YEAR 2 AT CULVER 

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My second year at Culver Academies was even better than my first year.  Coming into the year as a full-fledged cadet made life so much simpler.  I was able to settle down and really get into my personal groove about what I wanted to be and do during my time at Culver.

LAST MINUTE ROOMATE SCRAMBLE

My roommate situation ended up being a last-minute fix, in that my expected roommate left Culver two (2) weeks before school started.  It was a tough decision for him and even though I supported him, I was challenged with the fact I had no roommate going into the school year.

Luckily, I was able to work with our unit counselor and reconnect with my first-year roommate, and we got the exact room we had our first year (on the 4th floor walkup of the Battery building – not ideal but better than other options).

THE GRIND

Being put on the Varsity my 1st year, I was determined to not let that happen again. In the spring, I would have my practice with Varsity and then go out and stand on the sideline to watch the prep team.  After their practice, I worked on my footwork and defense drills with the Prep players, hoping to learn from them what I needed to be successful. And I watched tons of film with my teammates and coaches to learn what I could do to be a better player and teammate on the defense.

MY CHANCE

Culver is a unique school in that it lets lacrosse players train year-round.  In the fall, we have Captain Practices and the team travels somewhere in the Midwest to play the best opponents in our area. We got a chance to match up against Brother Rice (MI), WRA and 2021 Juiced Cherries National Team.

Additionally, the Prep team usually travels to the east coast to play in the National High School Lacrosse Showcase (NHSLS) and sneak a game or two against east coast opponents. I was lucky enough to be invited to travel with the squad and got a chance to play significant time against some great competitors (Calvert Hall, The Hill Academy, St. Johns Prep of DC and Georgetown Prep).

THE LAST MILE

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As winter approached middle Indiana, I was preparing to play in the Culver Box Lacrosse program when I received an invite to attend a college Prospect Day event. It was one of my top college target schools, so I jumped at the opportunity. It was a solid outing on a beautiful day, and the one thing the coaching staff told me was while they liked my style of play and skill, I should work on “bulking up a bit”.  At that time, I weighed 160lbs and realized they were right – I needed to be stronger and more physical with my level of play.

​When I returned to Culver, I made sure I worked out in the weight room every day during my free period, trying to build mass and strength.  By the time the 2022 season kicked off, I weighted 185lbs and felt more comfortable matching up against bigger players.

PREP TIME

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I was blessed to make the 2022 Culver Prep team and although I had worked my tail off to get on the team, I was shocked to learn that I was named a starter on the defense for the season.

​I was surrounded by amazing talent in our defensive group (R Clay – Michigan; C Vickrey – Princeton; Z Mesa – Lehigh; C Pack – Ohio State; J Pisani - Michigan) and wanted to make sure I didn’t let them or the team down, so I put in extra hours with Coach Ryan Terefenko to make sure I was learning as much of his limitless knowledge about the game.

LEARNING FROM “THE MAN”

I was so blessed to have Coach T teaching me so much about defense, lacrosse and how to play physical (within the rules), and I made sure I didn’t waste the opportunity to gain experience from one of the most prolific defensemen of our generation.  I listened, learned, applied, and repeated over and over and over. I found the game moving slower, and I was able to anticipate what our opponents were trying to do before the play even formulated.

HARD WORK, EFFORT & ATTITUDE

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Our Culver Prep team started the season ranked #8 in the country, and soon teams learned why we should be ranked much higher!  We handily beat all our Midwest opponents we faced, and when we traveled out east for our annual Spring Break trip, we had successful outings against some amazing squads.   We lost 2 games by 1 point each against nationally ranked teams, and left the east coast energized to get back to Indiana and get better so we could avenge those losses.

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We got to play lacrosse on so many amazing fields during the season - like the Univ of Michigan and Univ of Maryland stadiums – and we were able to compete against the best of the best across the Midwest and East Coast.  That made our team bond in amazing ways, and I’m so happy to have gone to battle with such amazing teammates and coaches.

SUCCESS ACHIEVED

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In the end, our team had only one (1) home game the entire 2022 season, and we travelled over 7,000+ miles on a bus to accumulate a final regular season record of 20-2, along with a #3 national ranking issued by several prominent lacrosse governing bodies. 

From there, we went on to complete our season by playing in and winning the inaugural Premier Prep Championship, the MSLA (Midwest Scholastic Lacrosse Association) Championship and finally (and my favorite of them all), the National High School Lacrosse Showcase (NHSLS) Championship (which was televised on ESPN).

LEADERSHIP

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When I look back at our year, I feel immensely grateful to have played thirty-five (35) extremely competitive lacrosse games in the span of four (4) months, with our amazing seniors who all were headed to prominent lacrosse programs in the future. 

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I was truly blessed to be a member of this CMA Prep Team and to compete alongside my teammates.  This will forever be one of my most favorite years of lacrosse and one I hope to use as I continue to grow and learn as I move into the leadership role of our future squads.

NOT OVER YET

But, for many of our 2024 players on the Prep squad, the hard part of our year was yet to come!  We all headed into our grueling “recruitment summer season” where it was our time to shine in front of college recruiters to hopefully get a phone call or text on 9/1. 

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What’s in store for me only God knows, so I’ll just keep focusing on putting in the work to be the best version of “ME” that I can be. I keep focus on the fundamental lessons learned throughout my life, and take solace in knowing my family, friends, coaches, and teammates are behind me all the way.

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As my dad keeps telling me before every game …...”Be Safe.  Have Fun.  Try not to suck!”