Remembering #19 Todd Bernhardt

Todd Bernhardt was an attackman on our Penfield lacrosse 2000 Section 5 championship team.  In March of 2001, while attending college at the Rochester Institute of Technology, the freshman midfielder was warming up for a game against Springfield College when he was struck in the chest by an errant shot, causing him to collapse and go into cardiac arrest. While he was revived at the scene and quickly transported to the hospital, after eight days in critical care he was unable to recover from his injury. Todd died at the young age of 19.

In a 2001 interview with the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Todd’s mother, Paula Bernhardt, said "He loved lacrosse. He thought it. He ate it. He slept it. He dreamed it. And he died from it."

After the 2001 season, no Penfield scholastic player has ever worn the #19 jersey, though you may see the #19 worn by coaches or on a Penfield lacrosse bumper sticker. Small ways to honor and remember Todd.

Says Coach Schembri, “Todd's love for the game was evident in everything he did. I will never forget him and the impact he made on the Penfield lacrosse program.”