This Is Wolverine Lacrosse
CONTACT: NICK LeBEL 207-647-3322 x1217
August 22, 2018
Bridgton Academy has a proud reputation of athletic and academic excellence. Student-athletes from our lacrosse program have gone on to attend Division I schools like Ohio State, the University of Vermont, and Providence College, as well as Ivy League institutions such as Dartmouth College. The program has also prepped players for careers in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) and the National Lacrosse League (NLL).
As alumni and former MLL pro Dave Evans ’92, a six-time All Star and Boston Cannons all-time leading scorer, says of Bridgton, “It’s a great opportunity and they’re geared for your success and helping you any way you can to succeed.
“People always ask me about my recruiting path and what I did to get where I went,” Evans adds. “It wouldn’t have happened at another school and I don’t think it would have happened on another path.”
That’s because the Wolverine lacrosse program prepares students to compete at the collegiate level by providing them with a collegiate experience.
“This isn’t high school,” Head Coach Matt Nutley makes clear. “This is your first step into a successful life not only on the field, but off the field.”
That means students are held accountable for getting to class, completing their coursework as required, and meeting their other educational and extracurricular responsibilities. But they don’t do it alone.
“The Bridgton community as a whole is very important to (making) sure that that happens,” says Coach Nutley.
Indeed, Conor Tracy ’17, who now plays lacrosse for Western New England University, says that no matter the issue, there was always someone on the Bridgton campus ready and willing to help him out.
“Whether it’s math or English or history or even just life stuff, it’s very easy to find help,” says Tracy, who is majoring in sports management. “They’re all there, willing to help.”
While academic excellence is expected, prioritized, and supported, lacrosse players devote just as much time to conditioning, practicing, and playing thanks to Bridgton’s year-round program of fall and spring schedules. And they do it on our new state-of-the-art artificial turf field.
“I had never played full year round like we do here at (Bridgton Academy), which is a pretty special thing because no other school can offer that,” says Tracy.
The combination of accountability, support, motivation, academic achievement, and athletic excellence instills in our students a sense of responsibility””and the confidence they need””to achieve success in college and beyond.
Evans, for one, is unequivocal about the roots of his achievements:
“This is an amazing place,” he says. “It really does change your life.”
Bridgton Academy’s mission is to provide a program for young men in a unique, one-year postgraduate environment to prepare for the competitive rigors of college and beyond. Bridgton Academy is located in western Maine, in the town of North Bridgton. For more information, please visit www.bridgtonacademy.org
