From learning lacrosse at a young age, to developing a sniper shot, to being able to play for one of the best collegiate lacrosse teams in the nation, “Don’t give up” was the message at the top of Jack Hannah’s mind as he worked to reach such a high level of play.
A fifth-year midfielder, Jack Hannah came to Denver from Milford, Ohio.
Hannah, currently a graduate student at DU completing his master’s in sports coaching, has a decorated background that includes being named the 2022 USA Lacrosse Magazine’s Preseason Midfielder of the Year and the magazine’s BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year last season.
He also earned the USA preseason Lacrosse Midfielder Magazine Player of the Year. However, Hannah doesn’t let awards distract from his main goal of meeting his own expectations and being the best team player he can be.
“It’s a cool honor for me to get [the award], but I think the best thing I can do is continue to help the team the best way I can and listen to my coaches and play to the best of my ability,” Hannah said.
Outside of lacrosse, Hannah likes fly fishing, playing video games, pickup basketball and watching sports.
Hannah’s mind is very distinct because of how he sees himself and prepares to take the field. His mind and body are in alignment, and if that is throwing the lacrosse ball as hard as he can into the net as the money sniper, he will do what it takes.
“Athletics, in general, are about visualizing yourself and seeing the plays I want to be making, so I definitely [do that] before the game,” Hannah said. “So I try to visualize myself before games and imagine what I can do.”
Success in lacrosse for Hannah is all about working as a team. Hannah wants to do whatever it takes to win, which of course means putting more goals into the net and executing the game plan through practicing and committing as few errors as possible.
“The shot comes from years of shooting a lacrosse ball into a net,” Hannah said. “Over time, you can build that velocity and speed, and endurance comes from conditioning.”
Skills and talent are 100 percent towards his game, and Hannah wants to keep getting better.
On a gameday morning on campus, Hannah keeps his pregame routine pretty simple: he has some coffee, listens to some music, hangs out in the locker room and gets his body ready by hitting the weight room and warming up before taking the field.
Any great athlete has had coaches that inspire them to be their best and play at the highest level possible. Hannah’s high school coach gave him insight into lacrosse and life lessons that continue to stick with him to this day.
“He always talked to me about body language and handling getting yelled at by a coach or doing something wrong, and how to respond to that,” Hannah said. “[He also taught me how to] respond to adversity and when coaches get mad at you and how to handle that.”
In Hannah’s eyes, practice mode and performance mode are similar because practice runs at game speed and replicates what the game will be like, so he approaches the two the same way.
Hannah’s perseverance in getting through mental challenges in life, even in lacrosse, is getting past the bumps and bruises and staying focused on the long game. “Lacrosse is a physical game, and you get a lot of stick checks that can affect you, and mentally, you have to work through it,” he said. “Sometimes it’s the general frustration of an athlete and, [you have to figure out] how to move on from that.”
Creating a vision in Hannah’s mind is what drives him to be the best.
“I want to be the best lacrosse player possible, and I want to help the team the best way I can,” Hannah said.
The men’s lacrosse team, currently 5-5, will be back in action on Saturday against Villanova University in Villanova, Pa.
