Men’s Lacrosse Team Passes Storied Legacy To Women’s Team Standout
Hofstra’s Christine Dannenfelser is honored with Nick Colleluori’s number, representing leadership and values beyond sport
Photo Credit: Jon Riess/Hofstra Athletics
- Every year since 2009, Hofstra's men's lacrosse team has awarded the number 27 to an exemplary individual in honor of Nick Colleluori. Nick wore the number for the team until his passing at age 21 after a battle with cancer.
- For the first time since its inception, Hofstra, alongside Nick’s family, will extend the tradition to the women's team for the upcoming season.
- A star on the field and a leader in the locker room, Christine Dannenfelser has been chosen as the first woman to receive the honor.
Nick Colleluori is Hofstra lacrosse. And Hofstra lacrosse is Nick Colleluori. Nick spent only one season with the Pride in 2005, until his time was cut short after an 18 month battle with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma In November 2006. Still, his impact on the Pride lacrosse program continued long after his death.
Beginning in 2009, Hofstra’s men’s lacrosse team began passing Nick’s number No. 27 from one player to another, awarding the number to the lacrosse student-athlete who best represented the dedication, determination, selflessness and “turnpike tough” attitude that Colleluori embodied.
Nearly two decades later, that tradition is expanding to include the women’s team.
Senior defender Christine Dannenfelser will become the first Hofstra women’s lacrosse player to receive the Nick Colleluori Tribute Award and wear No. 27.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” says Dannenfelser. “It was such an amazing surprise and I was so honored that my coaches and teammates thought I should be the one to wear this number. Nick’s story is so inspiring and knowing I was chosen to represent that means the world to me.”
Dannenfelser will join Hofstra men’s lacrosse defender Austin Clarke as the 2027 season recipient of the tribute award.
The Colleluori family welcomed former Hofstra head coach Shannon Smith’s request to expand the tradition to include the women’s lacrosse program. For Michael Colleluori, Nick’s brother and an alumnus of the men’s lacrosse program, it offers another way to cement Nick’s story and values in the minds of another generation of Hofstra athletes.
During his battle with cancer, Nick created the HEADstrong Foundation from his hospital bed. The foundation’s goal is to raise money for families affected by cancer and provide a place for families, and patients to stay so patients can focus on their treatment.
The team hosted a private meeting where Smith announced the team’s new partnership with the HEADstrong Foundation and their intent to award the Nick Colleluori Tribute Award each year going forward.
“I was shocked,” says Dannenfelser. “I had no idea at that moment. My heart was racing. Hearing Nick’s story, the legacy of No. 27, when we’re talking about this you want it to be you. I am so grateful and proud to get this opportunity.”
Dannenfelser’s reaction captured what the honor meant to her. Smith’s correspondence with the Colleluori family offered a glimpse of the thinking behind it.
“Our hope is that every young woman entrusted with the No. 27 would understand that she isn’t simply receiving a jersey number,” wrote Smith in an email to the Colleluori family. “She would be accepting the responsibility of carrying the legacy of someone whose life continues to shape Hofstra lacrosse.”
Michael Colleluori responded to Smith’s email echoing the message of what No. 27 has meant to Hofstra and how the legacy would be great to expand to the women’s team.
“The support of the Hofstra community and lacrosse program helped give us the strength, belief, and momentum to turn an unimaginable loss into a mission. To think now that No. 27 could become part of the women’s lacrosse tradition that young women who never had the opportunity to know Nick will learn his story, understand his character, and be challenged to live out the values he represented is incredibly powerful.”
Dannenfelser is the perfect fit to be the first women’s recipient No. 27. Smith describes her as a "fiery leader with extremely high lacrosse IQ.” The entire team “believes in her and respects her.”
To Dannenfelser, leadership comes naturally and she sees it as her duty to the team.
“I feel like the leaders before me had a bunch of different leadership styles I’ve learned from,” says Dannenfelser. “I’m a little bit more of a ‘ra ra’ type of captain on the field. I’m always excited to be on the field with my teammates. Whether it’s a 6 A.M practice or right before a game a big part of what I do is try to get the team excited. I share my emotions with the team prepractice or pregame to get them to the level we need to be at to succeed.”
HEADstrong has been prominent in Dannenfelser's career at Hofstra. She helped organize and participated in “Nick’s big bench competition”, a HEADstrong sponsored charity weightlifting competition between Hofstra student-athletes, last spring along with teammate Olivia Hoover. This fall she will participate in her fourth HEADstrong Colleluori Classic, a charity fall ball tournament hosted by the HEADstrong Foundation. Her first one was the moment she first felt a connection to Nick’s values.
“Our first HEADstrong tournament my freshman year is when I really got to learn a lot about Nick and how he impacted here,” says Dannenfelser. “He’s the kind of teammate, player and leader that you want to be and his story inspired me so much when I first heard it. It’s about loving your teammates, being gritty, being relentless and giving everything you have and more.”
This fall's HEADstrong Colleluori Classic will take place at James M. Shuart Stadium at Hofstra on Oct. 3-4. The women’s lacrosse team will host Fairleigh Dickinson University, Temple University, and Sacred Heart University. It will be Dannenfelser's first opportunity to wear No. 27 in Hofstra royal blue.
Dannenfelser has been a member of the Pride for four seasons and has made a massive impact on the defensive side of the ball. The Bayshore, New York, native has 50 career starts, 101 draw controls, 123 ground balls and 83 caused turnovers. Dannenfelser's 37 caused turnovers in 2026 were the third most in a single season in Hofstra school history. She is a three year captain and was a member of the All-Conference team last year.
She is one of the top players returning to the Coastal Athletic Association in 2027 for a Hofstra team that finished 6-1 in conference play a season ago. Her leadership will be counted on more than ever with the team going through a coaching change for the first time since 2013. Earlier this month the Pride welcomed in new Head Coach Nicole Levy from Syracuse University.
“We’re really excited about coach Levy being here,” says Dannenfelser. “Being a captain it’s exciting to help build something here with her. We get to start a new chapter for the program but we will still implement the same traditions we had before as a program and grow something special.”
As one of the most experienced players on the team and a three-year captain, Dannenfelser is doing more than just leading a new era of Hofstra women’s lacrosse. She is carrying on a legacy that has been a part of Hofstra lacrosse for nearly two decades. For Dannenfelser, those responsibilities are closely connected.
“I don’t think there is a single tradition like this in college sports,” says Dannenfelser. “For this to be at Hofstra is special. His legacy lives on every single day through Hofstra athletics and Hofstra lacrosse. Nick Colleluori is Hofstra lacrosse.”