As a senior class of four for the men’s lacrosse team looks to add the final touches to their legacy, it is with no question that everything from a goal, to a defensive stop and a memory was earned. 

Eddie Hill (Somers, Connecticut) and Justin MacIntyre (Norwalk, Connecticut), both midfielders respectively, had combined for 77 goals throughout their career heading into the start of their senior year at RWU. In addition, they had also garnered All-Conference attention with Hill’s second and third team All-CCC selections in his junior and sophomore years.

On the other end of the field, Tim Walch (Wilson, New York) and Owen Love (Cold Harbor Spring, New York) anchor the defense for the Hawks. These two players provide a security blanket for the Hawks defense given their deep experience in the program.

When asked what they wanted their legacy to be, the seniors agreed they wanted to leave a certain culture behind. 

“I think we would all agree on this that we want to be known as a group of four guys that worked really hard to help get this program to a high level,” Owen said. “With a lot of young guys on the team this year, mainly freshmen and sophomores, we wanted to establish a culture that the young guys can carry with them for their upcoming years.”

Ultimately, this culture the seniors have tried to build revolves around hard work, gaining a mental edge, having fun out on the field, and most of all, brotherhood. This culture has translated well, especially for the newcomers.

Tim Mullane, a freshman attacker from Hanover, Massachusetts said, “These seniors have helped me adjust by recognizing that everyone is in the same boat on the team and we are only as strong as our weakest person. When you are down and just had a bad practice or game, they will pick you up and if you are doing things right, they will continue to pick you up and tell you what you are doing right.”

Freshmen Gabe Reale also added on to what he has learned from this group of seniors, and explained how he plans to use it in upcoming years. 

“I have learned to focus on the long term goal and not the short term,” Reale said. “If things are not going my way then I just have to trust the process and keep working as hard as I can, and success will follow.” 

As these four seniors’ careers wind down, they still feel like there is some unfinished business to take care of. All four of them stated that they felt they could still capture the CCC championship, which the Hawks have not been to since 2012. That would be the ultimate icing on the cake.

“We want to leave with the CCC championship and a N.C.A.A. tournament berth,” MacIntyre said.  

However it ends though, the seniors have acknowledged it will be a tough pill to swallow. 

“Championship or not, there will be a lot of emotions with our careers coming to an end,” Love said. “Personally for me, I have been playing this sport since I was about six years old and I truly love it.”

Many people often judge their careers off their stats and accomplishments, and seldom take the time to recognize what they have given back to the program and the memories they have gained. This core four, however, has not forgotten how they have grown through this program. 

So it may sound cliche to say that memories never die, but it could never be more true in this particular case.

“Every memory that we have from being a part of this program, we feel that we have earned, so we will cherish them forever,” Love said.