Jonathan Donville: Final Destination

When it came to choosing a destination for his final collegiate lacrosse season, the decision for Jonathan Donville came down to more than just the sport he loves and at which he excels. 

Donville, who played his first three seasons at Cornell University, chose to spend his final one at the University of Maryland for more than just the chance to win a national championship on one of the best teams in the country.

His decision largely revolved around the Philip Merrill College of Journalism and the opportunities this could provide his post-grad career.

Donville has a laundry list of a resume in the lacrosse world, but his choice to finish his career in College Park was about more than that.

“My goal was to go to Maryland no matter what,” he said. “I only talked to one school in the transfer portal and my decision was made.”

At Cornell, Donville started a radio show with a teammate and another student-athlete, hosting a podcast-like show close to campus. He was a history and government double major, so the radio show and another internship opened his eyes to sports journalism and helped him realize the path he wanted to take for his graduate year. 

“There aren’t many schools that have a journalism school as good as Maryland,” he said. “And the opportunity to win a championship was also a deciding factor.”

“I wanted to go somewhere that gave me an opportunity to do both, so Maryland was a great fit,” he added.

Since stepping foot in College Park in the fall, he has had the opportunity to cover Maryland sporting events as a beat writer for WMUC, allowing him to see sports from the other side of the spectrum and not solely as a player.

“It was really interesting to take in the games in a neutral way,” he said. “I started paying attention to what goes on behind the scenes and how everyone prepares themselves for games.”

While this was an exciting aspect of the sports world, the main thing it helped him realize was how much he wanted to get back to playing lacrosse.

“Watching the games from the sideline as a journalist really gave me a hunger to get back on the field,” he said.

After missing the 2021 season due to COVID, it marked nearly two years since Donville played his last lacrosse game. Although he had not played since 2020, Panther City selected him first overall in the 2021 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft.

Donville has fit right in for Maryland and made his presence felt in every game for the top-seeded Terps.

He finished the regular season with 27 goals, 19 assists, and 46 points out of the midfield and was named a first-team All-American by Inside Lacrosse and All-Big Ten Second Team. 

Donville was one of six players from Maryland to be selected in the 2022 Premier Lacrosse League draft, going 16th overall to Chaos LC.

As he ventures into the professional lacrosse world after his lone season in College Park, Donville will look to incorporate playing and working in the media industry. Much of which has to do with what he experienced during his time at Merrill.

During this season, he has tried to make the most of his media availability to gain experience talking to reporters.

“I want the reps talking to people behind a mic,” he said. “I want to get as comfortable with it as I can.”

The ability to play a professional sport and work in media has become more prevalent in recent years, with current and former players producing podcasts, announcing games, and much more.

Donville furthered his media career by recently joining the “Back of the Bird” podcast, helping produce, edit, and talk with two other NLL players. It is an outlet he can see himself taking while playing professional lacrosse and after his career finishes.

With his future in mind, transferring to Maryland gave him a place to begin thinking and working towards a career in media.

“The way that Big Ten school’s market their teams and players is just different,” he said. “It really opened my eyes to the cool stuff and job opportunities there are.”

This semester, Donville took multiple journalism courses while maintaining his stature as one of the critical pieces on the Maryland lacrosse team. Although balancing a rigorous course load and Division I sport could be overwhelming, he tried to find time to get his work done around his busy schedule.

“Journalism classes have untraditional hours,” he said. “That was the only challenge that I had when it came to both lacrosse and school.”

Now that the school semester is over and Maryland has secured a spot in Championship Weekend, only one challenge remains for Donville, helping Maryland finish a historic undefeated season with an NCAA championship.