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Will Mark was never the meditating type. Although Mark often immerses himself in books and studies that emphasize mindfulness, he said meditation always seemed “taboo.” All Mark could envision were monks sitting in silence, which led to his disinterest.

That was until last spring, when he met with Michelle Giordano — an academic coordinator for Syracuse Athletics — to discuss potential classes for the fall semester. She brought up CRS 347: Mindful Communication Skills as something that could help Mark deal with the pressures of being a goalie.

Initially hesitant, Mark gave in. Now, meditation is something he can’t live without. Mark’s routine consists of daily meditation for five-15 minutes along with keeping a journal. The change was minor, but the results have been evident.

“It could very well be the most important class he’s taking in college,” said Mark’s father Chris.

Mark has valued lacrosse’s mental side since his days at Long Island University, but his extra emphasis this year has garnered elite results. A calming presence in net all season for Syracuse, Mark is holding opponents to a career-best 10.49 goals per game while recording a 54.7% save rate. Mark recorded double-digit saves in SU’s last 11 games en route to recently being named a Tewaaraton Award Semifinalist.

Mark says that as a goalie, positive and negative thoughts can consume your day. Yet he’s learned to accept those thoughts and let them pass through meditation. It’s directly translated into being “calm and present” during games, Mark added.

Consistency inside and outside of lacrosse has also been essential. Eating correctly and sleeping enough are core tenets of Mark’s process, with Chris adding that Mark walks around campus in his free time to absorb his surroundings.

The calmness stems from Mark’s time with professor Diane Grimes, who teaches CRS 347 and who he called his favorite teacher. Each class opened up with yoga, followed by a meditation period before students discussed the assigned readings, which often broke down dealing with stress and reacting to positive and negative situations.

“As a goalie, it’s super important to be mindful of your thoughts and stuff and be as calm as possible and as confident as possible at the same time,” Mark said.

From the first assignment, Mark was enthralled by the content. He vividly remembers sending the piece to his sisters right away. Parts of the assignment highlighted dealing with pressure, which Mark easily connected to. Among active Division I goalies, nobody has faced more shots than him — a harsh reality forced upon him during his time at LIU.

Originally committed to Vermont in high school, Mark decommitted and ended up at LIU in 2019 — the program’s first season in D-I. Chris said Mark wanted to be somewhere he could immediately contribute, which LIU offered.

Will Mark controls the ball in his stick against Duke. Arnav Pokhrel | Staff Photographer

He was the starter from day one. With an inexperienced defense in front of him, Mark was pelted with shots as a freshman, making a name for himself as a shot-stopper.

Despite standing 6-foot-4, Mark stayed low to the ground, making saves on low bouncing shots look routine that other goalies would “struggle to stop,” according to former LIU goalie coach Matt Gill. Described as one of the most “athletic goalies he’s ever seen” by Gill, Mark’s quick hands and reaction time, combined with his length and athleticism, made him one of the top goalies in the Northeast Conference.

“Big guys don’t move like he does,” Gill said. “He just does things that a lot of other guys don’t do and he does it very naturally.”

In 2020, Mark led the nation with 15.29 saves per game. Still, he allowed at least 14 goals in all but two games as LIU went 1-6. During this time, Mark was introduced to the mental side of lacrosse. For so long, Mark emphasized technique — until he met LIU defensive coordinator Jack Runkel.

A former national champion with Loyola (Maryland) in 2012, Runkel let the goalies experiment with what worked for them, according to former LIU goalie John Ruddick. Runkel gave Mark the freedom to determine his approach and only made minor tweaks to his technique.

Runkel’s biggest challenge with Mark was keeping him level-headed. He knew Mark “wore his emotions on his sleeve,” but Runkel had to ingrain in his mind that he didn’t have to save every shot.

“We constantly fed his competitive fire, but also made sure he stayed as even-keeled as possible because you can imagine seeing that many shots in a season can lead to mixed emotions,” Runkel said.

Despite Runkel’s advice, Mark didn’t always listen. LIU’s shooting drills were designed to “overwhelm goalies,” where they sometimes saw five step-down shots within 15 seconds, Ruddick said. Each rep was supposed to be short to keep each goalie fresh.

Not for Mark. If he didn’t make a few saves, he stayed in until he made his presence felt, Ruddick said. Runkel often had to step in and drag Mark out of the net, but he usually waved him off. If Runkel got him to the sidelines, Mark somehow snuck back into net.

“That’s probably the weirdest part about him,” Runkel said. “(I had) to tell him, ‘Hey, relax, you don’t need to be in every single drill and make every single save.’”

While the rest of LIU’s defense pieced itself together, Mark was its rock. As a sophomore, Mark’s development went to another level, registering a career-high 57.7% save rate and winning the NEC Defensive Player of the Year award. He then won back-to-back Defensive Players of the Year honors after posting a career-best 10.64 goals allowed per game.

But LIU left much to be desired. Following the Sharks’ 11-10 loss in the NEC semifinals to Saint Joseph’s, head coach Eric Wolf left for a job at New Jersey Institute of Technology. So, Mark explored his options.

Gill said everyone knew Mark could play “anywhere in the country.” The coaching staff used to talk about how he fell through the cracks despite being a top D-I talent. Once Mark hit the transfer portal, Gill’s phone blew up from a plethora of coaches before he transferred to Syracuse.

Cole Ross | Design Editor

Nothing changed for Mark. He wanted to prove himself at another school — this time at one of the most decorated programs in the country. Mark did just that in 2023, saving 54% of shots and allowing 12.10 goals per game. While the defense around him was inconsistent, Mark was SU’s foundational piece.

So as Mark entered his second season as Syracuse’s starter, he didn’t have to change much on the field. What differed was his approach off of it. After taking CRS 347 in the fall, Mark wanted to expand his knowledge of meditation, so he enrolled in the advanced course CRS 447 (Mindful Communication Theory).

The results have been notable. Gill — who grew up in central New York — traveled from Maryland to see Syracuse battle Duke on March 20. While at LIU, Gill closely observed Mark during warmups. Based on how he was moving, Gill could tell whether Mark would have a big game. As part of the superstition, he never told his coaching staff. He didn’t want to jinx anything.

That didn’t apply to Mark at Syracuse. So when Gill watched Mark barely move while warming up against Duke, he turned to his father in the stands.

“He may go off today,” Gill told him.

Gill’s prediction rang true. Mark shut down what was the No. 1 offense in the country, holding the Blue Devils to four goals — their lowest total since 2012. Mark’s 77.8% save percentage was the second-highest of his career.

When called upon, Mark’s been there for Syracuse this season. After letting up his most goals of the year (18) against Cornell on April 2, Mark had to come up big 11 days later versus North Carolina. A once-six-goal lead in the third quarter was trimmed to one with two minutes remaining. But Mark denied Trevor Deubner, his fifth save of the fourth quarter, as SU held on for a 10-9 win.

Postgame, Mark said he’s at his best when “he’s feeling the win and the stick in his hand.” Mark joked that he sounds crazy, but that’s his style.

“I play my best lacrosse when I’m doing everything right outside of lacrosse,” Mark said.

Published on April 25, 2024 at 12:16 am

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