This week, the Clarion sat down for its last Pio Bio of the year with men’s lacrosse goalie Ryan LaPlante.

Q: How did you begin playing lacrosse?

A: I started in third grade; it was a second sport to hockey. They’re pretty similar, so I was very excited about playing.

Q: What was your high school career like? Any highlights?

A:  We were alright. We’d place fifth or sixth every year. We got knocked out in the quarterfinals every year except for my freshman year, but I wasn’t playing yet. So that year we made it to state championship and we lost 15-4. Also, I was a captain my senior year.

Q: When did you know that you wanted to pursue lacrosse into college?

A: My sophomore year I knew I wanted to. It was love of the sport. I loved playing and I wanted to play in college because the competition is much harder and it becomes your life.

Q: How did you come to DU?

A: Coach Tierney recruited me. I wanted to play under him and I saw what he had done at Princeton. His son, who is my goalie coach now, was also my club team coach in high school so I wanted to stick with him.

Q: How were your first three seasons at DU?

A: My freshman year I was redshirting. When Jamie Faus tore his Achilles, then my redshirt was pulled. I played 8-10 games that season. It went really well and then we started to split time after that. It was a great combo between us.

Q: Being a senior, what has changed from your freshman year and how has your attitude about the game changed?

A: I’m more aware of what’s going on on the field at all times. Freshman year the game seemed so much faster, but the more you play the more it starts to slow down and you start to understand the game better.

Q: How do you keep a level head and focus in high stakes games like the NCAA Tournament?

A: I just treat it like every game. It’s the same game as the first game of the season; you just have to know that and treat every shot and every game the same. Staying focused and prepared like every other game is the most important thing.