Springfield, Ohio — Jim Ferris, class of 2012 from Grand Rapids, Mich., recently became the third Wittenberg University men's lacrosse student-athlete invited to participate in the annual United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA)/LAXWORLD Division III North-South Game in the last two years.

Ferris, a second-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honoree in 2012, follows in the footsteps of former teammates Mark DeOliveira and Matt Lord, both class of 2011, who were invited to participate in the 2011 contest. The USILA will host the 2012 Division III North/South Game at 3 p.m. Friday, May 25, at Harvard College in Boston, Mass., followed by the Division I/II contest at 5:30 p.m. on the same site.

A total of 70 North-South events have been hosted by the USILA since 1940, when Baltimore hosted the inaugural game. In 1991, the USILA, an association of academic institutions with varsity lacrosse programs in all three NCAA divisions, split the event to create two games. The format has been maintained in all but one year since then.

Tickets can be purchased for $5 on the day of the game at Harvard.

Ferris appeared in all 13 games for the Tigers in 2012, finished with a team-high 34 total points. He ranked second on the team with 17 goals, including the game-winner against Concordia (Wis.) on March 3, and he led the Tigers by a wide margin in assists with 17. Ferris also picked up 17 ground balls.

For his career, Ferris contributed 30 goals and 25 assists to the Wittenberg attack. He was part of a 2012 senior class that never experienced a losing season, a first for the Tigers since the program was returned to varsity status prior to the 1983 season. Wittenberg compiled a record of 39-18 over the last four years, winning a share of the NCAC title in 2010 and 2011 and participating in the NCAA Division III Tournament in each of those seasons.

Written By: Ryan Maurer
Photo By: Erin Pence

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