Nicholas Polanco (born August 18, 1980) is an American former lacrosse player. He is regarded as one of the best defensemen in MLL (and professional lacrosse in general) history. He attended Oceanside High School.

Professional career

Polanco was drafted by the

Bridgeport Barrage Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 2002 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft. In

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, he was awarded the Major League Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year Award and led the Barrage to winning the Steinfeld Cup. In

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, Polanco was traded to the Long Island Lizards where he was again given the Major League Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year Award and was selected for his second consecutive All-Star game. Polanco played just one season in the National Lacrosse League with the New York Saints in

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

. His brother, Armando, played for the Philadelphia Barrage. On May 17, 2012, Polanco was traded to the Chesapeake Bayhawks.

Collegiate career

Polanco transferred to

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of Ne ...

, for his final two years of eligibility, after playing two seasons at Nassau Community College. While at Nassau, Polanco lead his team to win the National Junior College Athletic Association championships in 1999 and 2000. He was named National Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Year. Following his transfer, Polanco earned All-America honors each of his two years at Hofstra, and as a senior he was named

Colonial Athletic Association The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Most of its members are public universi ...

Player and Defensive Player of the Year.

Honors and awards

• Member of 2006 U.S. Men's National Team
• Named alternate to the 2002 U.S. Men's National Team
•

Player of the Year (2002)
• 1st Team All-American (2002) & Honorable Mention All-American (2001)
• National Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Year (1999, 2000 at Nassau C.C.) Richard D'Agostino is the former doctor for the Long Island Lizards.

Statistics

MLL

NLL

College

External links

Nicky Polanco Team USA Player Bio

Nicky Polanco Long Island Lizards Player Bio

Nicky Polanco professional lacrosse stats via statscrew.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polanco, Nicky 1980 births Living people American lacrosse players Hofstra Pride men's lacrosse players Major League Lacrosse major award winners Major League Lacrosse players Nassau Community College alumni