NRCA lacrosse standout Ethan Curry signed a national letter of intent to play with the Barton College Bulldogs next year. Surrounded by family, coaches, and teammates, Curry announced the next stop in his athletic journey on Friday, Nov. 15, in the NRCA Student Life Center.
“After going on many visits and speaking to Head Coach [Warren] Shumate, I knew that [Barton College] was the school I wanted to go to,” Curry said. “The players and coaches were all there to work as hard as they could every day to become great, and that is the culture I wanted to be a part of.”
Barton College, an NCAA Division II school, is located in Wilson, North Carolina. Barton is a private, four-year liberal arts college.
Although Curry’s journey toward being a collegiate athlete began in elementary school, he realized in high school at NRCA that lacrosse was his passion.
“In first grade, I first picked up the stick, and I played all the way until fifth grade. I always enjoyed the sport, but I didn’t have a team to play for through middle school and never thought I’d play again, until sophomore year. Charlie Beguelin [NRCA 2024] influenced me to join the school team, and I knew that was my sport,” Curry said.
In addition to playing for the Knights, Curry also played club lacrosse to hone his skills. “Outside of NRCA, I played for the Carolina Hilltoppers, which is a club team based out of Chapel Hill. This allowed me to play in big tournaments, allowing me to be recruited,” he said.
Curry also maximized every opportunity off the field to build strength and skills. He explained that outside of club and school lacrosse, he trained in the weight room and even in his backyard. Curry said, “All my training has been through me pushing myself to be the best I can be.”
One notable memory of his lacrosse career so far came at a tournament featuring the top lacrosse players in the country. “My favorite memory from lacrosse is from the Victory national tournament I played in with my club team. It was a hot Maryland July, and we played six games. The first three were for the qualifiers, and we went undefeated. The next day, we played the bracket and ended up going undefeated in the tournament, taking home the championship. I grew close with all the guys I played with, and it was just a great experience, all in all,” Curry recalled.
As he looks toward taking the field as a college athlete, Curry has already set goals. He shared, “Thinking ahead to college, I have given myself three big goals. The first is to become a freshman starter. This will take a lot of work, but I’m confident that with my work ethic, I will be able to do it. The second is to become an all-American player and to create a legacy at Barton. The last goal is to win a national championship. Since I was young, I always watched the championship games and wanted to be the one holding the trophy.”
On the academic side of college, Curry plans to study exercise science with an eye toward building a business after he graduates. “I want to follow my interest in how the body works, and I will be studying exercise science. Since I was 13, I have been lifting and eating right—all of it fascinates me. What you eat can have such a profound impact on your health,” he said. “The end goal is to open my own gym, creating not only a room of weights but also a strong community.”
Clearly a young man with a strong work ethic, Curry credited his teachers and teammates at NRCA with preparing him well for the next level. “NRCA helped me in the classroom and on the field. To play college sports, you must be excellent in the classroom as well as on the field, and my teachers helped me achieve this dream just as much as my coaches,” he said.
The team culture of NRCA lacrosse was also a major factor Curry cited in his athletic success. “One of the biggest components to my success was my teammates who were willing to get extra work in on the field on off days,” he explained. “We believed iron sharpens iron, and we utilized that phrase.”
Celebrating those who helped him arrive at the NLI signing table, Curry had a list of people he wanted to thank: “I would like to firstly say thank you to my parents for always being supportive even when it wasn’t easy. From driving me to all my tournaments to late nights studying, they did it all. I will be forever grateful for the sacrifices they made for me. Secondly, thank you to Coach [Mark] Florio as well as Coach Chandler [Zirkle] for helping me achieve my goal of playing at the next level. Finally, a huge thank you to Coach Shumate and Coach [John] Hayden for the opportunity to play at Barton.”
Comments