From student to student athletes: Lehigh walk-ons’ path to becoming student athletes

By senior year of high school, most serious athletes have made commitments to continue playing the sport they love in college. But for Lehigh’s walk-on athletes, continuing their athletic careers was never guaranteed.

Jay Jay Davis is a junior guard on the Lehigh Men’s Basketball team. Davis walked on to the team as a sophomore after serving as the manager as a freshman, (Zion Olojede/B&W Staff).

For men’s basketball junior Jay Jay Davis and junior baseball player Christopher Kersey, walking on to their respective teams was an afterthought.

Davis said it was tough accepting he wouldn’t be playing basketball in college, considering he had dedicated so much time to it since he was 6 years old.

“I had the option to play at a lot of Division III schools,” Davis said. “But I felt Lehigh’s education was worth it, and I knew pro basketball was not a real option either. So I decided to come here for school, basically.”

But for sophomore lacrosse goalie Christopher Kiernan, deciding to come to Lehigh as a student had more to do with a feeling, rather than logistics.

“I was recruited by a lot of Division III schools, but I wasn’t in love with them. I really fell in love with Lehigh when I visited,” Kiernan said.

As soon as Kiernan was accepted to Lehigh, he set his mind to trying out for and becoming a part of the lacrosse team.

He said as part of the walk-on process, he participated in several scrimmages and physical tests including bench, squats and pull-ups. He acknowledged the difficulty in adjusting to the pace of the college level, but still thought he performed well.

In hindsight, making the team was the easiest part of transitioning from student to Division I student athlete for Davis, Kersey and Kiernan.

Davis started as a manager and practice player before becoming an official member of the basketball team. Making friends and adjusting to the team’s culture before earning his own jersey made it more comfortable for Davis to manage the new expectations and role he played on the team.

Although Kersey did not know any players on the baseball team, he had been in contact with coach Sean Leary during the summer before his freshman year. He knew he would have an opportunity to try out for the team during its fall season.

Chris Kersey walked on to the Lehigh Baseball team his freshman year. In 2016, Kersey saw action in 20 games, (Kendal Jacobus/B&W staff).

“There were about eight to nine walk-ons who participated in the process my freshman year,” Kersey said. “I found out that I would have a roster spot for the spring in late October after the fall season. Everyone was very accepting of my role. I actually even felt like the team members were pulling for me while I was trying to make the team during the fall.”

Once walk-ons officially make a team, they also have to adjust to the new level of play that their respective teams expect.

“The speed and intensity of college lacrosse were the two biggest aspects that required lots of adjustment,” Kiernan said. “It definitely took a few weeks to get acclimated.”

With time, athletes eventually learn what their individual roles and contributions as a player are for the team.

At first, Kiernan was a part of the scout team during the fall. His main role was to prepare starters for games. He made sure to consistently give his best effort and eventually began to climb the depth chart. The time practicing against the best players on his team forced him to improve his composure while playing defense and clearing the ball. Because of this, he was able to help the team in close games like last spring against Boston University.

Kiernan is an example of how practice and improvement can lead to a change in roles within the team. Although he wasn’t originally scouted and recruited by Lehigh lacrosse, he has become the team’s starting goalie and proven he is capable of competing at the Division I level.

Sophomore Chris Kiernan is now the starting goalkeeper for the Lehigh Men’s Lacrosse team. He walked on to the team as a freshman and became the starter midway through his freshman season, (Kendal Jacobus/B&W staff).

“Whether a player is an everyday starter, a midweek starter or even someone who does not see much time, the team cannot function without him,” Kersey said. ” I was excited to embrace my role as a freshman and push the people who were ahead of me to work hard day in and day out.”

As consistent contributors to their teams, the extra practice and improvements from Kiernan, Davis and Kersey are noticeable to students who watch and follow their teams. But what a lot of students don’t see is the amount of time student athletes spend with their teams off the field.

“It is a huge time commitment,” Davis said. “When I was a manager, there were some days where I didn’t want to go and it wasn’t a problem. But when you are officially on the team it isn’t like that.”

Davis said people don’t understand practice is never just for two hours.  Most nights, practice ends up taking four hours out of a player’s day. Game days take up even more time and adding on team events, film sessions and other commitments ends up being a lot to handle when trying to balance schoolwork and a social life too.

Kiernan said this struggle of balancing and prioritizing school and free time is something his team has gone over before.

“Coach (Kevin) Cassese has a saying that when it boils down to things, there are three aspects of college life — athletic, academic and social,” Kiernan said.  “And while you can be involved in all of them, you can only be great at two.”

Therefore, when considering trying out for a Division I team, Kiernan urges students to think hard about what they are potentially signing up for. Although it is a privilege to represent the school on the field, it requires a lot of unexpected sacrifices.

That being said, having a passion for the sport and the goals of the team usually make these sacrifices worth-while. Kiernan, Kersey and Davis attribute their growth as players, students and friends during college to their teammates, coaches and sport.

“I would definitely make the same decision to join the team again if I was asked to,” Davis said. “I love the sport, so it is all worth it.”