This former Penn captain has Rutgers in the NCAA men’s lacrosse Final Four

Although two Philly schools entered the NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament, neither reached championship weekend. St. Joseph’s fell at No. 4 Yale in the first round and No. 3 Penn was upset by No. 6 Rutgers last Saturday in the quarterfinals in Hempstead, N.Y.

But a former Penn standout is still alive with a surprise Final Four team.

During Penn’s loss to Rutgers, Quakers fans chanted “Traitor” at Scarlet Knights attacker Mitch Bartolo, who had played for the Red and Blue for four years, and even served as a captain last year. But he’s hardly to blame for transferring to Rutgers. In fact, Penn coach Mike Murphy to helped him transfer.

“[My former Penn teammates] are some of my best friends,” Bartolo said.

Student-athletes set to compete in the 2020 spring season were granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA because of the onset of the pandemic. However, the Ivy League has strict rules against redshirting: An athlete must take an academic leave of absence to postpone playing eligibility.

That meant Bartolo spent his last possible season at Penn in 2021, yet could play one more year at another school. He ended up just 60 miles away to play for the Scarlet Knights.

At the quarterfinal game on Long Island, Bartolo found the cage twice and recorded an assist for a team-high three points.

“I’m really happy with being able to see [my former team], to hug them, and being able to just have that opportunity,” he said.

At Rutgers this season, Bartolo has 43 goals and 60 points, which ranks him second on the team in each category.

After taking down Harvard 19-9 in the first round and Penn 11-9 in the quarterfinals, Rutgers will have a chance to defeat three Ivy schools in consecutive games when it faces No. 7 Cornell on Saturday. No. 1 Maryland faces No. 5 Princeton in the other semifinal.

“We’re extremely confident in us and it doesn’t really matter where we’re ranking or what anyone on the outside has to say about it,” Bartolo said. “It just comes down to us.”

A winner will be crowned this holiday weekend at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., host of the semifinals as well as the championship game Monday. Bartolo, a Connecticut native, is excited to take the field so close to home.

“It’s going to be really incredible, I’m really excited,” he said. “A lot of people that I care about at this game will watch me and my team play a sport that I care about a lot.”

This weekend will be Bartolo’s last dance at the collegiate level, but there is more lacrosse for him to play. He was drafted in the fourth round of the Premier Lacrosse League draft by the Redwoods. The league’s eight teams open their season the weekend of June 4-5 in Albany, N.Y.