SALISBURY, Md. – Conferring arguably the most prestigious honor that can be bestowed upon a Sea Gull student-athlete, the Salisbury University men's lacrosse team revealed at its national championship ring ceremony on Saturday that it has retired the No. 22 jersey of
Cross Ferrara.
Ferrara becomes just the sixth student-athlete in Salisbury history to officially have his jersey retired and the first since 2007. His framed jersey will join those of
Jason Coffman (men's lacrosse),
Dave Cottle (men's lacrosse),
Andre Foreman (men's basketball),
Lacey (Lister) Lord (softball), and
Stacy Stem (field hockey/women's lacrosse) along the hallways of the Maggs Physical Activities Center, never again to be issued within his sport.
One of college lacrosse's all-time great attackmen, Ferrara rewrote the Salisbury and NCAA record books from 2018-23. The Greenville, Del. native set new program records with 362 career goals and 473 points in 108 career games, climbing to second on the Division III all-time leaderboard in both statistics.
Amongst his bevy of awards, Ferrara made the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-America First Team three times (2021-23), earned USILA National Attackman of the Year twice (2021-22), and captured USILA Iroquois National Outstanding Player of the Year in 2021. He was also named to the Tewaarathon Award watchlist three times, cementing his place among the best players across every division of college lacrosse.
Ferrara helped drive the Sea Gulls to five NCAA Tournament appearances, three trips to the tournament finals, and the 2023 national championship. In his final career game on May 28 at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, Ferrara scored three goals with one assist, earning National Championship Most Outstanding Player honors and guiding Salisbury past Tufts, 17-12.
Ferrara's jersey was officially retired on the same day he and his teammates received their 2023 national championship rings. The Sea Gulls finished the season 23-1, winning 20 straight games en route to their record-tying 13th national title in program history.
At Salisbury University, official student-athlete jersey retirements are extraordinarily rare. In addition to serving as a member of his or her varsity team with honor and distinction, as well as meeting all university baccalaureate requirements and exhausting all athletic eligibility, the student-athlete must be recognized for excellence by regional and national organizations, such as earning at least one All-America title. Moreover, he or she must be considered the single-most dominant student-athlete of the era not just at SU but within his or her entire sport.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 196 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
