BRONXVILLE, N.Y. – Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse sophomore goalkeeper
Robbie Seeley has been selected as one of five finalists for the 2021 Yeardley Reynolds Love Unsung Hero Award, it was announced by the One Love Foundation on Tuesday morning. Joined by seniors JJ Alicia (Bucknell), Kyle Anderson (Harvard), Sean Coughlin (High Point), and Peter Jones (Fairfield), Seeley is the only underclassman to be named a finalist out of the Division I category.
One Love's goal is to educate, empower and activate young people in a movement to end relationship violence. The Yeardley Reynolds Love ("YRL") Unsung Hero Award recognizes the accomplishments of two student-athletes (one male, one female) who demonstrate dedication, integrity, humility, hard work, community service, leadership, kindness and sportsmanship - all qualities Yeardley Love exemplified throughout her life. These student-athletes make a significant contribution to the team in ways that may not be measured in goals, saves or ground balls.
"I believe Robbie personifies the spirit of this award in a number of ways," said goalkeeper coach Mike Horowitz. "At Saint Joseph's, we stress finding ways to add value to the program and to the University. Robbie continually adds value by encouraging his teammates and bringing a positive attitude to the practice field, and he is always searching for ways to lead."
This year, Seeley played an integral role in the SJU men's lacrosse program's partnership with the Philadelphia branch of Harlem Lacrosse, where he was a constant at their practices and also single-handedly organized and managed an equipment drive that could have outfitted the entire branch multiple times over.
Seeley has also been a pioneer for the Hawks in the arena of mental health and wellness. He was one of the first players on the team to seek out SJU's on-call sports psychologist, and while it has made a huge difference in his play on the field, Seeley has also opened the door for many others on SJU's roster to seek that professional help by being open about it and how it has helped him.
Seeley also hosts and produces his own podcast, "Quick Talks," in which he has interviewed professional and collegiate athletes like USA National Team face-off specialist Greg Gurenlian and coaches like former Notre Dame women's basketball coach and Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw. He has also taken time out of his schedule to create short versions of his podcast with current SJU men's lacrosse players for content used across the program's social media platforms.
Everything Seeley does keeps in mind the virtue of selflessness. Whether it's staying late after practice to help SJU's shooters or rallying the the squad for a great cause, Seeley values the success of his teammates, friends, and family over his own.
Seeley joins alum Pat Dallon '18 as the second SJU goalkeeper to be nominated as a finalist. The winners will be announced in late May.
