Staff Writer

Scarborough High School athletes spend four years trying to attain team and individual success, while balancing school and a social life. For that, they have enjoyed success, winning 20 state championships in four years.

But what happens when some of those players move on to the next level and take on college athletics?

Former Scarborough student Mark Strait was a member of the Red Storm lacrosse team that won two state championships, one in 2006 and another last year. He was recruited to Utica College in Utica, N.Y., a Division III program, where as of press time he has played in six of the Pioneer’s 11 lacrosse games.

Strait said switching from high school lacrosse in Maine to college was a big adjustment.

“It gets a million times more competitive,” Strait said.

Strait was recruited to Utica after playing on a summer team that showcased lacrosse players from both Scarborough and Portland. After a recruiting trip to the school, Strait said he was enticed by the scenery of the area, as well as the chance to continue to play lacrosse.

Strait said he hit some bumps in the road, namely, a bout with mononucleosis during preseason.

“I felt like a failure, the only thing I was good at was sitting in bed,” Strait said.

On the field, Strait said there is more pressure to perform during games, however, the team doesn’t spend as much time on the field practicing. He said he watches more game film to prepare for opponents than in high school.

Brent Mayo took a roundabout way to college. He earned four varsity letters in lacrosse, hockey and soccer while at Scarborough High School and was also selected to All-State teams in both lacrosse and hockey.

In a way to gain exposure for his hockey career, Mayo decided to spend a post graduate year at Phillips Exeter prep school in Exeter, N.H. However, when it came time to choose a college, he decided to switch sports and is now playing at Providence College as a midfielder on the lacrosse team.

Mayo said he had offers to play hockey for Division III schools, but was provided an opportunity to play lacrosse for Providence, a Division I school, which he said was his dream. He said his biggest adjustment to playing college lacrosse is time commitment to the sport.

“At first it’s hard to get up at 6 a.m. to work out, go to three or four classes and then mentally prepare for practice,” he said. “Then you start to get in the flow of things to get everything done.”

Mayo said the main difference between college and high school lacrosse is the speed of the game – college players are faster and more knowledgeable. He said practice differences include lifting weights, watching game film and looking at scouting reports of opponents in preparation for upcoming games.

Former Scarborough alumni Nicole Glab was a member of the 2005 state championship swim team, and also won an individual state championship in the 500-meter freestyle in 2006. She decided to continue her athletic career at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. 

Glab said there is no military background in her family and she had no prior knowledge of the academy. She was encouraged to look at the Naval Academy by her former club swim coach Leanne Gravel. After being accepted to the school and a recruiting trip, she decided she wanted to go to Annapolis.

“When I visited I immediately loved it,” Glab said. “When I told my mom I decided to go there, she was shocked.”

Going to the Naval Academy meant adjusting her lifestyle. Freshmen, or plebes, learn military lifestyle. She said students break into formation before each meal, at 7 a.m., noon and 6:30 p.m. Glab said classes start at 7:45 a.m. and last until 3:20 p.m. She takes calculus, chemistry, naval history, leadership, navigation and English courses. During swim season, she practices at 5:45 a.m. and weight lifting at noon every weekday.

Glab said plebes have restrictions throughout the year, such as not being allowed to nap during the day and are only allowed to leave campus Saturday afternoons.

Glab said she is occasionally homesick.

“It is always worse right after I come back from break or from going home, but once I get back into the routine I’m fine,” she said.

Glab said the Midshipmen swim team finished a successful season, as they went undefeated (14-0) in dual meets and took second place at the Patriot League Championships. Glab said she received best times in the 1650-meter freestyle, the 400-meter individual medley and the 200-meter butterfly at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships at Harvard University in Boston.

Glab said swimmers are more focused at the Division I level.

“It’s a lot more intense, but at the same time you have the same atmosphere, and the bond between the team is a lot stronger,” she said.

While some former Scarborough athletes attend out-of-state colleges, others stay close to home. Brittny Silke and Sarah Bonenfant are both beginning their first season on the University of Southern Maine womens’ lacrosse team. Silke said going to school at USM allows her to maintain an on-campus college lifestyle while still being close to home.

“You know the area, so you feel like you don’t get that home sickness,” Silke said.

Bonenfant transferred to USM after a semester at Suffolk College in Boston, after deciding the school wasn’t a good fit. She said she didn’t speak with USM lacrosse coaches until after she transferred. Bonenfant, a three-sport athlete at Scarborough, is still relatively new to lacrosse, as she is only in her second season.

“There’s definitely more of a feeling of unity [at the college level] because we’re all recruited,” Bonenfant said.