John Carroll graduate, Jack Owen is a senior lacrosse player at DII powerhouse Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA. Recently, Jack took time to discuss his journey from young athlete who was able to sample multiple sports while in elementary school, to a middle school student that decided on one sport per season. In high school Jack decided to take a ‘season’ off, in order to be healthy, hungry and academically attractive to colleges that recruited him for his 2 favorite sports.
HarfordLifestyles Sports: How old were you when you started playing organized sports?
Jack Owen: I started at 4-5 years of age playing Parks and Rec soccer and basketball. But I switched to lacrosse, football, and wrestling at about 8.
HS: Your grandfather was a big part of Lacrosse becoming the “4th” mainstream sport in Maryland. Then your Dad and Uncle were long time players thru high school and college….did you feel pressure to pick up the stick?
JO: My Dad was coaching rec lacrosse, so I followed him. It was cool being on his team. So no real ‘pressure,’ just encouragement, especially to finish a season when I wanted to quit when things got tough when I was little.
HS: Why did you decide to give wrestling and football a try? Playing all three benefits the player of all three – did that enter into your decision?
JO: Not really…I suppose I heard that at some point but it was because I liked football and had friends that wrestled.
HS: When you decided to attend John Carroll, were you ready for the increase in academic requirement and how grades factored into athletic eligibility?
JO: It was a shock at first because I pretty well cruised through middle school, not really challenged. John Carroll was a daily challenge.
HS: When you were a freshman you tried wrestling but gave it up early on, why? JC had a history of success and developing athletes into champions.
JO: Coming out of football season, I was kind of worn out. Wrestling was physically very demanding and I felt like my grades needed attention. Had there been a couple of weeks in between seasons maybe things would’ve worked out differently
It’s generally understood that John Carroll is a college preparatory school that takes pride in a 95%+ rate of graduates going to college and most getting into their first choice school. Students receive plenty of assistance from teachers and since parents are paying tuition they’re invested in their child’s success. Opting for a community college isn’t frowned on, but it’s certainly not typical.
HS: At the time, John Carroll’s football program may have been of the best in the area. The lacrosse program was middle of the pack, but in the toughest league in the country. Both programs were good at getting students recruited. How was that experience?
JO: COVID really hurt me being recruited for football because of my junior season being cancelled. I received interest from a few schools, mostly for lacrosse. COVID hurt us all. Scouts weren’t coming out like they had and invitations to visit schools were few.
HS: How did you decide on Harford Community College when most JC students (and their parents) are looking for that 4 year college experience with a tuition discount due to athletics or having a strong academic record in a very difficult environment.
JO: Harford and Onandaga Community College recruited me out of JC. Harford offered me full tuition for academic reasons, the school was 5 miles away and I could tell that the coach was building something big and wanted be to be part of it.
HS: Sounds like HCC was a good move financially and athletically. You saved yourself and your parents as much as $100,000 and you were a big part of HCC becoming national champions which had to put you on the radar of many dominant 4 year programs?
JO: Going to Harford gave me another year to grow physically and develop academic discipline and 4 year schools were interested in all of the players.
HS: Compare the HCC experience athletically to Mercyhurst.
JO: Very similar, except that Mercyhurst doesn’t monitor the players as much, academically or with regards to pre/post season workouts. i guess they figure you’ll do what’s needed or fade away.
HS: What is you area of study?
JO: Business with a concentration in Competitive Intelligence.
HS: Do you feel like Mercyhurst will help you find a job in your major?
JO: Yes…we are already working with the Secret Service and NSA.
