Hobart and William Smith Colleges Athletics

A two-time national champion and a two-time All-American, Dr. P. Scott Petosa ’80 was a four-year letter winning lacrosse attackman. He recorded 145 career points on 93 goals and 52 assists, graduating ninth on the assists list and 10th in goals and points.

Petosa contributed 17 goals and nine assists as a first-year, helping the Statesmen go undefeated (15-0), culminating in a 23-13 win over Washington in the Division II national championship game. He made a splash in his collegiate debut, scoring four goals and assisting on a fifth against Rochester. Petosa also enjoyed five-point games against Colgate (2g, 3a) and Clarkson (5g).

A year later, he posted career-highs with 33 goals, 46 points and 70 ground balls as Hobart went 13-2 and appeared in the program’s seventh straight national championship game. During the season, he stung Colgate again for a season-high, this time notching six points on four goals and two assists.

The string of title games came to an end in 1979, but Petosa’s 36-point season earned him second team All-American honors. He produced three goals and three assists in a stunning 16-4 win over heavily favored Syracuse.

Petosa led Hobart back to the mountaintop in 1980 as the Statesmen captured the inaugural NCAA Division III Championship. He factored into more than half of Hobart’s goals in the title game. He recorded a hat trick that included the game winner and added three assists in an 11-8 win over Cortland. Petosa led all scorers in the tournament with 17 points, finishing the 12-2 season with 19 goals and 18 assists despite missing several games due to a shoulder injury.

After graduating from Hobart, Petosa earned a master’s degree in exercise physiology from Syracuse and a doctorate in health psychology from Ohio State.

Retired from the U.S. Air Force, Petosa’s military career included teaching and coaching at the Air Force Academy. He was a member of the lacrosse coaching staff for seven seasons, including four as head coach. Petosa led the Falcons to their first NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship appearance in 1988 and was voted the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference Coach of the Year four times. He also coached in the North-South All-Star Game in 1988.