Ryan Andrews commits to D2 Montevallo
The next step in Ryan Andrews’ lacrosse career will take him to Alabama.
The Grade 12 student at Welland Notre Dame has committed to attend NCAA Division 2 University of Montevallo on a field lacrosse scholarship. The 18-year-old St. Catharines resident chose Montevallo over offers from schools in New York and Tennessee.
“I had a great connection with the coach, he really sold the school to me and they have the program that I want,” he said. “And I got the right amount of scholarship money that I wanted. It was the perfect fit.”
He also likes the calibre of the program which has won back-to-back Peach Belt Conference championships.
Andrews is planning to study sociology with a concentration in criminology and is hoping to end up with a career in law enforcement.
After going on virtual tours and having Zoom meetings with a lot of his future teammates, he is excited about the whole experience.
“It is something new and it is a different atmosphere from Welland to Alabama. And all the guy are different. There are a bunch of guys from Florida and a few guys from California. I am looking forward to meeting a bunch of different people.”
He has a specific goal in mind for his freshman season.
“I want to be on the field and the coach told me I had a good chance if I kept proving myself,” the 6-foot-1, 175-pounder said. “The end goal is to play pro in the NLL but right now I am using lacrosse to get me into school and get myself an education.”
Andrews started playing lacrosse when he was four and ended up playing field and box lacrosse in the St. Catharines Athletics system growing up. When his family moved to Welland for a while, he suited up for the Welland Raiders.
He is currently a member of the St. Catharines Athletics junior B team and suits up on defence.
“We have one more game tomorrow (Saturday) and we are heading into playoffs soon.”
He leaves for school in mid August and will spend the time getting ready.
“I have to hit the gym, start training and get the cardio up.”
This spring, Andrews helped Notre Dame capture the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association AAA championship and finish with a 2-2 record at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations festival.
Notre Dame coach Mark Iannizzi will miss having Andrews on his roster.
“He is, for sure, a high-end player. He has great leadership abilities on and off the field and his lacrosse knowledge is through the roof. And like all big players, he seems to have an extra level especially when we need it; a big play or even stepping in from time to time when we needed him to take a draw right down to quarterbacking an offensive set when we needed a goal,” he said. “He always seemed to be the guy for us and it is no surprise that he is moving on in his lacrosse career.”
Andrews primarily played midfield and attack for the Irish but at crucial times he played long pole or defence when Notre Dame needed a big stop.
He also provided his high school squad with plenty of intangibles.
“He is a great kid, is easy to talk to, always give good advice, is able to pick up on weaknesses and see what other teams are doing,” Iannizzi said. “He was like a coach on the field for us and we leaned on him for that as well.”
He is confident Andrews will succeed at the next level.
“He will only get better as the competition improves and as the coaching improves when he moves up. I know he is going to absorb all of that and be a better product on the field.”
