Island Trees alum, Joe Manna, has been named to the preseason All-American (All-NJCAA) squad by Inside Lacrosse magazine. Manna is the only “face-off” specialist among the 14-member squad. Manna, will be entering his second year on the SUNY Delhi team. He was a member of the Island Trees varsity lacrosse team in 2010 and 2011. At Island Trees, he was more known for his exploits on the gridiron and wrestling mat where he was the 2011 Heavyweight County Finalist in Nassau County.
After leaving Island Trees, Manna competed on the intercollegiate varsity level in both football and wrestling. A devastating back injury, which led to major surgery in 2012, curtailed these activities. As such, Manna reinvented himself by losing weight and transforming his body and himself into a lacrosse player. He joined the Delhi Broncos and pretty quickly his skills were quite evident. He excelled at his role as a FOGO (face-off specialist) leading the Delhi Broncos far in last year’s national playoffs run.