Former Babylon High School lacrosse player Cody Hoyt, in his Cortland uniform. He helped his team win the Division III Championship in Massachusetts, May 24. Former Babylon High School (BHS) lacrosse star Cody Hoyt was a key to the 2009 NCAA Division III Championship won by Cortland at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts on May 24. The Red Dragons edged the Gettysburg Bullets 9-7 for the national title.

Hoyt is the long stick midfielder generally responsible for guarding the key players of Cortland's opponents. The senior's outstanding play throughout the season was instrumental in getting his team to the tournament. He scored an important goal in the quarterfinal, a 6-5 victory over Western New England. Cody had dedicated that game to his grandfather, Ed Hoyt, who died prior to the contest.

At BHS, Cody also starred in soccer and winter track. He captained both the soccer and lacrosse varsity teams and excelled in academics throughout high school, graduating in 2005. He enrolled at Cortland and majored in physical education. As a walk-on, he made the lacrosse squad, played four years and was a starter for three while making the Dean's List academically. On the field, he made the All Tournament team and was selected on the SUNY AC first team. His future plans include a career in education.

On a related note, Babylon High School had two other lacrosse stars in the NCAA finals. Matt Martinez is a sophomore goalie at Cornell, runner-up to Syracuse in the NCAA Division I final. Matt Griffo is a sophomore midfielder at Gettysburg, the Division III runner up. Both graduated from BHS in 2007. In addition to lacrosse, the two were co-captains of the BHS football teams in the 2005 and 2006 seasons and played in the Suffolk County finals both years. In 2006, Martinez was the best offensive guard in Division IV and Griffo was a running back and safety for the Panthers.

Shown in the photo is Cortland midfielder Cody Hoyt.

­­— by Tony Spota