Gill Celebrates 16-Year Lacrosse Career

Brendan Gill, a senior at Salem State University and Chelmsford native, just wrapped up his last season of collegiate lacrosse.

Over the past 16 years, Gill, a nationally ranked player, has collected numerous honors and awards. Currently, he has the best save percentage out of anyone in D-III. This season, Gill played 846 minutes of 900 total team minutes played, and made 259 saves. He has an impressive percentage of .680. Gill is also ranked second, nationally, in saves per game (17.64).

Gill will graduate this May with a degree in economics and pre-law studies. In his time at Salem State, he has been very involved with extracurricular activities.

“(I) served as president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee at Salem State University. I was a two year Men’s Lacrosse Captain, and LEC (Little East Conference) player of the year,” said Gill.

To prepare for the tough competition in college, Gill puts in a lot of work during the off season. He participates in summer leagues, and even attends yoga classes to condition himself for a rigorous routine during peak season time.

“Also, we always have off season workout with our strength and conditioning coach,” he said.

Despite a substantial difference between high school and college lacrosse, Gill has been able to make the transition almost seamlessly.

“It’s a completely different game. In college, you have so many different things to focus on, time management is very important. Also the level of play is different; players in college get bigger, faster, stronger, and smarter,” he said.

Gill has established an impressive resume for his lacrosse career, starting in . He was awarded to the MVC All Conference Team from 2003 – 2005, every year that he played. In 2005, he was also named an Eastern Massachusetts High School All Star, a USILA All American, as well as an MVP for Chelmsford.

In 2007, Gill, who also played on a Post Graduate team for a year, was named Bridgton Academy player of the year.

While playing for Salem, Gill was named MVP in 2009 and 2010, and was named a First Team All Conference player for both years. Last season, he was named LEC Goalie of the year, as well as player of the year.  Gill has also been a team captain every year he has played for Salem.

Gill feels that his main strength in lacrosse is his high level knowledge and understanding of the game, inside and out.

“I have been very fortunate to have had some great coaches during my career, especially my dad,” he said.

With his last collegiate game behind him, Gill said it was great to have the support his family.

“(The highlight) was having my whole family there for my last game. I never got to have a senior year in high school due to an ACL injury, so sharing that with my family here was the best thing I could ask for,” he said.