Men’s Lacrosse Captain Spotlight: Leading by Example
By Max Ferguson, Staff Writer
Spring sports have begun at Gettysburg, and the men’s lacrosse team is striving to uphold its reputation of excellence. This year’s lacrosse captains, Kyle Howard ’23, Zack Kinsella ’23, Zachary Puckhaber ’23, and Kieran Ward ’23, discussed their expectations for the season, how they plan on achieving those expectations, and their priorities when they are not on the turf.
Howard is an attacker from Skillman, New Jersey. He is a business, organization, and management studies major with a data science minor. He is the community service chair for the lacrosse team and a member of the Student-Athlete Impact Leader (SAIL) program.
Kyle Howard ’23 (Photo Courtesy of Sharon Howard)
Kinsella is a senior midfielder from Annapolis, Maryland. He credited his mother, Gwyneth, as his biggest supporter. His younger brother, Fionn, has committed to play lacrosse at Gettysburg next year.
Zack Kinsella ’23 (Photo Courtesy of Angie Schuerman)
Puckhaber is a defenseman from Mahopac, New York. He is a business, organization, and management studies major.
Kyle Puckhaber ’23 (Photo Courtesy of David Sinclair)
Ward is a midfielder from Malvern, Pennsylvania. He is a business major and hopes to find work in Philadelphia after graduation in May.
Kieran Ward ’23 (Photo Courtesy of David Sinclair)
All four captains echoed similar ideas regarding their expectations for the season. The men’s lacrosse team is seeking to collect another Centennial Conference championship win. Even after their March 18 loss against No. 18 Denison, the team is not deterred. Puckhaber said, “we bounced back with a [March 22] win over Catholic and are heading into league play confident and with a chip on our shoulder.” Kinsella went as far as to say that the team could win the DIII national championship.
According to Kinsella, “there isn’t a discrete list of responsibilities for the captains of our team.” He went on to explain that all four captains have an understanding of what is expected of them as leaders.
Ward reaffirmed this when he said, “I believe the main responsibility I have […] is to work to develop and maintain the standards of the team.”
Howard added, “your teammates have selected you to lead them through the highs and the lows. Many of your teammates look to you for decisions, actions, and at times, words.” This leadership does not stop when players are off the field.
Puckhaber reinforced that one element of his responsibilities includes “[holding] my teammates accountable both on and off the field.”
All four captains agreed that they best lead their team by being model student-athletes.
Howard said, “On the field, you lead through action. Executing drills the right way, showing through performance, and being someone your teammates can look to when things are tough.”
Puckhaber corroborated Howard’s statement, saying, “I am not the most vocal guy in the locker room, but I feel as though my play speaks for itself.”
By being exemplary athletes on the field, the captains hope that their teammates will bring the same amount of effort to practice and games. For these captains, being a leader off the field is no different.
Kinsella said, “Off the field, the captains are who the team looks to when it comes to how we carry ourselves on campus.”
These captains’ teammates follow their example well. All of the captains gave high praise to their teammates.
Ward said, “we have a lot of great people and leaders throughout our team that make the jobs of the captains a lot easier.”
Kinsella backed his fellow captain, saying, “Another important aspect to leadership I’ve found is realizing that it cannot be done alone, and having the rest of our senior class bought into what our team standards are from the start, [they] consistently lead by example as well.”
It is clear that the Gettysburg men’s lacrosse team upholds a reputation of excellence among its players, and the captains have played an important role in maintaining those expectations.
