Many high school students dream of pursuing athletic careers in college, and for some, sports may fall to the wayside to make room for academics and some might not be recruited at all. And then there are those who have not only gone on to play in college, but have truly excelled. Cole Evans ’19 (Chestertown, MD) and Brennan Paddy ’18 (Centreville, MD), are two Gunston alums who have seen incredible success in their collegiate lacrosse careers. 

Cole, a rising senior at Christopher Newport University (CNU) in Virginia (Division III), has seen lots of action as a faceoff specialist, playing in all three games during the recent NCAA Tournament.  The Captains made it to the NCAA quarterfinals this year, and the year prior they made it to semifinals. Experiences that are “something you can only dream of as a college athlete,” according to Cole. He went on to say, “Even with Covid there were so many fans which is absolutely nuts. On top of that you are surrounded by some of the most elite college players in the country which is incredibly humbling. Getting to be with my teammates and experience moments like the NCAA tournament are something I’ll cherish forever because very few people get to ever be part of anything like that. The entire experience just reminds you that all of the hard work that you have put in as a college athlete has paid off.” 

Cole earned consistent playing time during his first season with CNU and helped the Captains register several victories. In his sophomore year, he saw action as a faceoff specialist while spending time on the midfield unit, taking part in 17 games and winning 26 out of his 56 faceoff attempts. He went 6-for-10 and was credited with the game-winning goal during a victory against Randolph-Macon. He finished the year with 11 total ground balls, including two in a non-conference triumph and secured at least one faceoff victory in 11 of his appearances, including a perfect 2-for-2 outing in the regular season finale. 

At Gunston, he was a standout midfielder and a four-time ESIAC All-Conference winner, bringing home Player of the Year as a senior and honored as a US Lacrosse Academic All-American among other honors. (And a member of the Green Team, Go Green!) For Cole, the decision to go to CNU was easy, as he felt right at home on campus. The recruitment process, however, is challenging because “you have to travel quite a bit in order to be seen by college coaches.” He encourages anyone interested in playing at the college level to make sure they do their research about not only the school but the lacrosse program and the coaches.

Brennan, a senior at Central Michigan University (CMU), a Division I school, played attack and midfielder positions, and has been an incredible athlete all of her life. In her first year at CMU, she played in six games and collected two ground balls. Then in her sophomore year, she played in five games, making four starts and collected a total of eight ground balls that resulted in four turnovers. She played in all 15 games her junior year, making 12 starts. That year, she totaled 12 points (8 goals, 4 assists) and led CMU to rank 4th in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with 60 draw controls. Last year, her senior year, not only did Brennan start all 20 games, she set the CMU record with 13 draw controls against Youngstown State. She finished this season with 27 goals and 11 assists, 31 ground balls, 23 caused turnovers, and 40 draw controls. 

When Covid hit during her sophomore year, CMU decided to allow athletes to take a 5th year. “After my team and I won our conference championship for the first time in program history, making it to the first-round of NCAA women’s lacrosse championship, and playing the number 4 team in the country, I did not feel like my time was over. I’ve been given another opportunity to make history and I want to do that,” says Brennan. She will be finishing prerequisites and plans to attend nursing school after graduation. 

At Gunston, Brennan held the school record for assists, was a four-time First Team ALL-CALL and ESIAC honoree, won a CALL championship and was named MVP two years in a row. Additionally, she earned four letters in basketball and field hockey and played club lacrosse with Maryland United for five years. (And was a member of the White Team, Go White!)

The decision on where to attend school did not come as easy for Brennan. She played travel lacrosse since middle school and began her college search and recruitment process the summer before her junior year. She started by emailing different college coaches and informing them of when and where she was going to be playing in the hopes they would come and see her. She received communications from Central Michigan in June of 2016, but wasn’t particularly interested at first since it’s so far away (11 hours). After hearing from both the Assistant Coach and the Head Coach, she visited CMU as well as several other colleges. At a CMU visit in September, she was able to stay in the dorms and play in a 5v5 tournament with current students as well as other recruits. She was very thankful to have that experience and eventually was offered a spot at CMU and a few other schools. She had to visit each school again to be able to finally decide that CMU was her “home away from home.” 

Brennan and Cole both have excelled in their athletic careers and have great advice for students wishing to pursue sports in college. 

Cole offers, “Be honest with yourself and the coaches. This will allow you to truly be yourself and embrace opportunities presented to you.[...] Don’t rush things. I didn’t commit to CNU until April of my senior year of high school. Be confident things will fall into place because if you question the process, then you are just taking steps backward.” 

Brennan’s advice is specific to Division I athletics, and is very upfront about how grueling and time-consuming D1 lacrosse was for her. But, she says “you are pushed until you feel like you cannot be pushed anymore, but I am here to tell you, you can. It is all a mindset. There will be days you think you cannot do it anymore and there will be moments you do not feel cut out to do it, but everyday gets better. The team because your family and the field becomes your home.” Brennan finishes her thought by saying “If I could turn back time, I would choose Division I athletics everyday for the rest of my life.”