McBrien looks back at second round of U.S. National Team tryouts
8/1/2011 11:04:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Lehigh rising junior Julie McBrien was one of 78 current and former players who advanced to the second round of U.S. Senior National Team tryouts, held this past weekend in Baltimore. McBrien became the third Mountain Hawk in the past two seasons to advance to round two. Lehighsports.com caught up with her following the tryouts to get some insight on the experience.
How was the second round of tryouts different than the first?
JM: It was a lot more intense. I found it a lot more intimidating because you're playing with the best players. It was faster paced and more difficult to adjust.
That said, how do you think you performed?
JM: It took me a little while to get used to the more intense pace of the game. As the weekend went on, I seemed to get better and better and by Sunday, I was doing pretty well. That was good.
What was the experience like playing with so many veterans who have graduated?
JM: A lot of them are actually college coaches and were coaching as they were playing. That's their mentality. As I was playing defense with them, I found they were teaching. That was interesting to play with and definitely a great learning experience.
Describe the typical day.
JM: The heat index was 110 degrees, so that was difficult. We did a lot of full-field scrimmaging, using game like situations to see your decision making and technical skills against everyone else. That's how they evaluated everyone.
How did the heat affect the tryouts?
JM: They modified our tryouts. Some sessions that were supposed to be four hours were modified to two. Everyone felt the intensity of the heat. They canceled the run test. They had to adjust a number of things because the heat was unbearable for everyone.
Was there anyone in particular who you think you learned a lot from throughout the tryout experience?
JM: Not necessarily. I learned from watching all the games, just seeing the intensity everyone had in every single drill. There was no letdown. Everybody was focused and wanted to be there.
How do you think this experience will help you moving forward?
JM: The pace of play between the college game and the National Team tryouts is so different. Hopefully, we can increase to their level. It's a lot of little things; the ball moves faster and everyone was talking more. [There were] a number of little things that we can pick up in practice and improve in our play this coming year.
Any final thoughts?
JM: It was a great opportunity. It was a challenging experience, but a rewarding one. I learned a lot, and I'm really happy I took part in the tryouts.
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