News-Letter

Media Credit: Shiv Gandhi [Click to enlarge]

Another exciting year of lacrosse means another exciting group of freshmen to add to the roster. This year's team has 17 freshmen, each one very talented and with proven lacrosse skills. Many have been playing since they were very young.

"I started playing soft stick lacrosse at the age of 7 c9 I always just seemed to enjoy playing," midfielder Michael Kimmel said.

"I got into lacrosse in lower school when my 5th-grade teacher told me I should play," long stick midfielder Eric Dang said.

Hopkins has consistently attracted some of the most amazing players to ever grace the sport due to its time-tested record. For many players, coming to Hopkins to play lacrosse is a dream come true.

"I have been coming to watch lacrosse games here at Hopkins since I was born. In fact, my parents were at the 1987 championship, just six months before I was born," defense Max Levine said.

"It is very exciting to be a part of the Hopkins lacrosse tradition. The sheer number of people who are fans of the team make this an incredible experience," Dang said.

For some players they weren't attracted to Hopkins just because of its strong program, but also because of other family members who have been involved in the game. "I got interested in lacrosse because both my parents grew up playing lacrosse on Long Island. My Dad was a two-time, first team, all-American goalie at Williams College, " Levine said.

Other players have family directly involved in Hopkins' program. Attacker Nathan Matthews is the younger brother of junior goalie Nolan Matthews. Attacker Chris Boland is the younger brother of Kevin Boland, class of 2004, a three-time All-American midfielder who helped lead the Jays to the 2003 National Title Game.

The daily rigors of balancing practice and school work can be very taxing. There are many high hopes placed on the freshmen."Each [coach] has his different style of teaching, but it is clear that they are the hardest working, most knowledgeable, most passionate, and most inspiring coaching staff I have ever played for," Levine said.

"All of the coaches push us hard but at the same time are always there for us and are always very supportive," Dang said.

Even though expectations for the guys might seem overwhelming, the players fortunately benefit from a strong network of support from both their coaches and their teammates."The whole team hangs out together which is different from other programs. There are no other coaches I would rather play for than the coaches we have," Kimmel said.

"I feel like I have 48 brothers who always want to help with anything from work to lacrosse. They always want to hang out and they are always there if I need something," Levine said.

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