With the early college signing period for athletes now behind us, we look at the experience of Harriton’s past sports stars who are now competing at the collegiate level. NCAA sports are a whole new game, and just being on a college team is a great accomplishment in itself. We asked Max Norris, Bailey Ebby, and Hilary Lemonick a few questions about life as a college student-athlete.

Hilary Lemonick- Class of 2014

Lacrosse at Cornell University

Member of 2013 RamLax State Championship team

All Central League and Main Line Teams all 4 years

US Lacrosse All-American/Under Armour All-American- Sr. year

US Lacrosse Academic All-American- Sr./Jr. years

Banner: What are some differences between playing lacrosse in college and playing lacrosse in high school?

HL: One difference between high school and college lacrosse is definitely the pace of the game in terms of intensity, strength, speed and skill. The game becomes more complex at this level and all the players are so much more talented and capable.

Banner: When did you decide you wanted to play lacrosse in college?

HL: I decided I wanted to play lacrosse after my first season with RAMLAX. At the conclusion of my freshman year I met with Coach George Dick to discuss the season and after a long and meaningful conversation with Coach D I knew I couldn’t let lacrosse go after just 4 years of high school. I had to play at the next level.

Banner: How do you hope to contribute to your team individually? What do you expect of your team as a whole?

HL: This year as a freshman I hope to bring energy and attitude to the team and contribute in any way I can. I am happy to fill any role that is needed on the team and I hope to contribute to an already strong and solid defensive unit.

Banner: What is your best advice for someone aspiring to play college sports?

HL: My advice for someone aspiring to play college sports is to work hard. Hard work is in every athlete’s control and working hard when no one is watching is what allows athletes to be not only good but great.

Max Norris- Class of 2013

Track and Cross Country at Columbia University

17th at Cross Country nationals 2012

Penn Relays 3000m Champion 2013

Runner-up in national indoor 5000m 2013/All-american

State champion in indoor 3000m run 2013

Banner: What are some differences between running in college and running in high school?

MN: College running picks up right where high school running leaves off! Just as in high school, we continue to train a bit harder, race a bit farther, and compete with athletes a bit faster year after year. The biggest difference would be that in college, running is less lonely. You have 20-30 teammates on your level that you run/train with each day. In college we also race less frequently. We focus more attention towards training, so that when we do step to the line, we are more excited and prepared.

Banner: When did you decide you wanted to run in college?

MN: My freshman year in high school I realized I wanted to run in college. One day after cross country practice, Mr. Klick and I were walking from the weight room towards the cafeteria, and he told me I could do it. As a coach and a mentor, he kept me calm and confident every step of the way.

Banner: How has your individual season and the team’s season been thus far?

MN: I’ve been able to stay relatively healthy and string together some 12 weeks around 75 miles without getting injured, but I have had a couple bumps and bruises along the way, so overall, I’d say it’s been a fairly average season individually. Our team’s season unfortunately has gone worse than others expected of us, and far worse than we expected of ourselves. It’s been our worst season in years actually, but just watch – we might very well be on the brink of our best season ever for next year, or who knows? maybe even track this year. (editor’s note: Columbia’s men’s team won the Ivy League championship last year and qualified for the NCAA championships, so the Lions may have briefly lost momentum this year, but they definitely haven’t come to a complete halt.)

Banner: What would you say to an athlete looking to run, or do any other sport, at the collegiate level?

MN: I’d say take advantage of the opportunity! As an athlete, we get a lot of perks in the admissions process at colleges – use them! In terms of training and competing, I’d recommend finding a balance between racing for today versus training for tomorrow. Keep your goals high for your junior/senior years, but realize that in order to fulfill them, you have to take the intermediate steps your freshman/sophomore years. With that said, don’t hesitate or be afraid to completely kill it your first couple of years in college! The transition is big, but by no means insurmountable.

Banner: What do you miss about high school running?

MN: Just the people. My friends, my coaches. Well… sometimes I miss our track too, and the roads where we’d run each day. So yeah, the people and the places. Fortunately, both are things you can easily return to, if you so choose.

Thanks to the Banner! Great idea for an article!

Bailey Ebby- Class of 2014

Soccer at Hobart & William Smith Colleges

Earned all central-league and all main line honors

Also a member of 2013 RamLax state championship team

Academic all-american

HB: What are some differences playing soccer in college versus playing soccer in high school?

BE: Playing college soccer is SUCH a different ball game. There’s almost nothing similar to high school. First off, the team is about twice the size of a high school team, filled with girls that desperately want to be where they are. That is a huge fundamental difference—every college athlete is incredibly determined and works harder than I’ve ever seen. Everyone wants to be where they are and have worked incredibly hard to get there. Also every day, every practice, every lift, every warm up, everything is done at 100%. Everyone has to always be focused on the task and work as hard as you can at it no matter what it is. This environment is also influenced by the fact that you spend nearly all of your time with your team. In high school you would only see your team at practice but in college it’s your core group of friends and you eat meals and study and hang out with them nearly all the time.

HB: When/why did you decide you wanted to play soccer in college?

BE: I sort of always knew I wanted to play soccer in college from a young age, because my dad played in college it always seemed like an end goal. However, I didn’t start taking this goal seriously until freshman year of high school.

HB: How has your team’s season been thus far?

BE: Our season has been incredibly successful. We just won our league and are now starting the first round of NCAAs on Saturday!

HB: What would you say to an athlete looking to play soccer, or do any other sport at the collegiate level?

BE: To any other athlete looking to play any sport, I would say make sure you have plenty of options and go and visit as many schools as you can before you made a decision. It’s also important to meet the team before you decide, to see if you really ‘click’ with them.

HB: What do you miss about high school soccer?

BE: I really miss how fun high school soccer was. We don’t get to goof off or really have off or relaxed days in practice and sometimes it was nice to be able to relax and have fun with practice after a long day of class. And of course I miss my coaches Landoni and Rhodes, and Coach D!