On Nov. 12, senior captain Chandler Sampson of the Orono boys lacrosse team committed to playing Division I lacrosse at the University of Massachusetts – Lowell. Sampson has been on the varsity lacrosse team since his freshman year.

He earned First Team  all-state honors after leading the state in points (88) and goals (65), according to the Minnesota Lacrosse Hub. Sampson had also seen interest from Notre Dame, Denver University, and Dartmouth University.

“UMass-Lowell stood out to me for a couple of different reasons,” Sampson said,”It has a great combination of athletics and academics.” Sampson said that he was considering business as a possible major and that “They’re building a brand new business school which is great because I’m thinking about majoring in that area.”

Sampson also got along well with UMass-Lowell’s head coach. “Coach Stephenson is a great guy,” Sampson said, “he was a huge part of my commitment. He definitely seemed like he could be a father figure throughout my college career.”

Sampson, however, has not lost focus on his upcoming senior season this spring. “We should have a good team and make another run to state,” Sampson said, “Blake Leischow is returning and we also have a strong senior class with guys like Jake Roach, Nick Patterson, and Chase Lee coming back.

Leischow committed to playing D-I lacrosse at Duke University this past summer.

Connor Avery is the Assistant Sports Editor for The Spartan Speaks