Madison High Grad Eyes NCAA Lacrosse Tournament Berth

Colin McLinden was just 3 years old when he picked up his first lacrosse stick.

For McLinden, he was just trying to keep up with his older brother, Brian, who went on to win a national championship at Virginia.

"I got my first stick when I was 3 years old. My big brother was a big influence on me ever since I was 5 years old," McLinden said. "He played at Virginia and won a national championship and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps."

Now the Madison High grad is paving the way for the Fairfield University men's lacrosse team.

McLinden has led the Stags with 2.16 assists per game this season in helping the team capture a share of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) regular-season title for the first time in program history.

The junior attack/midfielder recorded a goal and two assists in 14th-ranked Fairfield's regular-season finale, a 7-5 victory over Ohio State at home. McLinden finished the regular season with a conference-best 28 assists and 44 total points.

"I played with some great players my freshman year. (Brent) Adams and (Sam) Snow paved the path for me. I would play off them," McLinden said. "Now I play with some big-time shooters. Eric Warden and TJ Neubauer are big shooters. Also helps that coach switched me from middle to attack. I can see the field more, see more cuts and where to pass the ball. Coach gives me the freedom to play on the field, trusts me to make the right play."

McLinden now takes aim at helping the Stags (11-3; 3-1 ECAC) capture an ECAC tournament title this weekend. The tournament runs Thursday to Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.

The top-seeded Stags will face No. 4 Michigan and second-seeded Ohio State plays No. 3 Air Force in the other semifinal on Thursday.

"Our goal from the beginning of the season was to win the ECAC Tournament. We have a very hungry team, our confidence is sky high," McLinden said.

"We have been very close the last couple of years. We lost in the final of the tournament my freshman year and we lost in the first round last year so we want to go all the way this year. We need to stay focused. We know that if we are given the chance, we can make a run and play against any team. We have beaten a top-10 team in the last couple of years. We have played well against great teams like Denver when they were No. 1. We were very close to beating UNC last year. If given the chance, we can play against anyone."