Being a student is hard enough. Now imagine also being a D-1 athlete. University of Virginia lacrosse player, Colin Briggs, lets us know what it’s like to be a bad-ass student athlete.

Q. Playing lacrosse in college is pretty big leagues. Did you always know you would take the sport to this level? 

A. I grew up playing lacrosse and always knew that 
I wanted to play college lacrosse, it was more just a matter of where I would end up playing. In high school I started getting recruited by colleges and fortunately I was recruited by the University of Virginia, which was a school I always wanted to play at.

Q. What is it like being a student athlete? Any special perks? What’s the hardest part?

A. I really enjoy being a student-athlete. It keeps you super busy but it’s a lot of fun being able to represent your school playing a sport you love. I guess a special perk we have is our academic center where we have people who can help us or tutor us in preparing for exams. We really do not have the free time that regular students have so it is difficult to get all your work done and have practice everyday.

Q. What do you do in the off-season?

A. Right after the season it is nice to get away from lacrosse for a little. I usually like to come home and spend some time at the beach. Most summers after the season I would teach lacrosse camps too while I was at home. But a lot of the offseason is spent preparing for the next season with just running and lifting. I am going into my last season now so we will see what I do after this year.

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Q. You dominated in the National Championships this year. I heard one commentator say, “Goals are hard to come by in this game, unless your name is Colin Briggs.” How does it feel knowing you are the best-of- the-best?

A. Our team had a great run in the playoffs last year and we were able to finish the season with the W. Everyone was playing very unselfish and it was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. It was awesome though to be able to help my team win in that game. It was something I always dreamt about.

Q. What’s next for you after college?

A. This summer I intend on playing in the MLL and am excited about playing with some of my former teamates and other great players that I played against. I really want to move to San Francisco and have been job-searching out there so we will see how that goes.

Q. Finally, being a big time college player must have its perks with the ladies. Does that jersey treat you well?

A. I think that is a question that should be directed towards the big-time college sports like football and basketball. Lacrosse is still a smaller sport so I don’t think it helps all that much.

Q. If you were to give an incoming freshman athlete any advice, what would that be?

A. I would just tell them that it goes by faster than you think and to not take anything for granted. They should enjoy their time in school and playing a sport. They should realize that there may be a day they don’t feel like practicing but should know that any former player would give anything to be back playing in school. It really has been a great experience and some of the best times of my life.