Chandler senior middie Andrew Muscara has committed to play NCAA Division II lacrosse at Mesa State College.

Muscara, who is the No. 4 ranked senior in the latest WSL Elite 25 individual player rankings, passed up an opportunity to play at three Division I schools before choosing Mesa State. Muscara said he also considered Air Force, Bellarmine and Stony Point, but he will be going to Grand Junction, Colo., instead.

“They gave me a pretty good scholarship, better than what the other schools could give me,” Muscara said. “It just seemed like the right choice to make. I really sat down and thought about what I wanted to do in college, and Mesa State just seemed like the best fit for me.”

Muscara is one of three seniors from Chandler who have committed to the fledgling program that will begin play in the spring of 2011. So far, six players from Arizona and 25 in all have committed or signed with Mesa State.

Muscara is also the third senior on the current WSL Elite 25 list to commit to the program. He joins 14th-ranked Kody Klimes, a goalie from Chaparral (Ariz.) and honorable-mention JoJo Milosevic from Palo Verde in Las Vegas.

“We are very excited about our recruiting class here at Mesa State,” head coach A.J. Stevens said. “We have made it a priority to recruit athleticism with this class, our first as a varsity program. Andrew is a great athlete and a very talented lacrosse player. He will allow us to become competitive right away among western NCAA Division II teams.”

Muscara said he believes he is prepared to take his game to the next level.

“I think I’m ready for it,” Muscara said. “I’ve played for a lot of the club teams and done well there. I think it’ll be a pretty smooth transition.”

MESA STATE COLLEGE COMMITMENTS

1. Jeremy Best, LSM, Hilltop (SoCal)
2. Will Cargo, MF, Cinco Ranch (TX)
3. Nicholas Cosgrove, Att., Mattituck (NY)
4. Chris Cunningham, MF, Heritage (CO)
5. Trevor Ecton, Att., Olathe (KS)
6. Stuart Foster, Def./LSM, Grand Valley United (CO)
7. Michael Giffen, MF-Att., Chandler (AZ)
8. Johnny Graham, Def./LSM, Smoky Hill (CO)
9. Blake Harlow, Def., Wilsonville (OR)
10. Ian Harris, MF, Gilbert (AZ)
11. Sean Harris, MF, Gilbert (AZ)
12. Nathan Hunter-Gerber, Att., Emmanuel College (Australia)
13. Kody Klimes, G, Chaparral (AZ)
14. Dakota Klossner, MF, Castle View (CO)
15. Jordan Lievois, MF, Santa Margarita Catholic (SoCal)
16. Justin Malloy, Def./LSM, Santa Margarita Catholic (SoCal)
17. Austin Marie, Def., Chandler (AZ)
18. JoJo Milosevic, MF, Palo Verde (NV)
19. Andrew Muscara, MF, Chandler (AZ)
20. Tony Nelson, Att.-MF, Champlin Park (MN)
21. Bryce Raber, MF, Chatfield (CO)
22. Kade Robinson, MF, Westbourne Grammar (Australia)
23. Giuliano Sanchez, Def., De La Salle (NorCal)
24. Mo Sillah, MF, Cinco Ranch (TX)
25. Zach Zdunich, Att.-MF, Copper Hills (UT)