Mount St. Mary’s men’s lacrosse graduate student Ben Ward recently chatted with PressBox about his lacrosse family, the Mount’s new coach and more. The 6-foot, 205-pound defenseman picked up 18 ground balls, caused 13 turnovers and scored his first career goal in 2023. A native of Marriottsville, Md., Ward attended Loyola Blakefield and Marriotts Ridge.
PressBox: How did you become interested in lacrosse?
Ben Ward: I come from a huge lacrosse family. I think my dad had a lacrosse stick in my brother and I’s hands when we came home from the hospital. I have aunts and uncles and cousins who all played collegiate lacrosse. It’s just always been around in my life. Me and my brother, we had a big yard. We would go shoot lacrosse balls until it got dark. It’s always just been around in my life and obviously a huge part of growing up in Maryland. Lacrosse is everything around here. So it’s always just been around.
PB: Who among your family members were the biggest influences on your game?
BW: I had one cousin, [Michael Ward, who] played at Bellarmine. He was the only guy that played college lacrosse. He would probably be the family member who was the biggest influence. My other cousin, [Megan Ward], played at UNC. She was able to win two national championships, and I was able to go to both of those which was actually really cool when I was younger going through high school, going to those and watching her play.
PB: Did you grow up in a competitive environment in terms of lacrosse?
BW: We’re pretty far apart in age, so I don’t think I was really competing with [my cousins]. I’d say that my brother, [Jack], and I grew up with a bigger yard. I’d say me and my brother would be pretty competitive going out there, just shooting lacrosse balls all day and all night. Some of the neighbors would come down and we’d just play lacrosse until it was too dark to play lacrosse.
PB: What are your favorite memories from playing high school lacrosse at Loyola and Marriotts Ridge?
BW: I actually went to Marriotts Ridge for my senior year of high school. I went to Loyola for my first three years of high school — another big lacrosse school, obviously. I have more memories at Loyola because I was there longer. I think just being in that super competitive lacrosse environment where it was a daily grind to just make that varsity team, I think that’s something that really pushed my game ahead in high school. I remember we had workouts in the fall. We’d get there, we’d do running, conditioning, lifting. It was basically like playing college lacrosse at a high school level. And then going to Marriotts Ridge, I was able to have a really great coach there, [Tony Incontrera]. Obviously, that’s another big lacrosse school. I think that that was a good step for me and my game. I was able to really step out of my shell and kind of break loose and [show] some of the stuff that Loyola taught me and put it at a different level.
PB: Why did you choose to go to the Mount?
BW: I showed up to the visit and honestly it just felt right, everything about campus, the school itself, the small classrooms. It just felt right. Obviously, [Tom Gravante] was the coach at the time when he offered me. He was extremely clear that this was going to be a home for me for the next four to five years, and that was something that was really important to me. He opened his door to me. He told me he was going to help me be a better person on and off the field. There was a commitment there to help me grow as a person. It just felt right.
PB: What’s your favorite memory at the Mount so far?
BW: On the field, beating Navy 11-9 two years ago [on the] opening game, opening day of college lacrosse — definitely best memory. That was a huge win for the program. I’m really glad I got to be a part of that team. Best off-the-field memory was graduating last May.
PB: Why did you choose to come back for a fifth year?
BW: I never even thought about leaving. You have the obvious [choice] to come back for a fifth year. You grow together with these guys in the locker room. I was able to be a captain last year and lead the team. I didn’t want to ever leave this team behind. So it was the obvious option to come back and to continue to lead this team. We didn’t finish our goals last year, and that’s something important to me — to finish the goals that we have set forth [for] this team and to keep building up this culture and community around Mount lacrosse and really just build this program up.
PB: Chris Ryan took over as the Mount’s new head coach last summer. What should fans know about him?
BW: Ultra-competitive mindset. Losing is not acceptable here. Everything we do, from school to lacrosse, is winning. We’re doing it at the highest level. You have to give your best every single day or you will be called out. If you’re not called out by the coaches, you’re called out by your senior leaders. It’s going to be fast. We don’t have an underdog mentality because we over-prepare. Every day, it’s basically our group against another group that’s working just as hard. The only way to beat them is to work harder. That’s kind of our mindset.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about Emmitsburg?
BW: Probably just the small-town vibe — not a lot going on here, very quiet. I would just say the small-town atmosphere, being able to live off-campus with all of your other teammates having houses nearby is definitely the best thing about Emmitsburg.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
BW: I’d probably say Cormac Giblin is probably my best friend on the team. He came in our freshman year the second semester. I didn’t have a roommate, so he filled in as my roommate. His dad was also a coach here and [jokingly] apologized for putting him in the room with me. I think that underlines our friendship.
PB: Who was a player you looked up to when you first got to the Mount?
BW: Hard to choose between the two: Bryan McIntosh and Zach Roberts. They both played defense and were people I looked up to. They were both captains when I was a freshman. They really set the expectation of the way Mount defenders play lacrosse. They always practiced very hard. I remember going to my first scrimmage with the team at Fairfield and just watching them play. They eat kids alive. It definitely was super inspirational. Them just being very nice to all of the younger guys in the locker room helped me out whenever I needed it, talking to me in the offseason making sure if I needed any help with anything they were there. It was really helping my game develop.
PB: What advice do you have for younger players in the recruiting process?
BW: I think it’s definitely a tough thing to go through, the recruiting process. Make sure to always be yourself in the recruiting process. Don’t let anybody try to steer you away from being yourself. You’re going to get best looks and options through just being yourself. Enjoy the process, enjoy going to other schools and looking at them and everything being catered to you while you’re going through the process. Never get down on yourself because you’re not getting the looks that you think you should. Keep your mind focused on the goals you have. Always work toward those goals, and they’re going to happen if you work hard enough for them.
PB: What are your goals for after lacrosse?
BW: Having graduated already and having decided to come back for a fifth year, I’ve already done a few internships in the construction management industry, so I think I’m definitely going to get into that industry after lacrosse — probably be starting that up shortly after graduation. I’m getting pretty old, so it’s time to get a job after lacrosse.
Photo Credit: Tyler Kraft