Olympic Dreams and Lacrosse's Comeback Kids

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 high school lacrosse.

Apex just opened up applications for the Apex 60 Showcase.

Over 600 ALUMNI are now playing college lacrosse, and there’s over 80 college lacrosse coaches attending.

Spots are closing soon, and you can fill out an interest form here.

Now, let’s get into it!

Nate Kabiri and Owen Duffy Shine in College Lacrosse Debut

We’re 2 months into fallball, and we’re already seeing the emergence of 2 college lacrosse stars.

The first is Nate Kabiri - the #3 ranked ‘23 recruit and Princeton freshman. In a scrimmage against Notre Dame, Kabiri started at attack and dropped a hat trick and an assist. To score 4 points in your first game against the defending national champions is…impressive.

The second is Owen Duffy - the #4 ranked ‘23 recruit and UNC freshman. In his scrimmage versus Ohio State, Duffy dropped a cool 3 goals and 4 assists in his first college lacrosse action. It looks like UNC just found their next Chris Gray, and with several loaded recruiting classes coming in the next few years, UNC stock is at an all-time high.

The Return of Pat Spencer and Jared Bernhardt?

In 2019, after graduating as one of the greatest college lacrosse players in history, Pat Spencer decided to give up the sport and pursue a basketball career. Now he’s knocking on the door of making an NBA roster.

In 2021, Jared Bernhardt also graduated as one of the game’s best players, and he also decided to give up the sport and pursue a football career. He recently retired from the NFL after making the active roster for the Atlanta Falcons.

In 2028, we might see Pat and Jared back on the lacrosse field.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know lacrosse will now be in the Olympics starting in 2028. It will look different than the field or box lacrosse a lot of us are used to, but it’s still a huge step for the sport.

With only 12 players to a roster, it’s crucial to have players with the stamina and athleticism to run up and down the field. Well, Pat and Jared might be the 2 most athletic lacrosse players in the world.

Will they pick back up the stick for a chance at Olympic glory? We’ll just have to see…

Featured Recruit: Brady Winter (Class of 2025)

Every week we ask you to nominate a recruit for the newsletter. When Brady’s named was mentioned, I immediately went to check his highlights.

“Underrated” is the first word that comes to mind. He reminds me of throwback midfielders who had to do everything: he can rip it on the run, play defense and command the ball in transition.

It seems like this guy never gets tired, and that’s a huge asset to any college lacrosse team. He’s currently ranked a 3-star recruit by Inside Lacrosse, but look for his stock to rise as new rankings come out.

As always, his highlights are on repeat for me this week.

Remember, every week we feature a recruit. Respond to this email to nominate a player!

Talk to you soon.

P.S. Make sure to fill out an interest form before the Apex 60 Showcase before spots close.

Best,

Jake