Syracuse, N.Y. -- Merrimack lacrosse attack Charlie Bertrand was in an understandably foul mood as he traveled with his team back from a game at Vermont on Feb. 29.
Bertrand’s team had lost 9-8. That was especially galling because the Warriors were coming off a win at Michigan. The victory was Merrimack’s first as a Division I program after moving up from Division II last year, and Bertrand hoped his team could build off that momentum.
Bertrand, a senior from Baldwinsville, isn’t big on listening to podcasts, but he found one that caught his attention. It was entitled “The Winning Mindset.” Bertrand was enthralled by it and found that it offered motivation that re-shaped his perspective.
And now that his team, as well as the rest of the college sports world, is shut down by the coronavirus pandemic, Bertrand finds its message particularly relevant.
“I actually think this is a great time for athletes everywhere to focus on what their goals are,” he said. “I feel like now is a time when all you can do is focus on yourself, just asking yourself at the end of each day, did you get better?”
For most of the past few years, the answer in Bertrand’s case has been emphatically affirmative. Now, he faces an unexpected new question. Just how much better can he get?
Bertrand’s self-evaluation will go a long ways toward determining where he keeps playing the sport he loves.
College lacrosse’s shutdown has presented the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Bertrand with a unique range of options. For the past three seasons he was Division II’s most dominant player, a three-time All-American and a two-time national player of the year.
After winning the Division II title last year Merrimack moved up to Division I in 2020, giving Bertrand a new testing ground. Bertrand certainly found a higher gear against the better competition, overcoming an early hip injury to lead the team with 18 goals and 23 points in six games. He was on the watch list for the college lacrosse’s Tewaraaton Award.
“Once I got settled in, I think I did well,” he said of the adjustment. “I definitely had some good games. I definitely believe I belong at that level. I think it’s just the consistency week to week. Every team is good. Every team’s got athletes. I think individual matchup-wise, I did good against my defenders.”
Bertrand is getting a degree in mechanical engineering from Merrimack. His initial plan next year was to pursue a master’s degree in international business at the University of Nottingham in England. That school, he said, offers a two-year degree that can be completed in one year. Bertrand would play lacrosse, albeit at a lower level than NCAA Division I.
But the NCAA has granted spring sport athletes an extra year of eligibility. So Bertrand could return to Merrimack next season, keep picking up his game and help that school dig a toehold at Division I.
Perhaps most tantalizingly Bertrand also has the possibility of transferring to an established upper-echelon Division I team, giving him crack at the kind of showcase available only to the country’s elite players. As great as Bertrand’s been, that one-and-done challenge would require even more sharpened skills if he wanted to play as much as he’s used to.
The catch is that transfers count against the 12.6 scholarship cap of teams, so Bertrand would have to find a school with scholarship money left or pay for the cost of attendance himself.
Bertrand said he’ll make a decision within the next few weeks. If he’s leaning toward any direction, he’s keeping it to himself.
“I still don’t really know what I want to do,” he said. “There’s a lot of things to consider. I’m just keeping my options open.”
At the moment, opportunities are limited. Bertrand took a little time off after the end of the season to rest before picking up his stick again. Now he’s back playing wall ball at his high school complex and putting his new mindset to the test as he wonders who will be on the receiving end of those tosses when he next whips a ball for real.
“I try to stay positive,” he said. “The fact that I have multiple choices, it’s a tough position to be in but a good position to be in.”
Lindsay Kramer is a reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard and Syracuse.com. Got a comment or idea for a story? He can be reached via email at LKramer@Syracuse.com.