Bates’ Men’s Lacrosse’s tournament run came to an end when they fell to Hope College in the Sweet Sixteen on May 9. Although the outcome wasn’t what the team had anticipated after a hard fought season, Men’s Lax is looking to use this loss as an opportunity to fuel their stamina for next year. Face-off Midfielder Miles Schmidt ‘27 and Attacker Gray Doyle ‘27 sat down with The Student to share insights on their expectations, attitudes and team dynamics this season.
However, despite the uncertainty and varying nature of competitive sports, one thing remains constant: The culture Men’s Lax fosters on and off the field that’s crucial to their success.
Schmidt told The Student about their team atmosphere, and the time and energy that went into creating it. He credits his former leaders for shaping his attitude that he now carries as an upperclassman: “They were the ones who sacrificed through those tough seasons and won’t see the fruits of their labor… and now we get to sit here now and talk about how all they sacrificed to put us here is now paying off.”
When asked about what it means foster a team community, Doyle said, “spending time with each other early on, and really building those relationships, because at the end of the day, if you have a relationship with somebody, you’re going to be a lot more open to receiving and giving feedback when February, March rolls around.”
Schmidt mentioned two specific initiatives the team takes: their summer championship and the McDuffee Cup. He said, “In the off season we have our McDuffee Cup, which is to honor one of our former players who passed away…I see who’s putting that work in, whether it’s not just visually, like, in the weight room, but they know that guys are really, really working hard, and there’s something to show for that.”
When talking about the ways in which the team handled adversity, Schmidt told The Student about their game facing Amherst. “It was our worst game of the entire season… We were like, alright, we have to turn it up another notch.” He continued, “I think we were able to really, really blossom from that, showing in our game against Amherst in the quarter finals, beating them at home for the first time ever. That was a blessing.”
Doyle also spoke about the ways in which his teammates support each other on the field. He shared, “Sometimes we’re just trying to settle each other’s nerves and hit a reset button, which has been a phrase that we use constantly over this season… It’s been huge to settle down, take a deep breath, and be able to re-center your emotions.”
Schmidt added, “We have a great bench mob…we couldn’t do it without them, because, I mean, they give us the juice… their energy is really, really infectious, and drives us throughout the course of a game.”
Looking forward to next season, Doyle said, “while we’re very proud and happy of our season and making the Sweet 16, we’re still really hungry. We can look back and be content with the work that we put in and the process that we had going into this season and these games, but we’re hungry for next year to be the last team standing at the end of the year and win a national championship.”
Both players expressed their gratitude towards the Bates community and beyond. Doyle emphasized, “We really appreciate all the support that we had this year. It was awesome seeing the sidelines filled, the fence covered with people getting rowdy, the football team taking their shirts off, swinging over their heads… We’re coming back next year better, better than ever.”
