Zach Schwartz is a junior at Skyline high school, who plays on the varsity lacrosse team.  Last year, he committed to be on the 2017-2018 team at the University of Michigan.  Schwartz has been playing the sport ever since the fifth grade, and he is looking forward to possibly making a run at the state championship this year.

Schwartz was originally a swimmer and diver, but he picked up lacrosse when he saw his neighbor playing.  Although he is a very talented player today, his skills were not nearly as developed when he first started.  Schwartz played goalie in his first year, and hated every second of it.  He dreamed of weaving through defenders and whipping a shot into the net.  One day, an opportunity came, “ I made a save and ran up the field and one game I finally scored,” said Schwartz.  After that, he never played goalie again.

Schwartz has always been motivated by his father to be the best he can be at everything.  When he wanted to become more competitive, his father put him through all the necessary camps and teams that he needed to improve.  In Schwartz’s seventh grade year, he was introduced to a whole new level of competition: travel lacrosse.

Because Lacrosse is predominantly a sport played on the East coast, competition in the Michigan area is not  at a very high level.  In his first season with True Lacrosse, he traveled to the east coast to play in tournaments. There he got the attention of scouts from Division two and Division Three schools.  But Schwartz had his eye on something bigger.

The coaches of his club team happened to be the assistant coaches of the Michigan lacrosse team.  “It would be awesome to stay in Ann Arbor and go to Michigan,” said Schwartz when he was first being recruited.  His club coaches aided him in the recruitment process, and invited him to a showcase where Schwartz played very well.  The next day Schwartz met with the head coach and committed.

Zach is very much looking forward to the season this year.  Although Skyline may not be a frontrunner for the state title, Schwartz says they still have a shot.  Their greatest competition is Brother Rice, who has won the state title for the past 17 years. But when Skyline gets their opportunity to play them, the eagles will come out on top. “If everyone plays to their full potential, we will beat them,” said Schwartz.  As the former Ann Arbor Athlete of the year, Schwartz plans on leading his team to victory.