Written by S. Quinn DeJoy and J. Murrer

Feb. 25, 2015: Jack Near was a three-sport athlete at Bronxville High School, but his first love was always lacrosse. It was a thrill for Near when he was recruited to play for Notre Dame, and now, as he enters his final season for the Irish, Near has been drafted by Major League Lacrosse (MLL).

In the MLL collegiate draft held in late January, the Rochester Rattlers picked Near in the first round with the seventh overall selection. He is the first Bronxville grad to have been drafted to play professional sports. MLL, which began play in 2001, comprises eight teams across the US and boasts of having the best lacrosse players in the world.

Near's biggest fan, his mother, Liza, watched the draft live on ESPN3 with his older sister, Raleigh. "When the Rochester Rattlers selected Jack with the seventh pick in the overall draft, we were all quite excited," said Liza. "We were jumping around and making phone calls because it was such a thrill."

But before Near starts his professional career, he has other things on his mind. The spring season is just beginning for Notre Dame's lacrosse team, and the no. 2-ranked Fighting Irish are hoping to win the 2015 national championship after losing to Duke in the finals last May.

"Jack was very excited about all of this," said Liza, "but his first and present ambition is to try and capture the elusive NCAA championship trophy in this, his senior year at Notre Dame, which would be a first for that university as well."

In the Notre Dame season opener against Georgetown on Valentine's Day, Near went up against two former Bronxville players: Charlie McCormick and Matt Behrens. McCormick, a Hoya team captain in his senior season, was sidelined with injuries, but Behrens, a 2014 Bronxville grad, was playing first man up.

In the game, held indoors at Notre Dame, Georgetown scored first, but the Irish quickly answered with three goals. Notre Dame held an 8-6 lead at the half. Early in the second half, the Notre Dame lead was narrowed to one, but scores by Near and teammate Conor Doyle pushed the Irish ahead 10-7. In the fourth quarter, the Hoyas tied up the game 11-11 with a key goal by freshman Behrens, but the Irish proved to be too much for the Hoyas and won the game 14-12.

Near, a midfielder, earned honorable mention All-America accolades his junior year and has been a key contributor during his first three seasons. In his 48 career games, Near has 12 goals, seven assists, and 69 ground balls.

While Behrens is just starting his collegiate career, McCormick has played midfielder for the Hoyas for the past four years. He has 32 career goals and 13 assists. During his sophomore season, McCormick was a second-team All-BIG EAST selection and was named to the BIG EAST All-Academic team.

Near and McCormick were the first two boys from BHS to play Division 1 lacrosse, and several Broncos have followed as the Bronxville lacrosse program has taken off.

On February 28, Notre Dame will play Dartmouth at home at 1:00 pm. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

Correction: February 26, 2015
An earlier version of this article stated incorrectly that Jack Near and Charlie McCormick were the first two players from Bronxville High School to play Division 1 lacrosse. In fact, they were the first boys from the high school to play Division 1 lacrosse; Vail Horn, BHS class of 2008, played for the University of California, Berkeley, beginning in 2008.

Pictured here (rotating): (L to R) Jack Near and Charlie McCormick meet prior to the game (photo by Liza Near); Jack Near playing for Notre Dame.