Syracuse senior midfielder Dan Hardy was arrested Oct. 4 for driving while intoxicated, a Syracuse athletics official confirmed Saturday.

Hardy, an honorable mention All-American last season, was charged with driving with a blood-alcohol level more than 0.08, the legal limit, according to an Inside Lacrosse report. He was also charged with speeding and failure to stop at a stop sign.

Syracuse head coach John Desko said in a statement: ‘I am aware of Dan Hardy’s situation and I am in the process of collecting more information about what happened. I prefer not to comment any further until I have all the facts.’

Hardy scored a hat trick to help the Orange win its 10th national title last season, beating Johns Hopkins, 13-10, at Gillette Stadium on May 26. He scored 40 points last year, fourth most on the team, and played mostly on the second offensive midfield line. He played injured most of last season, struggling at times to cope with both the injury and the long-pole midfielders harassing his 6-foot-4, 232-pound frame.

Hardy sat out the majority of fall practice as he recovered from foot surgery. He was not named a team captain: Seniors Matt Abbott, Kenny Nims, Pat Perritt and Spencer Van Schaak were chosen.

Hardy is the first Syracuse lacrosse player arrested since March 2007. Three players were arrested that season. Sean McGonigle was arrested in February 2007 in connection with an off-campus assault. Perritt and midfielder John Carrozza were charged the next month with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

The criminal charges were dismissed, but all three were suspended by the university and reinstated for the spring 2008 semester.

Amid the turmoil, the Orange limped to a 5-8 record and missed the playoffs for the first time in 25 seasons.

The team rectified that this past season, storming back to the Final Four and to another national title.

ramccull@syr.edu

Published on October 19, 2008 at 12:00 pm