"Rookie Spotlight": The Oxford Duo

The Michigan State University Men’s Club Lacrosse team welcomes in a new class of 20 athletes to the program for the 2016 season – 17 of which are current freshman. Each week MichiganStateLacrosse.Com will sit down one of our newcomers for an introduction to Spartan Nation.

Next up, we look at a pair of freshman midfielders hailing from Oxford, MI. Let’s meet Lars Joergens-Kokate and Austin Kreshock:

 

lars

Name:Lars Joergens-Kokate          
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Oxford, MI
High Scool: Oxford High School
Major: Cellular and Molecular Biology

 

 

 

 

kreshockName: Austin Kreshock
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Oxford, M
High School: Oxford High Schoo
Major: Pre-Med

 

 

 

Lars: How long have you and Austin known each other? When did you both start playing lacrosse?

I've known Austin for 7 years now, and we met through playing lacrosse in 7th grade.

 

Austin: Did the two of you plan on coming to Michigan State to play lacrosse together? 

Yes, we had always wanted to go on and play at the next level with each other but we weren't so sure on where. Our high school coach Greg Normand had always talked about how Michigan State lacrosse would be a perfect suit for both of us, which is initially when I decided to come and try out for the team here.

 

Lars: Has having a high school teammate on the team helped with the transition from high school to college lacrosse?

Having someone that I've played lacrosse with my entire life has definitely helped me transition from high school to college lacrosse. On top of that it's something we both had always talked about doing since we were 12, and it's always nice to have that chemistry.

 

Austin: What does it mean to be representing Oxford lacrosse at the next level?

Being able to represent Oxford lacrosse at the next level means a lot to me, partially due to the fact that there are only a handful of us that play at the college level now.

 

Lars: Tell us something that the team may not know about Austin…

He used to take every face-off for our team, and was actually pretty good! 

 

Austin: Same question…

Lars not only played lacrosse in high school but was also on the ski team. If he wanted to he could have competed at the national level and in college as well.

 

Both: What are your impressions of your fellow rookies in this class?

Lars: Our rookie class is an extremely talented group of guys, but on top of that we all mesh together really well, and have built relationships together outside of lacrosse.

Austin: This is the best group of guys that I have ever played with, not only talent wise but chemistry wise as well. We all get along with each other extremely well and we're all pretty much like one big family.

 

 

Follow Lars on Twitter:  lars_jk

Follow Austin on Twitter:  austin_kreshock