Junior multisport athlete Xavier Arline swaps paths yet again and joins the Midshipmen lacrosse program
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (BVM) – The Naval Academy lacrosse program has regained a helpful tool for this upcoming season with junior middie Xavier Arline gearing up to play in just a few short weeks.
The multisport athlete has made the final decision to put the lacrosse stick back in his hands as he prepares for the 2022 season.
This shocking news broke last week when Inside Lacrosse released an article explaining that Arline would be playing lacrosse in 2022 after not participating in the 2021 season. Arline is well known both in the lacrosse and football community as he was originally highly recruited to play lacrosse at top Universities around the country. Arline originally committed to UNC to play lacrosse as a sophomore but later decommitted and found himself at the academy.
Arline’s decision to commit to the Naval Academy ultimately stemmed from him being presented the opportunity to play both football and lacrosse at the Division I level. It was an opportunity that Arline could not refuse.
However, following the 2020 football season, critics contemplated whether Arline would ever return to lacrosse following his newfound success as the starting quarterback for the football team.
Arline explained that he would not be giving up football to play lacrosse and hopes to be able to play both this year and the following year.
“I don’t really have an exact answer; I just felt like it was the right time in my heart, so over break me and my family talked and made the decision,” Arline said when asked what recently sparked his decision to pursue lacrosse. “It was just a matter of time before I pulled the trigger and I just felt like it was the right time.
“I have been playing lacrosse since I was a toddler and the past few days of being at practice I’ve had the biggest genuine smile on my face the whole time just being with all of the boys and meeting new people. I just hope to help the team out, help the seniors out for their last year and bring home some wins along with just having fun and making memories.”
With multisport athletes becoming rarer and rarer to come by, there is no doubt that Arline’s upcoming journey ahead is going to be challenging. With that being said, Arline says that he is going to attempt to manage playing both sports, but he is going to be smart about it.
“You know we still have spring ball for football so I’m gonna still try to make what I can and I’m just gonna have to make some sacrifices and try to do the best I can every week, you know, it’s gonna be difficult but it’s worth it in the long run. I mean, I’m doing what I love.”
Arline also explained that he had recently tore his hamstring playing in the Army-Navy football Game back in December. He stated that although he is currently sitting out of lacrosse practice for the first few weeks, he plans to be back and fully recovered by the start of their first game.
