Mike Sappio at USNA

This blogger most often talks about NCAA lacrosse players from NorCal, but this blog entry is about a club player – at the United States Naval Academy – Mike Sappio. I've known Mike for a decade or more, first as one of his coaches at Lamorinda, then as a fan who watched his High School career with keen interest. Mike was not an All-American. He was not recruited to play NCAA DI Lacrosse. He played for Miramonte and was a very capable defender. He was athletic enough, he was gritty enough, and he was certainly smart enough to be a DI player. He just wasn't big enough.

He'd always wanted to go to the Naval Academy, as he comes from a  Maritime family. An allergy kept him from being admitted during his Senior year, so he ended up going to UCSB, a school that mapped to his academic prowess. But, he applied to Annapolis again – he's relentless, you see. This time, Navy couldn't resist. His grades, his character, his relentlessness – let me say that again – his relentlessness – made him irresistible to Navy. Well, that and his character and test scores! So, here is Plebe Michael Sappio, in uniform:

Michael Sappio

He made the Club team at Navy, but WAY more important than that, he's someone you can count on to defend our country. Congrats on your achievement, Mike! Can't think of anyone better than you to stand watch for us!