Good thing senior lacrosse captain Tim Balise ’09 is a psychology major. The straight-A student says that mental toughness was the key to returning men’s lacrosse to a force to be reckoned with this season.
Team practices began in January on the wind-whipped artificial turf of Garber Field, which freezes as hard as green cement. “The ball does sting a bit more out there,” says Balise, “but we pride ourselves on being able to deal with the cold. We think it gives us a big advantage.”

Balise, who plans to study clinical psychology in grad school, discussed how to help his team gain a mental edge with a UMass Amherst sports psychologist who advised Balise to stay relaxed and encouraged the quiet leader to talk to teammates on and off the field.
Balise and other upper-classmen then boosted their efforts to watch out for their junior teammates after eight were suspended for violations of team rules in 2008. Balise says he learned from that experience, which tarnished the men’s lacrosse team’s image and hurt its results.

The North Pleasant Street house Balise shares with three teammates is a frequent gathering and talking place. Defenseman Diogo Godoi ’10, who comes from a restaurant family, often cooks for the guys. “All that we go through brings us closer,” Balise says. “We have a saying: ‘Forty brothers, one heart.’”