Toresco trades one set of pads for another

For athletes at every level of competition, the ever-elusive W in the results column seems to drive decisions and actions both on and off the field. The W that fills your heart with joy and pride and makes you the subject of public adulation has driven some to steroids, others to insanity.

For senior Rob Toresco, last seen in a Tigers uniform as a fullback for the football team, that W drove him to lacrosse.

“Lacrosse has always been a big part of my family, and I’ve always wanted to give it a try in college,” Toresco said. “It just so happened that a lot of the guys on the team were hurt. I gave [head coach Bill] Tierney a call, and he said ‘Sure, come on out, we always need extra bodies,’ so here I am.”

The lacrosse tradition runs deep in the Toresco household. With an older brother who played for the Ohio State Buckeyes and a younger brother who will be playing midfield for University of Massachusetts next spring, Toresco found that his life has never strayed far from the game.

A highly recruited running back coming out of high school, Toresco arrived on the Princeton campus in 2004 looking to turn Princeton football from a 2-8 program into an Ivy League title contender. In his four years decked out in orange and black prowling the backfield at Princeton Stadium, Toresco has seen the football team through good times and bad. From 2004 to 2008, Toresco’s Tigers have been both Ivy League champions and a sub-.500 team. With barely two months left in his Princeton athletic career, Toresco turned a new page in the chronicle of his athletic ventures by walking on as the newest addition to one of Princeton’s most successful programs: lacrosse.

“When I go home, my brothers and I usually end up playing lacrosse and don’t really toss a football around,” Toresco said. “I’m always messing around with them, so I guess I still have some of my lacrosse skills left. My stick skills have definitely faded over the years without constant play, but they’re coming along steadily.”

In his four seasons on the gridiron, Toresco accumulated more than 2,200 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns. Toresco has filled a much less visible role on the lacrosse field, however.

“In football I’m one of the main role players on the team, and everybody looks to me to make the plays,” Toresco said. “But when it comes to lacrosse, I take more of a backseat. I do all I can to get everybody pumped up and ready for the game, and I learn as fast as I can in practice.”

While Toresco may not be the playmaker on this particular Princeton squad, his presence provides an extra body at a time when injuries have plagued the team.

“Coming in and not being able to fill a key role on the team really makes me appreciate all the guys that don’t really get a lot of playing time but [who] work just as hard as everybody else,” Toresco said. “I’ve really learned to appreciate both roles though, and they certainly provide two different perspectives on sports and on life.”

With six NCAA titles under its belt in the past two decades, the men’s lacrosse team has been one of the school’s most storied programs. This year, however, the team’s hopes of another NCAA tournament run rest on two final contests. With an overall record of 7-4, the Tigers need to win their last two games to qualify for the Ivy League’s automatic bid.

“I think as far as competition goes, if we can play Cornell as hard and as well as we did last weekend, I feel like there’s no reason we can’t win the next two games,” Toresco said. “Besides, with my thesis done, it’s just great to be out there playing some springtime lacrosse.”

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After the end of this lacrosse season, Toresco will be making a large detour away from the world of sports. When Princeton kicks off its football season in September against The Citadel, Toresco will not be scanning for holes in the defense but will be in Santa Monica, Calif., working for a hedge fund.

But until that moment comes, sports — more specifically, lacrosse — will still dominate his life.

As long as there’s a chance for just one more win, just one more cheer from the Tiger faithful, Toresco will be out there giving it his all on the field. In Toresco, Princeton lacrosse and Tierney have added an exemplary Tiger athlete and champion to their ranks.