Picture yourself opening the mailbox and finding letters from Harvard, Princeton, Yale and some of the top universities in the nation all wanting you to attend their school. Now, picture yourself doing this as a junior.
Hard to imagine, right? What seems to be impossible for so many students is reality for the class of 2011 lacrosse players.
In the south, lacrosse does not typically find itself among the other sports that are so big, such as football, soccer, basketball and baseball. Lucky for the Coppell lacrosse players, colleges and coaches in the north have taken notice of their state win and the skills that the Coppell Lacrosse team has to offer. Now, almost all the juniors are being recruited by the top lacrosse schools and most elite universities in the nation.
Juniors Nate Hruby and Brandon Mullins have already committed to play for prestigious colleges. Hruby will attend Air Force Academy and Mullins will be attending Syracuse University in the fall of 2011.
“[Committing] took a lot of pressure and stress off me. I’m glad that I will be able to play lacrosse at a college level,” Hruby said. “It’s exciting to know that I’ll get the opportunity to get playing time and to actually compete for a playing spot my freshman year.”
Recruiting for lacrosse generally happens over the summer when players are on select teams. Hruby, Mullins and their teammates Sam Johnston and Tyler Landis all play on Dallas Select, a club lacrosse team. Both Hruby and Mullins committed early in the year to get the pressures of committing out of the way.
Hruby plays as a midfielder. Before he can be admitted into Air Force, however, Hruby must receive a letter of recommendation from a congressman as well as meet the standard qualifications that other students interested in the Air Force Academy must also do. Hruby is planning on writing letters to congressmen, like Kenny Marchant of Coppell, before the end of the school year. Air Force plays in the Eastern College Athletic Conference.
Syracuse is currently in first place in the Big East Conference, which includes teams from colleges such as Rutgers University, Notre Dame, Villanova and Georgetown, to name a few, and is also ranked No. 4 in the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse RPI. Mullins made his decision early in February.
“I got to stay with some players [when I went to visit Syracuse]. It’s kind of intimidating meeting them in real life after watching them play on TV,” Mullins said. “I really like the campus, the coaches and the players. Overall, I felt like [Syracuse] fit me.”
Mullins stayed with Matthew Lerman, a freshman goalie, but also met players like Joel White, John Galloway and Cody Jamieson.
Hruby and Mullins’s teammates, Johnston, Landis, Alec Lucas and Preston Allison have also been highly recruited as juniors.
“It’s a stressful decision because, of course, I want to play at a good lacrosse school, but not all good lacrosse schools are good schools academically,” Johnston said. “I want to be happy and not regret my decision.”
Schools from all over the east coast are contacting Johnston, including a few Ivy League universities. He has already visited Dartmouth and stayed with players on the team. Johnston plans on making his decision by the end of the summer. Johnston has also been recruited from some of the same schools as the other juniors, but as of right now, it does not look like any of these players will be at the same school, or even in the same conference for that matter.
Landis, Lucas and Allison are in the same position as Johnston and are still trying to decide where they want to play in college.
Landis is a prospective player for Stony Brook, Hofstra and Delaware, but has not yet decided if he wants to play lacrosse in college. He intends to make his decision by the end of the school year.
“We have to continue staying strong in academics so we don’t fall behind,” Mullins said. “We need to keep learning as players so we can be prepared for the college level.”
