USD Magazine Spring 2011

TORERO  ATHLETICS

The USD Men’s Lacrosse alumni squad paid tribute to their late friend Dave Wodynski ‘92 during last fall’s Homecoming. They gathered to both celebrate his life and mourn his loss.

PEACE, BROTHER In lacrosse and in l i fe, Dave Wodynski ’ s indel ible legacy [ s h i n e o n ]

FRED GREAVES

towering personality — literally and figuratively. Standing 6’5”, Wodynski was a study in contrasts; an intense and imposing on-field presence, yet a serene and com- passionate individual off of it. On a few select occasions, his lacrosse opponents would be privy to both —much to their chagrin. “I remember one time, we were playing a local club team that had this loud-mouthed forward, man the guy would not stop talking!” laughs Matt Smith ’90, Wodynski’s former USD lacrosse teammate

by Mike Sauer t’s Homecoming Weekend 2010, and members of the USD Men’s Lacrosse alumni squad are arriving at Manchester Field in a steady stream, shouting greet- ings, exchanging hearty hugs and handshakes, and ribbing each oth- er mercilessly on topics ranging fromwidening waistlines to sus- pect sartorial choices. They don’t have names so much as they have call signs — Troll, Shark, Sugar and Vegas for example — and you can’t help but notice how genuine I

the sense of affection is between this reunited band of brothers. Yet, amid the laughter and regaling of days gone by, there is also a shared burden of loss, as one of their own, Dave Wodynski ’92, tragically passed away last July at the age of 40 due to com- plications associated with an enlarged heart. In celebration of the life and memory of their beloved team- mate, the assembled participants in the annual USD lacrosse alumni game don Wodynski’s No. 29

jersey, and ascribe a simple, yet poignant phrase on the back of their helmets that encapsulated his philosophy on life. Peace, brother. “He considered the guys on the teamhis brothers, and would always sign off his conversations and correspondences that way,” remembers teammate and close friend Mark Romero ’93. “That really symbolized Dave, he was just really peaceful and committed to the idea of building a better world.” It is indeed a fitting tribute to a

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