If Austin Madronic of Victoria appears to have it all in body and mind, it鈥檚 because he does. He is smart enough to be studying economics at Harvard and talented enough to be selected in the first round of the Western Lacrosse Association draft on Thursday, third overall by the Burnaby Lakers.
鈥淵ou get so busy sometimes you don鈥檛 appreciate it enough. But it will hit you at other times 鈥� 鈥榃ow, I鈥檓 walking across Harvard Yard and I play in the oldest college stadium in the U.S.,鈥� 鈥� Madronic said from Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The hometown Victoria Shamrocks coveted the graduating Junior Shamrocks standout Madronic. But they knew he was unlikely to fall to them as the Shamrocks selected seventh and last because they are the defending WLA champions from 2019, the last season played before the pandemic wiped out the 2020 season.
Each WLA team is allowed to protect one player from its catchment area, but Madronic missed qualifying as the Shamrocks鈥� territorial exemption by three months on a technicality. So he had to enter the open draft and the Lakers have themselves a good one.
鈥淚鈥檓 super-excited and looking forward to it. Every WLA team has four or five players I would love to play with and learn from,鈥� Madronic said.
This guy can do it all.
鈥淎ustin Madronic is a super-talented all-rounder who can play both ends of the floor,鈥� said Junior Shamrocks general manager Wade Murray.
鈥淗e can finish on offence and is fearlessly aggressive defensively. Austin was a huge part of our leadership group that got us to the Minto Cup [Victoria qualified for the national Junior A championship in 2019]. It鈥檚 sad his final year of junior in 2020 was cancelled because of the pandemic. Off the floor, he is top notch in his schooling.鈥�
Rod Wood, chair of the sa国际传媒 Junior A Lacrosse League, described Madronic as a 鈥渄ynamic鈥� talent.鈥�
鈥淚 am willing to do the dirty work, willing to do whatever it takes. I鈥檓 a lacrosse rat,鈥� said Madronic.
He lives for the sport, but not only was Madronic鈥檚 final season of Junior A box eligibility eclipsed by the pandemic, so is his current year of field lacrosse at Harvard for the Crimson.
While the rest of the NCAA Division 1 will go ahead with a 2021 season, the Ivy League has decided against it. So it has been a long time since Madronic has seen live game action.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been tough to miss my final season of junior and this year in the NCAA,鈥� said Madronic, a graduate of the Juan de Fuca youth association.
鈥淏ut I get to be in school at Harvard and practice with our coaches to get better. There are worse things in the world.鈥�
Dad Mike Madronic is a weapons engineering technician for the Royal Canadian Navy and mother Amanda a dental technician in the Canadian Army. Austin Madronic attended high school at Culver Military Academy in Indiana, which not only has one of the finest prep field lacrosse programs in the U.S., but also fits with the family鈥檚 military background.
Including territorial protections and open draft players, Jalen Chaster went first overall to the Coquitlam Adanacs, who were the 2019 WLA season 颅bottom dwellers. Thomas Vaesen from the Nanaimo Junior Timbermen was selected second by the Langley Thunder, Madronic third by Burnaby, Will Johansen of the Junior Timbermen fourth by the Nanaimo Timbermen, Will Malcom fifth by the New Westminster Salmonbellies, Dylan McIntosh sixth by the Maple Ridge Burrards and Nick Scott seventh by the Shamrocks.
Rounds two through eight were in progress at press time.
