This month's featured Hardshell is David Saunders, who played for the Terrapins from 1977-81 and helped the team advance to three final fours. Saunders is the co-founder and CEO of K2 Advisors, a hedge fund asset management firm that has steadily grown into one of the largest multi-billion dollar hedge fund investment advisory firms in the world.
 

You have a strong passion for our alumni mentorship program. Tell us about your experiences in college and why you feel the program is so beneficial to our current student-athletes.

I think it is our obligation to give back to the program that gave so much to us.  The program is nothing more than the coach and the players on the field.  As I look back at my first year at UMD, I remember our sole focus through that final semester was "What do we need to do to win a national championship?"  When you dedicate that much of your time and energy towards finishing up school and trying to win a championship, there is not a lot of time left over to focus on a career.  Most of the career workshops are scheduled during senior year, and due to scheduling problems, there is simply not a lot of time for them.  Most universities today have strong alumni networks, and students can tap into those networks to identify career choices and job opportunities.  Maryland lacrosse has some 700+ former lacrosse alumni in the marketplace.  We should be a tremendous resource for these young men fighting for their national championship, and I feel its our obligation to help them. 

How did attending the University of Maryland on a general scale help set you up for life?

I can answer this in three sections: 1) living on your own and learning to take responsibility and creating balance in your left between school, sports, and social activities is a tremendous life skill; 2) the sheer nature of being a Division 1 athlete means you must have a game plan, a practice regime, a workout/training program, and the ability to take responsibility for yourself on the field; 3) lastly, learning to work within a team framework is key.  These three capabilities are the basics for success in business.  This is why many firms want to hire former athletes. 

Are there any specific traits you picked up while playing lacrosse at Maryland that set you up for success in the professional world?

Our player motto was "Be the Best" which meant having confidence in our abilities and outplaying our competition.  If you live by that motto, you are sure to find success.

What role did playing lacrosse at Maryland help you to learn from mistakes?

Playing sports is simply a metaphor for life as I alluded to earlier.  It is rare to go undefeated, and the only way to improve is to learn from your mistakes.  If you look back at freshman mistakes and you are still making them as a junior or senior, you are not going to be very successful in life.  Our coaches constantly reinforced the notion of growing and learning from mistakes. 

What keeps you coming back to Maryland lacrosse?

I think the vast majority of Maryland alums look back at their four to five years as some of the best years of their lives, and when they meet people for the first time, they are going to mention the fact that they played lacrosse at Maryland.  Why?  Because it is a tremendous source of pride and one hell of an achievement.  As such, we as alumni owe it to these current players to give them every opportunity to win a national championship, and then they can carry that pride for the rest of their lives too. 

You often visit with our players - can you give us a synopsis of your typical message?
Most young players have gotten to this stage of their short career on natural ability or good coaching or a strong program.  I want them to understand that these four to five years go by very quickly and they are not to fritter away any opportunity.  I want them to put in 110% and to not have any regrets.  If they honestly put in every bit of effort and do their best, they will achieve great success and be able to look back with tremendous pride.  It is easy to get caught up in the distractions at school – friends, social activities, girlfriends, etc.  It can be very hard for young student athletes to grasp this idea.  All of those distractions come and go, but if you minimize distractions and put in the work, you will get results.