UMBC men’s lacrosse senior Mateo Brown recently chatted with PressBox about how taking care of his body has led to success on the field, the player he looked up to when he first got to UMBC and more. The 5-foot-10, 200-pound attackman scored 35 goals and dished out 6 assists in 2023. Brown is a native of Ellicott City, Md., and graduate of Mt. Hebron.
PressBox: How did you become interested in lacrosse?
Mateo Brown: I first started playing lacrosse back when I was in about kindergarten. I have an older brother, [Nick, who is] about three years older than me. He started playing, doing some club activities. I just followed his footsteps and wanted to start playing as well because my mom played club lacrosse at Denver and she played in high school. My dad played in high school. We just picked up. I followed my brother’s footsteps.
PB: Who were the biggest influences on your game growing up?
MB: Probably the biggest influence I’ve had playing lacrosse comes from my club coach. I met him back when I was in fourth grade. He actually played here at UMBC. His name is Al Hernandez. He played defense here back in the day. He’s always just teaching me the ins and outs of the game and just been an incredible mentor to me, not only on the field but off the field. He shows a few clips here and there and sometimes would play with us if we were playing box or pickup or anything, so he’s just a great mentor that I’ve looked up to and admired.
PB: What are your favorite memories from playing at Mt. Hebron?
MB: I’d have to say my favorite memory was the first and last time I ever beat our rival school, Centennial. It was in my junior year. We were playing them right before the regional round in the [Class 3A] playoffs, and they got the best of us my first three times playing them. We finally got over the hump and beat them. [Nick Kellinger] was the Centennial coach at the time and now he’s one of our coaches here, so I always like to talk a little trash about that Centennial [win] that Mt. Hebron has.
PB: Why did you choose to go to UMBC?
MB: I chose to come to UMBC just because of the proximity to home and the relationship that I’ve had with it throughout the years. I’m from Ellicott City. It’s only about a 15-minute drive, so I’m very fortunate to be able to go home and see my family. They’re able to come see me and come see all the home games that we have. Growing up, [there] used to be one game a year where [UMBC] would invite the youth lacrosse programs around the area. If you wore your rec lacrosse jersey, you would get free admission. I would do that every year. I remember coming to every game every time I could and just enjoying the stadium and the whole lacrosse game.
PB: What’s your favorite memory at UMBC so far?
MB: So far my favorite memory at UMBC was probably my freshman year [in 2021], the success that we had. We were really successful. We won the America East regular-season championship, so we were able to host that year. Unfortunately, we came up short, but some of those games that we had, like going into overtime with Stony Brook. We had a huge win at home against Vermont as well. Watching those upperclassmen play and their success was really enjoyable and I hope to be in their shoes this upcoming season. I look up to them a lot. All those games were really close and they were just fun to watch.
PB: Did you not play as a freshman in 2021 due to injury or because you weren’t ready?
MB: It was a little bit of both because I kept getting injured in the fall with hamstrings and stuff. Like our coaches say, player availability is related to success on and off the field for the team and as an individual. Because I was hurt, I couldn’t get those key reps that I needed to learn our offense and everything on the field, so that’s probably a huge factor as to why I didn’t play because I just wasn’t healthy and able to learn what I needed to.
PB: Is your success since then tied to learning how to take care of your body?
MB: Yeah, without a doubt. Stacy Carone, our head athletic trainer, is huge in player recovery and telling us how to take of our body. Brian Amenta, our strength coach, does a great job of putting us in the weight room and pushing ourselves to get stronger on and off the field, so definitely a lot of credit to both of them. I just basically did what they told me to do and it’s worked out tremendously for me.
PB: You had a breakout year in 2023. How did it happen?
MB: Again, I think it goes back to trusting the whole staff around me. Stacy Carone and Brian Amenta definitely got me there. And then finally, there was an opportunity for me. The coaches and my teammates just believed in me, so they gave me the chance and very fortunate to fill the shoes the best I could and step up when my team needed me. I’m very grateful for everyone believing in me. The whole thing I feel like is mainly confidence, and it helps when everyone around you is supporting you.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about the Baltimore-Catonsville area?
MB: My favorite thing about the Baltimore-Catonsville area has to definitely just be the proximity to home. I’ve grown up in this area my whole life. It’s like my back yard, basically. I’m just very fortunate. I’ve been playing at Catonsville High School — rec lacrosse — ever since I was in third grade, coming back to UMBC for games. I’m a huge Baltimore Ravens fan, so it’s nice to have all those professional sports teams around. My teammates here are from the same area, so we can all bond on the fan bases and everything. It feels like a true brotherhood. It’s home, basically. It’s home.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
MB: I’d have to say that my whole house is probably my best friends. We live off campus at this townhouse: Brian Tregoning, Kyle Hoff, Colby Weishaar. It’s kind of interesting. Ever since COVID, we’ve all enjoyed video games a little bit, so once we were finally able to move off campus, we set up all of our TVs in the living room together and we play video games like Fortnite. It’s an interesting experience playing all together in one room and bonding together. All those guys are some of my best friends on the team.
PB: Who was a player you looked up to when you first got to UMBC?
MB: I looked up to Ryan Frawley. He was a fifth-year grad student when I came here my freshman year. We played the same position, left attack — strong lefty cannon. I always looked up to him. He was our team captain that year and just showing everyone vocally how to be a good teammate, a good leader. The year before, he was the top scorer on the team. His success on and off the field, just tried to do everything that he has done.
PB: What advice do you have for younger players in the recruiting process?
MB: Some advice that I have for younger players is definitely just to over-communicate with those coaches that you want to go to. Showing your interest will hopefully be reciprocated to you, so just send them your club schedules, your film, everything. Over-communication is better than none at all, so reach out as much as you can.
PB: What are your goals for after lacrosse?
MB: Right now I hope to probably apply to some government agency and try to become a special agent in one of those agencies, just to stay on my feet and avoid a desk job. I kind of want to keep moving my feet. I feel like lacrosse, being a D-I athlete, has given me skills and experiences to excel in that field and just serve in my community in some way. I definitely am trying to get into that field of work. Right now I am a business technology administration major and I’m going to get a minor in entrepreneurship.
Photo Credit: Gail Burton
Issue 285: February/March 2024
Originally published Feb. 21, 2024