Photo Courtesy of Cheryl Hatala
By Hannah Grove, Staff Writer
Kyle Engle is a senior marketing major. He is also a member of the men’s lacrosse team here at Susquehanna and began playing lacrosse as a sophomore in high school He was a multi-sport athlete in high school, also playing football and wrestling, to have something fun to do and to keep in shape.
Looking at colleges was a challenge for Engle. He had to focus not only on the athletic portion of school but the academic aspect as well. Undoubtedly, Susquehanna was that school for sports and education for Engle. He was also very intrigued by the study abroad opportunity that was offered here.
Growing up he was a Penn State fanas State College is his hometown. He watches all Penn State sports but did not start watching lacrosse until he began playing in high school.
During the pandemic, Engle has learned a lot about himself. He made big lifestyle changes and was able to focus on himself to become a healthier individual. He could not physically compete his freshman year because of his physique and was now able to rejoin the team. Now, a year into the pandemic, he has lost a total of 130lbs and is in the best shape of his life.
The most memorable moment for him is finally being back on the team this spring with chances he will have a senior season.
In life, Engle’s father has become his biggest role model. Engle said: “He is constantly an inspiration to me academically and athletically. He gives the best advice and is the world’s greatest motivator.” His father was someone who helped him become the person he is today. Especially during the pandemic, the motivation to lose weight not only came from within himself but his father.
Coach Stewart Moan, the head coach of the men’s lacrosse team had the greatest impact on Engle during his time here at Susquehanna. When Engle had to step away from the sport and his team, Moan was very kind and always found time to talk and help him out. “He gave me the opportunity to return to the team after I made personal life changes which enabled me to physically compete again,” Engle said.
His advice for younger students or student athletes in college would be to stay motivated. “If you cannot take care of yourself, you will be unable to help your team,” Engle said. Advice he would give students looking to play college sports overall would be make sure it is a place that they truly feel comfortable. “Imagine if you were to have a career ending injury, would you still be happy on that campus?” Engle asked.
After college Engle plans on finding a full-time job focused on analytics based marketing. “Yet I am open and excited to see where the real world will take me,” Engle said.
