After previously committing to the National Champion Duke Blue Devils in December, Andover Lacrosse Co-Captain and leading scorer Will Walker ’11 has turned heads, formally committing to the Harvard Crimson this August. “It’s tough turning away the National Champs and all, but my recruiting class [at Harvard] is one of the best in the country and shows promise for an already great program on the rise. I believe we have potential to win a National Championship within the next four years,” said Walker. The Crimson finished last season 6-6, ranked #23 in the country. Although it finished at .500 on the season, the Crimson proved itself as a team not to be fooled with, as it upset #7 ranked Princeton 11-8 last August. With 114 points in his Andover career, including 50 during last season’s play, Walker has been a dominant force on the Andover attack since his Junior year. Head Lacrosse Coach Steve Carr said, “Will is a phenomenal player. He has a great eye for the game, unbelievable stick skills, and when he gets the chance to play with his brother, he is practically unstoppable.” Jack Walker ’09, Will’s brother, plays attack for the Crimson. The opportunity to once again play with his brother was one of the major factors in his decision. Will said, “Jack and I got the chance to play together for two years [at Andover]. Being able to play with him again would be amazing. I’m sure it will also make life easier for my parents, getting to see both of their sons play together at the collegiate level and so close to home.” Jack commented, “I couldn’t be more excited to have Will come play with me at Harvard. At the collegiate level, a lot more time is spent on the field, which will give us a lot of time to hang out. I’m sure he will bring his tenacious, edgy style of play with him, which will give the team a new dynamic. And of course, off the field he will certainly bring some swagger to the team.” The Walkers live in Scituate, MA, only about an hour outside of Cambridge. Will explained, “Over time, I decided to stay local and really loved the city aspect of Cambridge and Boston, a city that I am at home in.” Will also feels that the transition will be very easy for him, not only geographically, but socially as well. Chris Wojcik, a Harvard standout soccer and lacrosse player, was named the head coach of the lacrosse team this summer. After a short stay down at University of Pennsylvania as an assistant coach, he returns to his Alma Mater to lead the team. Will explained, “I knew Coach [Chris Wojcik] from camps and club lacrosse when I was younger. He was the guy who recruited me to UPenn throughout my junior year. I’m really excited to play for him. He’s an outstanding coach who really knows the game. I also got the chance to meet a lot of the Harvard players this summer and became good friends with them.” Although Will is excited to join the Crimson, he is disappointed that he won’t get the chance to play with Andover teammates Joe Kruy ’12 and Luke Duprey ’10 at Duke. “Its disappointing because I thought he could do great things here at Duke, but Will did what was best for him and I completely respect his decision,” said Duprey. Walker said, “It was tough to turn away the national champions, but in the end, Harvard is the place I really want to be.”
