Coming off the most successful season in program history, the No. 14 Michigan men’s lacrosse team has sought to build on the foundations that it established last year.
And a key part of this comes through senior leadership. The Wolverines’ captains set expectations and prepare younger players for the same high-pressure situations they have experienced.
Senior midfielder Isaac Aronson and senior defenseman Jack Whitney form part of Michigan’s experienced core that has stepped up this season. Aronson has 11 goals in his nine starts, and Whitney has picked up 14 ground balls and anchored the Wolverines’ defense.
But leadership is about more than just on-the-field performance. Whitney and Aronson both attribute their leadership skills to their ability to relate to their teammates off the field.
“In my opinion, one of the most important things is you have to be authentic to who you are,” Aronson told The Michigan Daily. “… All of our captains are very social guys and we love just hanging out with the guys. … We will do weekly or every other week, go out to dinner, do an activity and that’s a good way to maybe talk a little bit about culture, but also just see how guys are doing.”
Many of Michigan’s players have spoken of the bond that they share off the field, and how it plays a key role in the team’s performances on the field. Preseason, senior midfielder Michael Boehm dubbed the group as “the best I have ever been a part of.” The camaraderie the Wolverines share is evident through their sideline huddles and explosions of cheers every time a goal is scored. Their shouts of joy echo through the stadium tunnels after a victory.
What’s most pivotal to that dynamic is the leadership of players like Aronson and Whitney. Both emphasize the importance of being there for their teammates as friends and being open and forthcoming around the team.
In addition to their impact in the locker room, Aronson and Whitney’s leadership translates directly into how the team plays on the field.
“I would definitely characterize myself as a little more serious, a little more intense than most people,” senior defenseman Jack Whitney told The Daily. “I think, as a defenseman, that kind of carries really well into the way that we try to play our game and being physical and setting the tone versus letting another team’s offense kind of dictate what they want to do.”
Whitney’s intensity sets the tone for the Wolverines’ tenacious defense, often making darting runs down the field and fighting hard for ground balls. Aronson describes himself as being on the quieter side, and this manifests in his play, where he often does not dominate the statsheet but instead works to secure picks and open up the playing field.
In spite of their experience and accomplishments while leading the team, Aronson and Whitney still acknowledge that there is more to leadership than being a friendly face. They both repeatedly point to authenticity, and how it is challenging to define.
“I think authenticity in terms of leadership goes far beyond what you say in a huddle or even what you say, period,” Whitney said. “Again, like (Michigan assistant coach Jim Rogalski) specifically with me for the past few years has been asking me the question, ‘what kind of leader are you?’ It’s not a question that has an answer. It’s one that you’re constantly working to try to figure out and figure out what your leading style is, because not everyone leads the exact same way.”
Whitney and Aronson both lead differently, with Whitney relying on his seriousness and Aronson maintaining a quieter approach. But the common thread of their leadership style is letting themselves be authentic — being true to themselves as friends to their teammates, and sticking to their respective playstyles. Their leadership is part of the rock-solid foundation that the Wolverines continued to build on this season.