Nicholas Polanco (born August 18, 1980) is an American former lacrosse player. He is regarded as one of the best defensemen in MLL (and professional lacrosse in general) history. He attended Oceanside High School.

Nicky Polanco
Born (1980-08-18) August 18, 1980 (age 44)
NationalityAmerican
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight235 pounds (107 kg)
ShootsRight
PositionDefense
NCAA teamHofstra (2002)
NLL draft15th overall, 2002
New York Saints
NLL teamsNew York Saints
MLL draft4th overall, 2002
Bridgeport Barrage
MLL teamsBridgeport/Philadelphia Barrage
New York/Long Island Lizards
Chesapeake Bayhawks
Pro career2002–2015
Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame, 2022

Professional career

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Polanco was drafted by the Bridgeport Barrage in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 2002 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft. In 2004, he was awarded the Major League Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year Award and led the Barrage to winning the Steinfeld Cup.

In 2005, Polanco was traded to the Long Island Lizards where he was again given the Major League Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year Award and was selected for his second consecutive All-Star game.

Polanco played just one season in the National Lacrosse League with the New York Saints in 2003.

His brother, Armando, played for the Philadelphia Barrage.

On May 17, 2012, Polanco was traded to the Chesapeake Bayhawks.

Collegiate career

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Polanco transferred to Hofstra University, for his final two years of eligibility, after playing two seasons at Nassau Community College. While at Nassau, Polanco lead his team to win the National Junior College Athletic Association championships in 1999 and 2000. He was named National Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Year.

Following his transfer, Polanco earned All-America honors each of his two years at Hofstra, and as a senior he was named Colonial Athletic Association Player and Defensive Player of the Year.

Honors and awards

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• Member of 2006 U.S. Men's National Team
• Named alternate to the 2002 U.S. Men's National Team
Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year (2002)
• 1st Team All-American (2002) & Honorable Mention All-American (2001)
National Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Year (1999, 2000 at Nassau C.C.) Richard D'Agostino is the former doctor for the Long Island Lizards.

Preceded by
Ryan Curtis
Major League Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year Award
2004 & 2005
Succeeded by

Statistics

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Nicky Polanco Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team GP G 2PG A Pts Sh GB Pen PIM FOW FOA GP G 2PG A Pts Sh GB Pen PIM FOW FOA
2002 Bridgeport Barrage 4 2 0 0 2 2 7 0 1 0 0
2003 Bridgeport Barrage 12 1 0 1 2 11 53 0 11 0 0
2004 Philadelphia Barrage 12 0 0 1 1 1 35 0 4.5 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 14 0 0 0 0
2005 Long Island Lizards 12 1 0 0 1 4 44 0 7.5 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
2006 Long Island Lizards 10 0 0 0 0 3 40 0 6 0 0
2007 Long Island Lizards 12 1 0 1 2 2 35 0 8 0 0
2008 Long Island Lizards 12 0 0 0 0 1 38 0 18 0 0
2009 Long Island Lizards 6 0 0 0 0 0 19 0 6 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2010 Long Island Lizards 11 0 0 1 1 2 46 0 5 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 7 0 0
2011 Long Island Lizards 11 0 0 3 3 0 36 0 3.5 0 0
2012 Chesapeake Bayhawks 11 0 0 0 0 0 29 0 12.5 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 1 0 0
2013 Chesapeake Bayhawks 11 1 0 0 1 2 26 0 3.5 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
2014 Chesapeake Bayhawks 14 2 0 1 3 4 34 0 11.5 0 0
2015 New York Lizards 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0.5 0 0
2015 Chesapeake Bayhawks 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0
144 8 0 8 16 32 449 0 99.5 0 0 10 0 0 1 1 0 31 0 10 0 0
Career Total: 154 8 0 9 17 32 480 0 109.5 0 0

GP–Games played; G–Goals; 2PG–2-point goals; A–Assists; Pts–Points; Sh–Shots; GB–Ground balls; Pen–Penalties; PIM–Penalty minutes; FOW–Faceoffs won; FOA–Faceoffs attempted

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team GP G A Pts LB PIM GP G A Pts LB PIM
2003 New York 16 1 4 5 91 13 - - - - - -
NLL Totals 16 1 4 5 91 13 - - - - - -

College

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Year Team Goals Assists Pts LB
2001 Hofstra 1 3 4 70
2002 Hofstra 2 3 5 73
Career 3 6 9 143
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