Courageous, passionate, dedicated and a leader are a few words that can be used to describe Colin Cahill, junior captain of the Men’s Lacrosse team. His love for Wittenberg and competition are a few reasons why he works so hard to keep building on the program’s winning culture.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minn., Cahill began playing lacrosse in the seventh grade. What started as a game of catch with his neighbor quickly turned into a burning passion that has changed his life completely. The bond that is built between teammates and coaches is what immediately drew him into the sport, but the lessons he’s learned and the challenges he’s faced is why he can’t live without it.
Cahill knew all of the long, grueling hours spent practicing and developing his craft paid off when he decided to further his academic and athletic career at Wittenberg University.
“I choose Witt upon visiting because of how welcoming everyone on the team was and the campus as a whole while visiting,” Cahill said. “I was also very impressed with the history of the beautiful campus here. I immediately knew this was the type of culture I needed to be around.”
Since arriving at Wittenberg, Cahill has been a force to be reckoned with and keeps improving as time goes on. As a freshmen, he appeared in two varsity games for a total of 42:37 minutes and recorded four saves. As a sophomore, he appeared in eight games, starting five of them, where he guarded the net for a total of 247 minutes, while collecting 53 saves and blocking 51.3 percent of shots. Due to a preseason foot injury he missed a few games at the beginning of this season, but since returning, he hasn’t missed a beat. Appearing in five games, he has protected the net for 239 minutes, collected 54 saves and blocked 84.94 percent of shots. Cahill has played a key role in the team’s success as their season inches closer to the end of the regular season and the start of playoffs.
Balancing athletics and academics can be very difficult for many student athletes, however, Cahill admits that he doesn’t face this problem very often. The bond with his team and leading them by example are two reasons why he works so hard to keep his priorities straight. By knowing what is most important and beneficial to his life, it makes it easier for him to take advantage of everything that Wittenberg has to offer.
When he isn’t leading teammates on the field, Cahill gets involved with the campus community in a number of ways. He is the treasurer for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), a member of Phi Gamma Delta and works in the HPER Center as a student employee.
“One of my favorite things about Witt is that I get a well rounded college experience unlike any other,” Cahill said. “I went DIII because I didn’t want to be limited to just being an athlete, I want to do more and give back more and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Cahill has earned his spot on the team and looks to keep lacrosse in his life forever. After college, he plans to work with some type of financial services company, but in his free time, he would love to follow his passion by coaching and playing in an adult league to keep his competitive edge alive.
Until then, Cahill and the rest of the Men’s Lacrosse team will work towards finishing the regular season strong as they prepare to play their last two games of the season. If the Tigers win both games, then they have a chance to continue their season and play in the NCAC tournament for back-to-back years.
