If you don’t know Zach Cole’s name by now, you will surely know it by the end of the upcoming season.
The junior face-off specialist received notable preseason recognition in the lead up to the 2021 men’s lacrosse season by being named to the preseason All-American Third Team as a Face-Off Specialist. Cole will look to build on his 2019 season, in which he won the Northeast Conference (NEC) Rookie of the Year award and was named to the NEC First Team.
According to Cole, the preseason awards and the accolades are an honor, but the team’s success comes first.
“It would be awesome to be the first team in St. Joe’s history to win the NEC Championship,” Cole said. “We want to make it to the NCAA Tournament and make some noise there.”
Senior attacker Matt Tufano said Cole is talented enough to become a first or second team All-American by the end of the season.
“He’s always one of the top guys in the country with face-offs,” Tufano said. “He has the potential to win the highest NEC awards, including MVP.”
St. Joe’s men’s lacrosse Head Coach Taylor Wray said Cole is a tenacious competitor who takes his craft very seriously and is one of the hardest workers on the team.
“Zach has had a tremendous impact on our team,” Wray said. “Not only because of his ability as a face-off specialist but because of his approach to the game.”
For Wray, it is this disciplined, hardworking approach that makes Cole a top-notch lacrosse player.
“He is an incredibly hard worker when it comes to his fitness level and his weight room approach,” Wray said. “Whether he was facing-off or playing another position, Zach [Cole] would be one of our hardest working, most disciplined and focused guys.”
According to Cole, the coaching he received at St. Joe’s helped him develop and progress as a player.
“I’ve definitely gotten stronger and faster since I’ve gotten here and started getting in the weight room,” Cole said. “My stick skills have definitely gotten a lot better since I’ve gotten here too.”
Tufano said that each season Cole has come back bigger and stronger than before and that his competitive mindset and love for lacrosse have helped him continue to improve.
“He’s very committed to making himself better,” Tufano said. “Throughout the years he has become a better leader as well.”
On the same note, Wray said Cole puts in a tremendous amount of work both during the season and in the offseason.
“He sets a tremendous example for the other guys as to what it takes to be successful at the highest level,” Wray said. “He is consumed by the process of improvement.”
According to Cole, training with other players from top Division I schools in the offseason helped him to become the face-off specialist he is now.
“I train with a lot of guys from top Division I programs,” Cole said. “[We’re] making sacrifices to be able to have time to work with each other and perfect our craft.”
Cole hopes that he has a positive impact on his teammates, and that they’ll remain confident in him as he continues to improve both on and off the field.
“Over the years I think I proved myself,” Cole said. “I have started to come into a leadership role.”
According to Tufano, Cole is as consistent of a player as they come, and while he is an outspoken leader, he always backs it up on the field.
“His consistency makes everything at practice go smoother,” Tufano said. “He is a vocal leader, while also leading by example.”
Wray said Cole’s leadership gives all of his players an example of what it takes to be successful, and if they follow his lead, good things will come.
“He sets a tremendous example for the other guys in terms of how to approach their training,” Wray said. “He shows them the amount of effort, energy and discipline that goes into being one of the best players at your position in the country.”
Cole won 13 of his 18 face-offs in the team’s opening game to Towson University.
