Ben Harrison '21 Recruiting Profile

My name is Ben Harrison, and this is why I play lacrosse.

When I was in fifth grade I discovered my love for lacrosse. My First season was filled with challenges, hard work, and joy. I remember joining the local recreational team just to see if I liked the sport, which had been introduced to me in gym class. I bought my first set of pads and stick from a small used sports store. Immediately, I felt good when I put the pads on. I felt as if I were a gladiator, strong and unstoppable. I soon realized after my first practice that I had found the sport for me, but I had no idea what I was doing. In the following weeks before the season I worked with my teammates and coaches to learn the basics of the sport. I stumbled through the season, taking every failure and mistake as an opportunity to learn and be better. In the second to last game of the season, I took a blow to the knee on a clear. I knew it hurt, but felt that I owed it to the team to keep trying. However, the pain kept me from running far. I was helped off the field and supported my team through the rest of the game from the sideline. After the game, the other team came and shook my hand while I sat on the ground, unable to stand. I was shocked by the sportsmanship and care that I felt that I had not experienced in other sports. My parents took me to the emergency room where I learned that I had fractured my Patella. All through recovery I thought of how I would come back next season stronger and better. I never once thought about quitting.

As I moved on to higher levels of lacrosse, I worked harder than ever before. In seventh grade I experienced my first championship. This made me proud, not only of myself for how far I had come, but also of my teammates that I had played with since I first started. I was truly living up to how I felt when I first set those pads upon my shoulders, strong and unstoppable. But I knew I still had a long way to go. The following year I started to watch more college and professional lacrosse. I found players that I could learn from and leaders that I aspired to be like. This is when I decided I wanted to play college lacrosse.

My Freshman year playing for a school I did not attend was scary, yet exciting. I was learning new techniques and ideas that elevated me to a new level. I learned how to be a better teammate and how to approach competition much better than myself. When tryouts arrived I put in 100% effort in every drill and sprint. I was not pleased when I learned I had only made JV because I wanted to compete and play with the best. After my first high school game, I noticed the Varsity coaches watching and talking about me. Later that week they told me that they thought I would be a good fit for varsity. I still had many things to learn and did not get much playing time. I looked up to our captains and tried to absorb as much wisdom as I could. By the end of the season I was happy that I had been able to practice and play, even if it were only for a few minutes, with the varsity team. I decided to set a goal for the following season, I didn't only want to make varsity, I wanted to start. All off season I worked on footwork, strength and condition, and increased my IQ of the game. My sophomore year I started on Varsity, every game. I knew my work had paid off but as I played some of the best athletes in the state, I knew I still had much to learn.

Now, going into my junior year I have joined a club team where I have played against and with some of the best athletes in the country. This offseason I have worked harder than I ever have before, not only in lacrosse but also in school. I have led workouts and taught my teammates, new and old, my technique of how to improve. I enjoy leading because I enjoy helping others. As I continue on my journey through life and lacrosse I have realized a couple of things; there is never an excuse to let someone out work you, no matter how much you think you know there is always more, I love lacrosse because it has taught me to persevere when going gets difficult, how to be a better person, and has helped me meet some of my best friends and remodels. I play lacrosse because it brings joy to me and has made me who I am today.