PISCATAWAY, NJ – Former Rutgers men’s lacrosse player Nick Schmidt (Hicksville, NY) has signed with the New Jersey Pride of Major League Lacrosse, the organization announced today.

Schmidt concluded his solid career with Rutgers last spring as the squads fifth-leading scorer with 24 points (17 goals, seven assists). In a 12-11 overtime victory against No. 4 Syracuse last April, Schmidt had three goals. For his efforts, Schmidt was selected to play in the North/South All-Star game. He had 31 goals and 19 assists over his four years as a Scarlet Knight.

Schmidt is the second former Scarlet Knight to be picked up by the New Jersey Pride in the last month. Jeff Duca (Fairlawn, NJ) was acquired by the Pride, but announced that he was unable to play during the 2004 season because of a work commitment.

The Pride open their 2004 season on Saturday, May 22 at Philadelphia. The schedule is highlighted by five home games that will take place at Sprague Field on the campus of Montclair State University.

Led by Schmidt, Rutgers fashioned the most dramatic turnaround in Division I last season, improving from 2-12 in 2002 to 10-5 and an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.