For the past 11 years, lacrosse has been a part of senior Nick Burns’s life. Although his earliest experiences with the sport are a blur, Burns remembers the sheer enjoyment and thrill of the game, as well as the itch to come back to the field even better every time. Little did he know that doing what he loved with a passion would score him a commitment to New Hampshire’s Saint Anselm College just over a decade later.
Burns made his official commitment to Saint Anselm College for lacrosse on July 26, 2024. The decision came after a lengthy process spanning from September of 2023 to July of this year where he had been in contact with coaches from several schools around the east coast from all three divisions. Burns, a current captain of WA’s own varsity boys’ lacrosse team, eventually decided on St. Anselm in late July, a college with a competitive lacrosse team that has made it to the final four in Division 2 during their most recent season.
Burns’s lacrosse journey started when he joined Westford Youth Lacrosse in first grade. The program was intended to introduce young children to the sport at an early age. Teams are formed based on grade pairs and play other towns’ teams of the same age group.
“My experience [with Westford Youth Lacrosse] was awesome because we were good [as a team] and I was able to bond with my friends,” Burns said. “The program was the foundation for me and many other players’ lacrosse careers.”
This foundation allowed Burns to develop a positive attitude towards the sport, even after disappointing losses. Rather than dwell on negative feelings, Burns looks forward to finding ways to change the outcome of future games for the better.
“[I’m] mostly motivated to come back in the upcoming season and beat [the winning team],” Burns said.
Outside of lacrosse, Burns also plays on WA’s boys’ varsity ice hockey team as a captain. He is dual-enrolled at Middlesex Community College and takes classes two days a week at the Bedford campus.
Burns’s work ethic and personality make it easy to understand his commit opportunity, according to his brother and lacrosse teammate, junior Peter Burns.
“Nick has always been a great athlete all around and it didn’t just happen,” Burns said. “He always puts in work to keep getting better and that’s what caused him to get where he is today as an athlete, student, and a great person in general.”
This aspect of Burns, as well as his performance on the field, was detected quickly by current St. Anselm men’s lacrosse head coach, Drew Bourdeau, while playing in a game against Bedford High School. Bourdeau was previously the head coach for the lacrosse team Burns played against at Bedford before being hired by St. Anselm this past July.
“We played Westford this past spring and as I was scouting I could [not] help but notice the physicality that Nick brought to his game,” Bourdeau said. “He dodged very hard and used his size to create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. He was also willing to do anything for his team.”
According to Burns, Bourdeau was a significant deciding factor in his decision to commit to St. Anselm.
“I think he will continue the lively and competitive culture within the team, which really interested me,” Burns said.
Another influence in Burns’s decision was his family’s connection to the school. The athlete’s older brother attended and graduated from St. Anselm in 2013, later getting married at the school’s church. This longtime history with St. Anselm allowed Burns to be well informed on the school and its culture even prior to his recruitment.
However, Burns accredits much of his talent and desire to pursue lacrosse at the collegiate level in the first place to his WA coach, Scott Corcoran.
“Coach Corcoran helped motivate me to be a better player and pushed me to achieve more out of the sport,” Burns said. “I would not be a good enough player if it weren’t for him.”
