Impact Of A Scholarship: Brian Carroll

Brian Carroll arrived on the campus of the University of Maryland in 1998 as a freshman, eager to make an impact as a midfielder for one of the top men’s lacrosse programs in the country.

It didn’t take long for Carroll to realize that he was going to have a tough time getting on the field, considering he was undersized compared to most of his teammates.

“When I came to Maryland, I quickly realized there were a lot of guys who were way better than me from a skill position,” said Carroll, who played lacrosse at Maryland from 1998-2002. “The coaches had intentions of me becoming a face-off specialist, which I embraced.”

Carroll had become a lacrosse star at Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York, where he received all-league honors during his junior and senior seasons. 

While he was being recruited by Villanova, North Carolina, and Syracuse, he jumped at the opportunity to take a recruiting visit to Maryland when coaches Dick Edell and Dave Slafkosky expressed interest in Carroll.

“The first time I stepped on campus was really exciting,” said Carroll. “I had some great upperclassmen that hosted me and got to meet a bunch of the guys on the team and it was a really exciting time.

“These guys had just played in the National Championship the year prior and now they’re hosting me, which was incredible. I felt like I had imposter syndrome; like I didn't belong because these guys are all towering men and here I am this 5-foot-10 pipsqueak so it was exciting, it was intimidating and alluring.”

After taking his recruiting visit and learning more about the history and legacy of the Maryland men’s lacrosse program, he ultimately decided he wanted to be a Terp.

“It was like you were going to the best lacrosse program in the country so there was a lot of pride and it was an exciting time being able to join the Maryland lacrosse community,” he said.

Carroll described his freshman season as a “year of learning” as he received very little playing time and continued the transition from being a full-time midfielder to a face-off specialist.

During his sophomore season, Carroll received a sizable increase in playing time and became more familiar with being a face-off specialist. However, he had his fair share of struggles that led him to question whether he should even continue playing the sport he loved.

“It was a tough year. I had a really tough go at the face-off X and there were even times I talked to Coach Edell about whether I belong here because I was having such a tough time,” Carroll said. 

It would’ve been understandable if Carroll quit playing lacrosse or even transferred to a different school.

Carroll came to Maryland on a partial scholarship, and it wasn’t enough to help him cover the loans he was taking out to pay for school. Thus, he began working part-time at the former College Park calzone restaurant D.P. Dough to make some extra money.

In addition, Carroll could have played college football at the FCS level or in Division II or III instead of playing lacrosse at Maryland. 

“I was talking to some football coaches at smaller divisions [while in high school] but I wanted to play on the biggest stage possible,” Carroll said.

Ironically enough, it was on one of the biggest stages possible in lacrosse where everything began to click for Carroll.

“I had one game in particular that jumped out at me my sophomore year in the ACC Tournament in Maryland,” he said. “I was able to win a lot more face-offs against one of the best guys in the country on that given night and it was this ‘A-ha moment’ like, ‘Yeah, I do belong and I can do this.’”

During his junior year, Carroll was still sharing face-off duties but led the team in face-off percentage (51.4) and total face-off wins (72). In addition, his scholarship had grown to a rather sizable amount but it still wasn’t enough to cover the cost of his student loans.

However, prior to the start of his senior season, Carroll received news that he would receive a full scholarship that covered the cost of his full tuition, which he still believes was a testament to his growth as a player. 

“I was given a full scholarship for my tuition and I guess that was based upon what I had earned by way of play, so I really felt that was an incredible recognition from the coaching staff,” Carroll said. 

“At the same time, it was incredible for me and my family. I was paying loans as I went through my first three years and to not have to take a loan out for my senior year was incredibly beneficial and an incredible blessing.”

Carroll also mentioned the effect that the full scholarship had on his parents, saying, “They had made a lot of sacrifices for me & my siblings’ educations, so it was special to be able to repay some of that in a sense by being awarded a scholarship for that last year of school.”

In addition, Carroll was finally able to quit working at D.P. Dough and enjoy not having to work for extra money.

“I was able to stretch my summer savings further my senior year because I had less of a financial commitment to make towards school, so I didn't have to have that job and it freed up some of my time,” he said.

After graduating from the University of Maryland, Carroll stayed in the Washington D.C. area and worked for ADP in a sales position.

He mentioned that having the association of being a college lacrosse player, let alone a Maryland lacrosse player, helped him secure the job. 

“They liked hiring college athletes because of the competitive nature we bring to the table, which is completely critical for a successful sales career, and being a college athlete at that level was incredibly beneficial and influential for me to get my first job,” Carroll said.

At the same time, he worked as an assistant coach at Georgetown Preparatory School in Bethesda, where he helped coach the team’s face-off specialists.

For the last 10 years, Carroll has worked for Mercer, a human resources consulting firm in Rockville Centre, New York, which is just minutes from where he grew up in Lynbrook.

“I really enjoy it and it has afforded me to provide for my family, my two little kids, my wife, and me in Rockville Centre,” Carroll said.

Carroll also remains in contact with many of his former teammates, some of whom he considers friends for life.

“There’s a lot of us who still get together for the annual alumni golf outing & even lace ‘em up every few years for the old-man lax tournaments.  We had a great group of us play together in 2017 at Lake Placid, and we’ll be doing it again this summer in Ocean City,” he said.

Ultimately, Carroll believes that playing lacrosse at Chaminade High School and the University of Maryland, along with the donors who paid for his scholarship while he was a Terp, have had a “domino effect” on his career path. 

“I wouldn't have had the opportunity to talk to Maryland lacrosse coaches if I didn't have the Chaminade pedigree. Then, going to Maryland and playing on that big stage and being able to parlay that into conversations, both professionally and from a networking perspective, and then going back home to work,” he said.

Carroll had an additional message for the donors who funded his scholarship, saying, “I’m exceptionally grateful for having been able to be given that money for when I was there, both for the small dollars in the early years that got me in the door and then the larger dollars in my later years. It doesn't go unappreciated.”

He added, “I think most of us give back to the university now because we were fortunate to have people giving to the university when we were there. I think we kind of owe that back to the university programs that we played for and the kids that are playing for those teams.”