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When he was in sixth grade, Michael Santillo had a decision to make. With just two years of lacrosse experience, he was set to try out for Sweetlax Upstate, a program where nearly 100% of its players have gone on to play collegiate lacrosse.

Initially, Santillo wasn’t sure if he wanted to join. He was playing for Orange Crush at the time, and he didn’t want to risk losing his spot if he failed to make the cut for Sweetlax. But he ultimately tried out, motivated by his love for the game and his determination to improve.

“I just kept working and kept working,” Santillo said. “Eventually, I came up to the Sweetlax tryouts, which I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to. I got there, and I just realized that I belong.”

Despite getting a late introduction to the sport, Santillo made the team and has since taken off. Now a junior at East Syracuse-Minoa, he’s accumulated 92 goals and 54 assists. He even competed for Sweetlax in the Lacrosse World Series Championship, a national tournament reserved for the best under-13 teams in the country. His success culminated in his commitment to Cornell University, the current No. 1 team in the country.

Santillo picked up a lacrosse stick for the first time in fourth grade. He’d already tried football and basketball, but he felt an immediate connection with lacrosse. He started working on his shooting by playing wall ball, either individually or with his father, Ralph.

“Once I touched a lacrosse stick, I knew this is what I wanted to do,” Santillo said. “I just fell in love with it.”

Ralph has always been impressed with his son’s athleticism and speed, which made for an easy transition to the sport. He said many of the skills the two worked on leading up to his Sweetlax tryout — including footwork and agility drills — helped Santillo stand out to coaches even though “nobody knew who he was” when he signed up.

After the tryout, Ralph told Santillo he couldn’t have been prouder of him. When he eventually made the team, it gave him an immediate major confidence boost. Ralph realized then just how much potential Santillo had in lacrosse.

“That really was a big change in the trajectory for him as a player,” Ralph said. “We had no idea how many kids they would be looking for, how many they were going to take. He was just amazing in that tryout.”

At ESM, his work ethic has helped him thrive, even though many of Santillo’s teammates started playing when they were 4 years old. Last year, Santillo earned first-team All-Salt City Athletic Conference honors and was named to the All-Central New York second team after ranking top-10 in Section III Class B in goals (40) and assists (29).

This season, Santillo is on track to earn top conference honors again, with 29 goals and 18 assists through nine games. But before he graduates, he’s determined to become an All-American and win a Section III title with ESM.

Much of Santillo’s motivation to win a sectional title stems from his bond with his teammates. He said the team is “all connected” and often spends time with each other outside of games and practices, often getting dinner and going bowling together.

Jonathan McCoy, Santillo’s coach at ESM, described Santillo as a “people pleaser” and someone who always tries to help his teammates. Last year, McCoy gave him a book with 20 ways to be a better teammate, which he said Santillo immediately implemented. Those qualities, paired with his success at ESM, make McCoy confident Santillo will excel at Cornell.

“He’s a, ‘Yes coach,’ type of player,” McCoy said. “No matter the level of opponent we’re playing, or the level of stress he may be in, he’s always even-tempered, and I think that contributes to his success on the field.”

Michael Santillo stands at Cornell University’s Schoellkopf Field. Cornell was the first school to call Santillo when his recruitment opened, leading to his commitment to the Big Red. Courtesy of Michael Santillo

McCoy, who’s coached for over 25 years, said Santillo is just as dedicated and self-driven off the field. Last year, McCoy checked all of his players’ grades. When he saw Santillo’s, he was shocked. His GPA read over 100 — the first player McCoy has ever coached with a GPA that high.

“I don’t think it’s ever happened in my career, and I’ve been coaching for a little while. At that point, I knew he was doing the right thing off the field,” McCoy said.

Santillo said a lot of the qualities he sees in Cornell and its lacrosse team are similar to ESM. He received interest from many colleges once his commitment opened last September, with 29 schools at the D-1 level reaching out to him. But Cornell was the first to call.

Santillo wasn’t sure if he wanted to attend Cornell, but once he visited the school and attended a practice, he knew it was where he wanted to be. After the practice, he told the coaches he was ready to commit. He eventually did, making it official on Sept. 24.

“When I saw that team, their bond was just so strong, it almost felt like a family,” Santillo said. “That was a great feeling for me. Obviously, I was looking athletically and academically, but that bond that they had just stood out compared to every other school.”

At Cornell, Santillo said he wants to win a national championship. But his first priority is building the same kinds of bonds he has at ESM. Regardless of his role, Santillo said he just wants to help the team win.

“I would love to be an impact player,” Santillo said. “I would like to contribute anywhere I can, anywhere they need me to help the team win a national championship.”

At Cornell, Santillo will join a long-standing rivalry between the Big Red and Syracuse University, just a 15-minute drive from ESM. Santillo said having the opportunity to play in SU’s JMA Wireless Dome would be “special.” When the two programs face off, he’ll be matched against one of his Sweetlax teammates and recent SU commit, Nick Rayfield.

Despite his ties to Rayfield and Syracuse, his sole focus would be securing a win for Cornell. The connections would only add to the experience for his friends and family.

Now, Santillo still has one more year with ESM before joining the Big Red. Though he got a late start to the sport, he knows he’s found his future home.

“I truly believe Cornell is where I’m supposed to be,” Santillo said. “My journey led me to Cornell, and I hope to be an important part of the team that wins that game four years straight.”

Published on May 8, 2025 at 1:18 am
Contact Henry: hdaley@syr.edu