On Sept. 9, senior Tyson Varner announced his verbal commitment to continue his academic and athletic career at Roanoke College for lacrosse via Instagram.
In the third grade, Varner started playing lacrosse along with many other sports. He played basketball, football and wrestled, but none gave him the thrill that lacrosse did. Up until 7th grade, Varner had played almost every position but never tried goalie. Then, he said, “In 7th grade, the goalie on my team got injured so I volunteered to go in for him. During that game, I had the time of my life and knew that was the position I wanted to stick with, and that I would continue playing it.”
Varner has had a massive impact on the program, earning the position of starting goalie his junior year, with some incredible saves. The most notable was his performance against Seton Hall Prep, a major rival of the WHS boys lacrosse team. Varner had 10 saves, and helped lead the team to an 11-10 win, which he considers his greatest high school athletic achievement.
After going through all his offers, Varner decided that Roanoke College was the place for him. He said, “Two of my club teammates are both going to Roanoke and told me a lot about it. It’s a private school with great facilities. I also have the ability to join a frat with the whole lacrosse team which I thought was a great aspect. Their academics are pretty good, but it’s really the athletic program that was the deciding factor for me.”
Roanoke College is an independent co-educational liberal arts college located in Salem, Virginia roughly seven miles outside of Roanoke, with about 1,800-1,900 students enrolled. It is also an NCAA Division III school and member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Last season, Roanoke’s lacrosse team finished with an overall record of 14-6 and a conference record of 8-2, placing second in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference standings.
While the recruitment process definitely was not easy for him, Varner said, “Trust the process. The schools that reached out to me on Sept. 1 aren’t even on my radar anymore, and haven’t been for a while now. The school that’s meant for you will eventually find you, and you’ll end up where you’re meant to be. I’m just really excited because I really feel like I found my place.”
Senior captain and close friend Koby Waldman said, “Tyson on and off the field is a competitor and hard worker. Off the field he’s a fun guy to be around, always making jokes, laughing, singing, dancing in the locker room, and always brings the energy on the field and off the field.”
He went on to explain how Varner has always been a dedicated athlete, and genuinely cares about the sport. “He changed positions in 7th grade, and to go from never playing goalie before to being the starting varsity goalie on one of the top teams in the state in just four years shows the amount of dedication and hard work that he puts in,” said Waldman.
Varner also mentions that he always lives by having a “goldfish memory” which he says because, “They have a short term memory, and that reminds me that if you get scored on, or whatever the outcome of the game is, you just have to forget about it, get your head in the game, and move on to the next one.”
As a whole, Varner’s lacrosse career has been marked by achievement and determination. As he enters his senior season, he looks to build on his success and fully embrace his final year with the team.
