The Comeback Kids

The Emerson College men’s lacrosse team seniors have turned incredible losses into wins. They entered their freshman season taunted by their peers, tragically lost a classmate sophomore year, and were deprived of two pivotal seasons in the middle of their collegiate career, all while being ranked last in the pre-season New England Women and Men’s Athletic Conference poll every year. 

“One year (2019), they didn't even include us in the NEWMAC ranking,” says senior defenseman Jack Lewis. “Which rightfully made a lot of guys and Coach angry.”

I’d hate to call it vengeance, but their budding success since then might just be. 

The 2022 men’s lacrosse team is officially the winningest in program history, developing an 11-4 record. This season’s success story started five years ago with the hiring of Coach Matthew Colombini and the profound 2019 recruiting class. 

In 2018, despite jumping out to a program-record 3-0 start, they ended with an overall record 5-11. In the 2019 season, they fell to 3-14 but tallied the program's first NEWMAC win over Wheaton, marking the integrated chemistry of the now-Senior class. 

“At the end of that season, I remember Coach Colombini [basically] said, ‘Come ready for next year; we're going to really build this program in 2020,’” Lewis recalls. 

They lost Daniel Hollis the first week of October. 

Anyone you talk to will say Hollis always had the biggest smile on his face and the personality to light up every room. He brought unmatched sportsmanship, fellowship, and genuine care to the Emerson lacrosse program.  

His mom, Jennifer Kelly, defines Hollis in three C’s; “community (his friends, his family), competition, (sport — he played hockey, obviously lacrosse, and golf to name a few), and creativity or curiosity. It’s those three things about him [that] made him special.” 

Emerson was the only school Hollis applied to. Colombini reached out to the rising senior after seeing him play at a tournament in the summer of 2017. After touring that September, the goalie decided it was Emerson or nowhere. 

“We sat down to talk with the coaches after (touring Emerson), and they had said how they would really like Dan to attend,” Kelly shares. “He was trying to play cool (saying), ‘Yeah, I'll get back to you,’ and I was like, ‘whatever.” 
His mind was set on attending and playing for Emerson, the duo immediately hitting the Emerson bookstore after leaving the gym. 

“And then we've got all these bags, and he's walking down Boylston Street, and the assistant coach comes walking out. He's like, ‘Yeah, you got to get back to us,” she explains, giggling. 

“He loved sports,” Kelly says. “One because he was competitive, but I think most of all, because of the teammates and the friendships that he made.”

Hollis came from playing starting goalie his entire high school career to playing backup to the backup at Emerson. Classmate Malcolm McGrath took the starting position, but Hollis didn’t entirely mind — McGrath was his best friend, and he was just happy to be on the team.

“He met Malcolm on, I think, one of the first nights that they were at school. They just instantly clicked,” recalls Kelly. “They had a friendship that was truly special. (...) I think Dan never really had a best friend until he had Malcolm. He even said to me, ‘I've never had a friend like this.”

Preparing for the 2020 season, the team sought to include Hollis in details like ‘27’ stickers on their helmets, a tribute all NEWMAC players took part in, and hanging his jersey in the locker room.

“You're reminded every day that playing lacrosse here is (about) a lot more (than) wins and losses,” senior attackman Hunter Gervais says, “it's about creating lasting relationships with everyone you come in contact with pursuing other passions. And I think it helps (...) anyone who didn't really know him understand why we make it such an effort to remember him.”

“I know he's not here, but sometimes it's like he's here,” adds McGrath.

The rebuilding of the program goes beyond its statistical growth. The last four classes came to Emerson knowing they wouldn’t be a part of a winning team but bit at the opportunity to help Colombini create a new reputation for the program.   

"I think a lot of the kids that were recruited came to Emerson not because it was a lacrosse school, but because it was a school where they could have the biggest impact on a lacrosse team where they could be a part of a culture change," explained senior defenseman Lex Torrington.

After an intense offseason, the 2020 season was supposed to be their transition into a winning record. Their run got canceled five games into the season with a 2-3 starting record.  

“I think the record really didn't show how good I thought we were,” Gervais says. “But I think we were on the right trajectory to where we want[ed] it to be. I think things were starting to click, and then we got shut down.” 

Because the team has only played seven combined games in two seasons, this rebuild hasn’t been fostered through playing games but through leadership and establishing off-field relationships that eventually translated into tradition and onfield chemistry. 

They’ve started traditions such as “practice player 27 of the week,” a tribute to their late teammate, and a reward for those on the team that are uplifting teammates and putting in the extra effort. 

“It's just making everyone feel more valued, which is what Dan does,” says Gervais about 27 player of the week.

McGrath’s favorite part of Monday practice is the announcement of 27 player of the week because it’s nice to see someone running around in Dan’s penny and it makes him proud of how Hollis’ legacy uplifts the team.

This team would not be as successful without consistent leadership in the tenure of Colombini, established playing positions, and guidance from the classes before them.

“I think that consistency of leadership was really important to maintaining our culture and our motivation, even when we had these lapses in between our seasons or practices,” says senior defenseman Lex Torrington.

“I’m back,” simply read the unofficial press release regarding Austin Franklin’s return to Emerson lacrosse on June 26, 2020.

“I bit at the opportunity; get one final run and see how good this team could be,” says Franklin. “I've been a part of the program for five years now, and the programs obviously come a long way. It's been awesome to be a part of that transformation and finally get to reap the benefits of all the hard work that everyone's put in.”

Franklin’s presence cannot be missed; he towers over most at six-foot-three and commands the field with his resonant announcer's voice. 

The Writing for Film and Television graduate student has been a part of the program since 2017, guiding in all current classes, and serving as a three-year captain. 

This season is the first Franklin has been able to take his captainship through a complete on-field tenure, but most would say his leadership shines off the turf even more. Franklin says leadership is rooted in leading by example but flourishes in supporting teammates and pushing them to be the best they can be in a productive way. 

His return has proven to be incredible support through the loss of the 2021 season and has given the program the strength to continue on to the next. 

A majority of the team’s success is rooted in their philosophy to play the right way: clean and hard, not dirty and rough.

“It's fun to watch the shock on the faces of the kids that we play being smoked by the team that they used to bully years ago," says Torrington.

Through these ideals, they have set a single-season win record, seen two players into the 100-point-club (Franklin and Skyler Celotto), McGrath named NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Week, and they’re one win away from making the playoffs.

“It's such a nice honor to those boys who are graduating that through COVID and through this horrible experience with Dan, they still rose to this level of play and that they can continue that is just truly amazing,” praises Kelly.

In 2022, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, led by Gervais, established the Daniel J. Hollis Teammate award within the athletic department as a way to carry on Hollis’ legacy and promote good sportsmanship. Jack Lewis received the inaugural Daniel J. Hollis Teammate award last week. 

“At the end of the day, it is more than just lacrosse. It's about building a brotherhood, it's about being good guys. It's about just being good teammates. And I really think that's the legacy that's going to be left behind,” he says.