Lacrosse is a very competitive sport, being one of the rising mainstream sports in America. SUNY Cortland offers multiple opportunities to partake in the sport, as they have varsity and club teams, as well as intramural opportunities.
One SUNY Cortland athlete has been given the opportunity to partake in the club team, that being sophomore Derek Tudman. Tudman hasn’t always been into lacrosse, as he got his feet wet first in Football, starting at the young age of 6.
Tudman, being the competitor he’s always been known to be, would find his way to start playing in 7th grade where he would partake in intramural lacrosse in his hometown of Sherrill, NY. He had played baseball prior to lacrosse as well as football, but with the new spark for a sport he’d fallen in love with so quickly knew he’d have to make a decision of what to pursue, as three sports would take too much of a toll on him. He would decide to leave baseball and move onto lacrosse for good.
Tudman would soon realize he had made the right decision, as going into highschool he would climb the ranks fast of a promising young athlete. Tudman would be nominated First Team All League in his sophomore and senior years in highschool as a midfielder. Throughout his tenure, he would also lead his team in goals and assists in his senior year, making his case as to why he’d earned his accolades.
Going into SUNY Cortland, thoughts of joining the varsity team had entered his mind, but decided to play for the club team instead, as he saw the sport more as a hobby rather than his entire college tenure. His freshman year for the team, he wouldn’t find much playing time as do most freshmen. Now going into his sophomore year, Tudman wants to make his mark with his team and show what he’s capable of when given the opportunity.
Tudman is involved in other aspects of Cortland as well, he’s a sport management major with a passion of pursuing a career in the sports world, made the dean’s list multiple times, and is the current Vice President of the Theta Chi Fraternity. One of his passions he holds is cooking as well, as he is said to make some stellar meals for himself and his roommates.
In order to keep up with lacrosse during the offseason, Tudman makes sure he gets his reps in not only on the field but in the gym as well, as he is a fitness enthusiast.
Tudman owes a lot of his accomplishments and overall success to his football coach, Coach Babcock as he had been coach Tudman since the young age of 6 all the way until his senior year of highschool. Without his help and guidance, Tudman believes he wouldn’t have become the man he is today.
Kobe Bryant is an athlete Tudman looks up to, as his demeanor and hard working mentality has been what elevates Tudman, both on and off the field.
It’s to be noted that Tudman is a Cortland athlete to keep our eyes on, as his hard work has not gone unnoticed by his peers during the off season. Not every freshman athlete is going to be given the opportunity to start over their senior teammates. It’s only inevitable for Tudman to have his breakout opportunity.