Marc A. DiGiovanni ’03 was a two-time All-America selection on three high-powered men’s lacrosse teams in the early 2000s.
The 5-foot-6, 180 pound midfielder/attack totaled 198 points (currently fourth all-time) on 117 goals (eighth) and 81 assists (sixth) in a three-year career between 2001 and 2003, helping the Warriors to a combined record of 39-9 (.813 winning percentage) and a perfect record of 23-0 in Little East Conference regular-season and playoff competition in the program’s first three seasons in the Little East Conference.
DiGiovanni is the only player ranked among Eastern’s all-time top ten in goals or points who did not play four seasons, and played his first two seasons under Eastern Hall of Fame coach Rick McCarthy.
A two-time high school All-America and member of three Division I state title teams at Wilton High in the mid-1990s, the Wilton native transferred to Eastern after two years at Division I Johns Hopkins University, joining the program in 2000-01 following the 2000 graduation of current Alumni Hall of Famers Shannon Sligo, John Rubano and Eddie Sheehan. As a first-year player with sophomore eligibility in the spring of 2001 -- the program’s sixth year on the intercollegiate level -- DiGiovanni helped fill the void in the spring of 2001 left by Sheehan & Co. by teaming with, among others, senior Jeff Reinhart, a 2015 Hall of Famer.
In addition to earning All-America honors twice (once at midfield and once at attack), DiGiovanni earned a multitude of other honors which included being the fifth of only nine players in program history to be selected to the prestigious USILA/STX North-South Senior All-Star Game, and two nods to the NEILA All-New England Team. Moreover, the two-time team captain was voted first-team All-Little East Conference and ECAC All-New England in all three seasons, and as a junior, was named LEC Offensive Player-of-the-Year (42-30-72) and LEC playoff MVP with ten goals and five assists in two LEC playoffs victories. As a senior, he was named Eastern’s Male Athlete-of-the-Year and qualified for an Eastern Scholar-Athlete Award.
Of the program’s 16 current USILA All-Americas, 14 were named to the honorable mention team, with DiGiovanni the only second-team selection, earning the honor in each of his final two seasons.
DiGiovanni’s career-high 80 point total in 2003 ranked second all-time at the time, and his 36 assists equalled the second-most in a season to that point in program history. His point total that year still ranks fifth all-time and his assist total is currently tied for the sixth-most in a season in the program’s 24-year history. That year, his points per game average of 5.33 ranked eighth nationally and his assists per game mark of 2.40 ranked in a tie for 14th in the nation.
Despite its heavy graduation losses from 2000, Eastern maintained its momentum with the addition of DiGiovanni in 2001, setting a program record for consecutive wins with 11 to open the season and eventually tying the previous season’s record of 15 wins. The team’s losses that year both came by two goals – to 1998 national champion Washington College (MD) in its only regular-season setback, and at Springfield College in the Warriors’ first-ever NCAA tournament match.
With DiGiovanni, Eastern never lost a match (20-0) on its home field, qualifying for its first three NCAA Division III tournaments in the process. The Warriors featured an average winning margin of 8.5 goals in DiGiovanni’s career, averaging 15.4 goals per match in that stretch. In team scoring margin during DiGiovanni’s career, Eastern ranked first (2002), second (2001) and eighth (2003) nationally.
Beginning with five goals against Salem State in mid-April of his junior year, DiGiovanni ended his career by scoring at least one goal in each of his final 20 appearances. In his final career match on May 10, 2003 in an 11-10 overtime loss at Hamilton College in the NCAA tournament, DiGiovanni contributed two goals and three assists. DiGiovanni’s 61 goals in that 20-game streak equal the most by an Eastern player with a goal streak of at least 20 games.
DiGiovanni holds a B.A. in Business Economics and is employed as a regional sales manager for ThousandEyes, Inc. in New York City. Marc and Yasmine DiGiovanni reside in Millington, NJ with their two young children.
