Name: Ryan Nygren

Sport: Men's Lacrosse

Hometown: Chicago, IL

High School: Lane Tech

Favorite professional athlete: Zach Lavine

What do you love most about the sport you play?
A few things. First, the connection between you, the stick, and the ball. I'm obsessed with the myriad of different ways you can manipulate the stick to produce outcomes like passing, shooting, stick checks, and ground balls. It's aesthetically pleasing and provides a technical skill curve that's incredibly rewarding to progress in. Building off of that, the way you play lacrosse is exceedingly personalizable—what kind of equipment you use, how you use your physicality, which facets of the game you gravitate towards, etc.—which means that every player has the chance to develop their own unique style of play and make the game their own. Lastly and most importantly, the rich history of the sport and its roots in Native American, specifically Haudenosaunee, tradition. The Haudenosaunee viewed lacrosse as a gift from the Creator, and to play it is both an honor and a responsibility in a post-colonial context. You can begin learning more about the Native roots of the sport here, and more about Every Child Matters and residential schools here.

What is your favorite team experience?
Beating #18 Stevens at home last year. It doesn't get much better than winning a midweek game against a ranked opponent under the lights, and it set the tone for what kind of program we are and want to continue to be moving forward. We all came to Haverford to play our best lacrosse and represent the school on a national level, and that was on display in the Stevens game. On a personal level, it was incredible to get my first collegiate minutes in such a meaningful game, and it represented the fulfillment of a dream I've poured thousands of hours into achieving since I was in middle school.

What makes Haverford unique?
Haverford provides a unique opportunity to be intimately engaged in your collegiate experience in a way other schools cannot. Access to faculty and academic resources is as easy as sending an email or going to office hours, and the Honor Code and Plenary give the student body a powerful voice in the goings-on of the college. Whereas in high school I felt as though changing my situation was outside my reach, Haverford provides a setting where I feel in control of the direction I take in my academic and professional career. Haverford has definitely challenged me throughout my first 3 semesters, but working alongside my professors and peers has taught me just how much I'm capable of.

What advice would you give a high school student considering Haverford?
Come visit! It's hard to get the campus vibe from pictures or through words, so I'd definitely recommend coming to visit so you can get a more intuitive feeling of if Haverford is the place for you. Try to meet as many people on campus as you can, and do a little investigating on your end to see if you can find a professor or lab that's doing research you may be interested in, a student-athlete from an area near you, or club/student group organized around something you're interested in. My experience from the athletic recruiting process is that just as much as a coach may decide you're a fit for the team, you must decide if you're a fit for the school.