Lacrosse player earns scholarship at U of Indy

It is a goal only few can accomplish. It takes major commitment, sacrifice of time, and the drive for excellence. This goal is playing any sport at the collegiate level.

Senior Andrew Simonich recently committed to the University of Indianapolis to play lacrosse. He plays attack for the Huron Valley Titans, and he has played lacrosse for 9 years competitively, but “had a stick in his hands” long before he joined a team.

“I love the sport so much and wanted to be able to play it at the next level, but I also wanted to get a good education and have a good balance between school and sports,” shared Simonich.

During this past year the senior was recruited by a few D-III schools. When he visited the schools, none of them had the program that he wanted (mechanical engineering).

“None of the schools I visited were the right fit for me.”

While continuing to look for colleges, University of Indianapolis came up during the conversation.

“My mom told me about University of Indy,” Simonich said. “They had both a mechanical engineering program and a lacrosse team.” University of Indianapolis is a D-II school, and is located in Indiana.

While University of Indianapolis did not recruit Simonich, he still tried hard to make their team. “I sent them a tape of me playing, and they replied back to say that they were interested in me and they wanted me to visit the campus.”

The team invited Simonich to a prospect camp. At these camps, you play while coaches evaluate you to see if you fit in with the team or not.

Simonich played well and afterwards, the team offered him a spot.

Simonich has also earned an educational scholarship for the University of Indianapolis, which he will use to get his Mechanical Engineering degree.

With lacrosse, Simonich will not be eligible for a scholarship until he is a sophomore. That is a rule for D2 schools.

Many of his Milford teammates are very happy that he is going to be able to play at the next level.

“He [Simonich] deserves it. He puts in a lot of work during both the season and the offseason. He’s been playing a long time and this is a big accomplishment,” said senior Nolan Bailey. “I’m really happy for him. He works very hard.” said senior Danny Yates.

As stated before, Simonich played attack for the Titans last season. He led the team in goals- with 31- and he also had 17 assists in just 16 games.

“Everything he does on the field is so smooth and fluid,” said Yates, in reference to what makes Simonich so good.

To be able to be recruited, Simonich had to put himself out there and be his own biggest fan. His advice on how to advertise yourself and earn a scholarship?

“I would say that you should definitely play as much as you can. Playing in the summer on a reputable club team is a huge thing. Also, just getting out and shooting or passing as much as you can on your own time will not hurt,” said Simonich.