Written by Kaileigh Grieb '25 (communication major)
- ECGulls.com Contributor from Ken Davidoff's Sports Journalism Class
(Davidoff covered Major League Baseball for 25 years for Newsday and the New York Post)
BEVERLY, Mass. — Rookie of the Year, a prestigious award that many first-year student-athletes can only dream of receiving. An award that's given to a small percentage of athletes who were top-performing in their first seasons within a team. These athletes are recognized for their immense dedication and impact within their programs.
So it's no surprise that the Endicott men's lacrosse team's former Rookie of the year, Thomas Barker (Needham, Mass.), is back and ready to return to Hempstead Stadium to tend to some unfinished business.
Coming in at 5-8 and roughly 175 pounds, the small but mighty sophomore FO/M (faceoff/midfielder) knows exactly how to take over control of the field.
Prior to Endicott, Barker had gained quite a rep for himself in his high school years, gaining awards such as Needham High School's Specialist of the Year Award (2019 and 2021), Eastern Massachusetts All-Star (2021), Bay State Conference First Team (2021), Bay State Conference Specialist of The Year (2021), and BostonLax All-American honors (2021).
So riding into his collegiate career with all these awards under his belt, his name piqued the interest of many schools who were eager to get their hands on him.
Bentley University, Limestone University, Rhodes College, and Grove City were top contenders for Barker. But, the decision essentially came down to Bentley and Endicott.
With the welcoming atmosphere of both the team and the campus, plus the beachside location of Endicott, Barker's decision was clear as day when deciding where to commit.
And so on March 2, 2022, Barker made his first-ever collegiate appearance against Union College.
As the season began to pick up, so did the attention on Barker. Winning numerous weekly Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) awards, all eyes were on the rookie Gull who was dressed to impress in his number 5 jersey on the field.
In May of the team's 2022 season, Barker was officially named CCC's Rookie of the Year.
"It was honestly something that I didn't think too much about [the award] until one of my teammates told me in the locker room. It was definitely nice to be recognized but that's not the end all be all," stated the humble Barker.
When asked if he had expected to have accomplished so much during his rookie season, he had this to say:
"I hold myself to a high standard so I would say I did expect to do well. My position is a tough one, especially at the college level, so a lot of hard work goes into it in order to expect to do well, if that makes sense, but I feel like you can't do well without confidence."
With all the coverage Barker had gathered from his very well-decorated rookie season, it's no shocker that he's already off to an even better sophomore season. With the 2023 season almost halfway through, Barker has already been rewarded twice with the CCC Specialist of the Week award.
"There were definitely a lot of ups and downs last year. A lot of struggles and working through them. In order to do well you need to learn from your mistakes... especially as a freshman, there is a ton of learning that goes into it and a lot of games where I needed to learn. A lot of it sometimes is hitting your stride at the right time, and staying mentally focused throughout the year, which is hard because the season is so long," as Barker reflected on his last season with the Gulls.
Now referring to this 2023 season as a "Revenge Season" to finish what he started, Barker claims he's ready to continue his mean streak on those teams who showed no mercy as the Gulls head into conference play.
But, it would be a given that with so much praise and recognition that many rookies now would look up to Barker and all that he has accomplished. So when asked if he had any advice for other rookies who are just starting out on this team, he had this to say:
"Push through the adversity. You might have a bad day or even a bad week but you need to keep things in perspective and work hard no matter what. keep a positive attitude. And you need to earn your spot by working hard."
Barker currently ranks tied for third among his CCC peers with 89 faceoff wins headed into the Gulls' conference opener tonight against Wentworth. He also ranks second in the league in ground balls (58) and has registered two goals and three assists in seven games played on the year.
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(Photo Credit - Nick Grace '20)
