Trevor Yealy wins MCLA Player of the Year

After a year of playing Michigan Lacrosse, Trevor Yealy, won the MCLA player of the year award in November. Yealy, who was selected by 39% of the votes believes his victory is due to all the tough training he has been doing this season.

“I think a lot of the credit has to go to a completely different mindset this year than there has been in previous years. [I] could tell that something was different about this season. They had us work a lot harder than they had in previous seasons and they had us more focused on the team and hustle,” says Yealy on LaxMagazine.com.

Playing since he was seven years old, Yealy is filled with experience. According to Tim Sullivan, Yealy, the nation’s leading goal scorer in 2010, should definitely win the Player of the Year award. “It [is] a blend of speed, athletic ability, grittiness, lacrosse IQ and leadership in the confines of one play – all traits that gives Yealy the nod for Player of the Year honors, said Sullivan in a GreatLaxState.com article.

Yealy, who attended Upper St. Clair High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been playing lacrosse since he was a freshman. His coach recommended the University of Michigan because it had great teams and due to that, Yealy is at the position he is right now. “My high school coach during my senior year had been an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh and he had told me how Michigan had a great club team and would be going varsity soon, and I knew I wanted to keep playing at a competitive level,'' Yealy says in another LaxMagazine.com article.

Yealy being six-foot-four and 180 pounds, is hoping to expand his role as an offensive attacker to a dodger. His coach, John Paul called him the best dodger on the team. "I think I could be a threat dodging, I haven't really had to do that the last couple of years because we had guys who were much better than me at it. This year, I want to get outside a little bit more,” says Yealy.

According to many, Yealy was the team’s “missing piece.” Yealy agrees with this, but believes that anyone could have accomplished what he did. "To be honest, people ask me that question a lot and I always tell them a monkey could do it," he said. "I completely agree with that. There are things here and there that can help and I've been working to get better at them.” With hard work and experience, Yealy proves that anyone can achieve what they want, as long as they are determined.