From Backup to Top Lacrosse Player in the World

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Good morning,

I’m Jake and this is Recruit Report presented by Apex Lacrosse Events.

I’m your friend who tells you everything you need to know about lacrosse.

Apex is already accepting applications for their Fall National Showcase, October 12 & 13, spots for this event fill out every year so be sure to apply!

Now, let’s get into it!

From Backup to Top Lacrosse Player in the World

As I write this, attackman Xander Dickson currently sits at number 2 in scoring in the entire Premier Lacrosse League. 

The Atlas attackman is playing his best lacrosse as one of the top off-ball players in the world. 

But his journey to get here was full of ups and downs, so let’s rewind. 

It’s 2019, and Dickson enters UVA as a highly-touted four star recruit. 

He finds time as a second and third line midfielder, scoring 11 goals and 8 assists for a modest 19 points during his freshman year. 

Now it’s 2020, and the college lacrosse season gets canceled. He hasn’t started a single game in his career, so he decides to enter the transfer portal to look for other college options. 

After a few months, he decides to stick with UVA and exit the transer portal. 

Fast-forward to 2021. Dickson has a nearly identical season to his freshman year, with 10 goals and 10 assists. It looks like he’ll finish his UVA career as a solid role player and not much else. 

In 2022, things start to change. He starts 14 of 16 games and scores 39 points, almost doubling his point production from a year ago.

 Still, Dickson is overshadowed by the rest of the stacked UVA team. 

In 2023, everything changes. He moves down to attack and is paired with the best passer in college lacrosse, Connor Shellenberger. 

He breaks UVA’s single season goals record with 61 goals and garners All-American honors. He gets drafted to the PLL. 

In his 2023 pro rookie season, he puts up a solid 20 points as an off-ball specialist for the Atlas. 

Now it’s 2024, and he’s playing like one of the best players on the field, and he has the stats to back it up. 

The takeaway: 

If you feel like you’re not performing at your best, or you feel like you’re not getting the playing time you deserve, be patient. Sometimes it takes awhile to find your footing, and if you keep working hard, good things will come. 

Featured Recruit: Jake Sturtevant (Class of 2026) 

The 6’1, 190 pound beast for Lawrenceville is an extremely tough cover. 

He can use either hand to find a way to score, and he can stretch a defense with his outside shot or rip it on the run. 

After a big sophomore season with Lawrenceville and a #45 ranking from NLF, I expect Sturtevant to be a highly coveted recruit when September 1st rolls around. 

Keep nominating yourself! We’ll keep featuring recruits every week. Email [email protected] with a link to your our highlight reel and a writeup. We can’t guarantee a response, but we try to open/read as many as we can!

Talk soon,

Jake