What makes an athletics program great?
Competitive student-athletes. Top coaches. State-of-the-art facilities. Supportive fans.
But if you ask Mike Daly, the Rothman Head Coaching Chair for Men's Lacrosse at Brown, developing lifelong lessons that go beyond the sport are just as important.
"One core focus of our program is leadership development," says Daly. "We have the opportunity to develop young people's leadership skills and character and to send them off with those tools to succeed in whatever profession they choose. Even as dads and uncles—all of the important roles in life."
Take for example Luke McCaleb '20, captain of the men's lacrosse team. "When I was a starter in the program as a freshman, I was green," says. McCaleb. "But the seniors at the time really took me under their wing and helped me out, from offering tactical strategies to how to balance classwork. And now I have the opportunity to give back and guide others on the team."
McCaleb notes that the annual intensive program, in which lacrosse players train with former military special operations members (pictured), challenges even formerly quiet players to rise up as leaders. After spending last summer at an officer candidate school for the Marine Corps, McCaleb has set his sights on giving back to his country after graduation, applying the values he has developed at Brown. "You're not going to give up on your teammate—or the officer next to you," he says.