By Chris Goldberg
TopLaxRecruits.com, Posted 9/8/14

Athens Drive (N.C.) 2016 face-off/midfielder Peyton Smith has made a verbal commitment to play Division I lacrosse at Marist College.

Peyton Smith ledger:

High School: Athens Drive High School, N.C.

Graduation Year: 2016

Position: FO/Midfielder

College Choice: Marist College

Club Affiliation: Tar Heel Lacrosse Club

Major lacrosse honors, camps and showcases: NXT Philly showcase Fab 40 All Star Game, Inside Lacrosse uncommitted all star game, MVP tournament all star game, 3rd Place Faceoff Academy National Combine 2016 brackett, 1st Place Faceoff Academy Philadelphia Combine, 1st team all conference

What will you major in/study? Undecided, considering Pre-med or business

Why did you choose school? “I loved Marist right when I stepped on campus, Coach Keegan Wilkinson and Coach (Mike) Gongas made me feel right at home and showed me that they cared a lot about me. I really liked Coach Wilkinson’s style of coaching and I feel I would fit really well into the program. The academics at Marist College are awesome which is something that is really important to me and the academics had to be good before I even considered a school. I really liked the brotherhood the players at Marist form and to have two other players from North Carolina I know on the lacrosse team when I get there is going to be really special. I feel Marist is on the verge on doing some really big things in the coming years and I am very excited to be apart of it.”

Outlook for your High School team? “We have lost a couple very good senior players due to graduation, But we also have some really talented and athletic returning players. We are going to be working hard this off season to win the conference championship and then move onto to the state championship.”

Thank You: “Thank you so much to my mom and dad for driving me all up and down the east coast and supporting me throughout the whole recruiting process. A special thanks to my Club Coach Dan Morrison I could not have come this far without your help and knowledge about the game of lacrosse and the recruiting process. Thank you to all the guys from the Faceoff Academy Greg Gurrenlian, Chris Mattes, Jerry Ragonese you guys have helped me tremendously. Thanks to everybody who has helped me reach goal of playing Division 1 lacrosse.”

Other schools considered: Mercer, Furman, Navy, High Point

ConnectLAX, the official sponsor of TopLaxRecruits.com Boys’ Recruits, congratulates Peyton Smith. ConnectLAX helps recruits highlight their skills and connect with college coaches. Recruits maximize their recruiting exposure with a mobile recruiting profile that is linked to their team’s roster, helping coaches find them on the field and evaluate their profile while watching them play. Create your ConnectLAX mobile recruiting profile for free. Click here to sign up!