Two of the Same Kind: Bronxville All-Americans Ready for Next Step

There were a few times last year when Bronxville High School All-American midfielder Charlie McCormick forgot his equipment before lacrosse practice and had to go back home to get it.

Unfortunately for his opponents, he never forgot it before a game. Even more unfortunate for Bronxville opponents is the fact that even if he had, they still would have had to face an All-American that day, in McCormick’s teammate – and good friend – Jack Near.

McCormick and Near, who graduated from Bronxville this past May, are the first two players to be named All-Americans in program history, and helped lead the Broncos to a banner season in their final year. Finishing with a record of 21 wins and only two losses, Bronxville won the Section 1 Class C title and made it all the way to state semifinals, both first-time accomplishments for the program.

Individually, the two posted numbers very few tandems in Section 1 history could match. McCormick racked up an incredible 80 goals and 13 assists, while Near accumulated 59 goals and 24 assists. Both players also did pretty well in the college recruiting department. This fall, McCormick will be heading to Georgetown University to play for the Hoyas, while Near will be heading to South Bend, IN to attend Notre Dame and play lacrosse.

McCormick will be joining a Hoyas team coming off a up and down 7-7 campaign, although he said much more than just lacrosse went into his college decision.

“Besides the lacrosse program, I just liked the Washington, D.C. landscape,” he said. “It’s a great place to get an education.”

Near will bolster an already very solid Irish team that finished 11-3 last year, and posted a 13-6 victory in the opening round of the NCAA tournament against the University of Pennsylvania. The Irish also saw a school record six of its players earn United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse All-American honors last season, something Near hopes to be able to add to in the very near future.

“I am just really excited to be given the opportunity to play Division I lacrosse and to play at a great University like Notre Dame,” Near said. “I love the competitive atmosphere and the family feel that is at the school. You really do feel like part of a family there.”

Speaking of family, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that McCormick and Near are practically just that, as they have known each other for the last 12 years and spent countless hours together working on their lacrosse skills.

“We just pushed each other to be the best that we could,” Near said. “We weren’t shy when one of us messed up but we also helped each other out whenever we could.”

No matter when or where, there was little doubt as to what the pair were up to when they got together, which was early and often.

“We were always shooting somewhere, rain or shine, trying to get better,” McCormick said. “It was definitely easier to have someone like him to work with and help me out.”

When this past season came to a close, all that shooting paid off in the biggest of ways possible, as both players were named High School All-Americans, making them two of only nine Section 1 players to achieve the honor.

“It was basically a dream come true,” McCormick said. “I used to always talk to Jack about it. We used to always talk about how great it would be if we could get it done. When I found out that I was All-American, again, it was a dream come true. It is something I worked very hard towards.”

Now that McCormick and Near are no longer “teammates,” it is left to see how their relationship will develop in the coming years and whether or not a friendly rivalry will form between the two Big-East foes. For now, the trash talk – if you can even call it that – is at a minimum. Case in point their responses to the “who has the hardest shot” question.

“He’s always been a better shooter,” Near said of McCormick when asked the question, although of the two he is considered the best athlete. “That has always been his game. As he has gotten bigger and stronger, his shot has gone faster and faster. He’s the best all-around shooter I have ever been around.”