Senior attacker Jared Brush of the men’s lacrosse team broke the program record for career goals in a game against Clark University on April 6 when he reached a career 81 goals and surpassed the previous record of 80 held by Nicholas Kitsos ‘16.
“It’s really cool to be able to accomplish something here at Emerson,” Brush said in an interview. “I’m sure that [the record] will be broken in a few years with all of the talent we have, but it’s nice to show that I have done something with this team.”
Brush played baseball for three years before trying lacrosse for the first time in fifth grade. He said he decided to try lacrosse because he wanted a change of pace, and after playing his first season, Brush liked how unique lacrosse was compared to baseball.
“I loved how different it was than any other sport I had played before,” Brush said. “I enjoyed the style of the game way more. It was the perfect sport to play in the spring and summer.”
After fifth grade, Brush continued to play lacrosse with the Grosse Pointe South Public School System in Michigan. In middle school, he joined the Men’s Elite Club Team with 313 Lacrosse in Detroit. He said competing in tournaments allowed him to develop close friendships with his teammates.
“I loved playing in tournaments with the team,” Brush said. “There were so many memories we made playing in the games but also in the hotels we stayed at. Making memories with my good friends was always a fun time.”
Former men’s lacrosse head coach Dan Gold scouted Brush during a tournament in summer 2014 and reached out to Brush on lacrosserecruits.com, a popular lacrosse recruiting website.
After Gold reached out to Brush in his junior year of high school, Brush toured the campus and the practice field and stayed overnight with one of the players on the team. He said everything Emerson and the city of Boston had to offer helped him decide to attend.
“I loved the idea of being in Boston,” Brush said. “Boston made me feel at home. I also have family near Boston, and the film department here just seemed like the perfect fit for me.”
Brush said the transition from the larger teams he played on in high school to the small roster at Emerson was challenging.
“The team was very small my freshman year [at Emerson],” Brush said. “We didn’t have many players to substitute in which meant we had a lot of playing time, which was exhausting at some points.”
Brush totals 81 career goals, 96 points, and 69 ground balls. This season alone, Brush obtained 24 goals, 27 points, and 14 ground balls. With his two goals per game average and five games remaining in the regular season, Brush is on track to set a new career record in goals per season, which is currently 28 goals.
Head coach Matthew Colombini said the amount of hard work that Brush puts in shows during practices and games.
“His skills have improved immensely over the past three years,” Colombini said. “He has put in a ton of work in the weight room in order to really get in shape. He has made a huge leap in his strength and conditioning. [Brush] has also matured into a strong leader. He has that perfect balance between serious when we need him to be and making jokes and keeping things light when it’s appropriate.”
Brush said he takes his leadership position very seriously in his second year as a captain.
“Being a good leader for the team has been incredibly important to me,” Brush said. “Being a captain has taught me how to take responsibility and what it takes to be a good leader. I continue to learn how to be the best leader I can be every game and every practice.”
With the final few games remaining in Brush’s time wearing a Lions jersey, he said he will miss his teammates above all else.
“I’m going to miss being in the locker room,” Brush said. “I feel that we have built a good camaraderie over the last four years. I am going to miss hanging out with everyone before and after practice, and I will miss being able to make new memories with them in future seasons.”
The men’s lacrosse team will take on Babson College at Rotch Field on Saturday, April 13 at 4 p.m.
