ greatest legacy, his two daughters, Stevie and Clementine, by contributing to their education.”

The 2013 Cavalier lacrosse team will take the field against a bevy of former UVa stars. Among the alumni committed to the event will be graduates Ben Rubeor (2007), MVP of the MLL’s 2012 Championship Weekend and Steele Stanwick (2012), the 2011 Tewaaraton Trophy winner. Doug Tarring, an attackman from UVa’s 1972 NCAA title, will coach the alumni team.

Also part of the weekend events will be a youth clinic on Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. The clinic will be held at The Park on North Grounds and it will be free to all participants. Donations will be accepted and all proceeds will also go to the Chris Sanderson Memorial Trust. All ages may attend the clinic and signups can go through Doug Knight by emailing him at dknight@haverford.org. Rubeor and Stanwick will be among the clinic coaches.

“The clinic on Saturday is a fitting fundraiser for Chris,” said Wright. “He was a teacher, coach, mentor and inspiration to a lot of young lacrosse players. The impact he had on New Jersey lacrosse was obvious by the outpouring of support from that community upon Chris’ passing away. Chris and his wife, Brogann (1998 UVa graduate), positively affected a lot of lives, including mine.”