Will Harris, Colorado College, Men's Lacrosse

WILL HARRIS OF COLORADO COLLEGE, a senior midfielder on the men's lacrosse team, has been selected the SCAC Character & Community Male Student-Athlete-of-the-Week for the week ending May 18, 2014.

Harris, one of the team’s unsung heroes as a defensive midfielder, was instrumental in CC claiming its fourth consecutive conference regular-season championship and third postseason crown in four years.

The Winnetka, Ill., native also helped the Tigers retain possession of the Locker-Stabler Cup for the fourth year in a row with a dramatic 11-10 overtime victory against Whittier College. The triumph cemented their third NCAA playoff appearance in four seasons.

Harris, who earned all-conference honors for the first time, ranked third on the squad with a career-best 13 caused turnovers and was fifth with 27 ground balls.

The two-time co-captain started 50 of the 60 games in which he played, including 44 of the last 45. He amassed 202 career ground balls, caused 40 turnovers, and won 105 of 195 faceoffs. He also contributed in the offensive zone with 20 goals, 12 assists and 32 career points.

It’s no coincidence that during his four-year career, Harris helped Colorado College build upon its position as the premiere team in the West Region and continue its quest to earn the same status at the national level.

Harris, who owns a 3.5 grade-point average, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in economics along with a minor in Arabic. After graduating in May, he plans to put his building skills to work on an international level.

He co-founded a social venture called Wadi Climbing, which is working to construct the first indoor rock climbing gym in Palestine. Harris has been working on this project for more than a year and will move to Ramallah, the Palestinian city in the West Bank, to work on the venture full-time beginning in June.

The concept of Wadi Climbing originated when Harris was studying abroad in Amman, Jordan, during the fall semester 2012. He became immersed in the local climbing community during multiple trips to the region and his networking efforts laid the foundation for the project.

His affinity for the Middle East culture led him to co-found CC’s Arabic Club – the Arabian Knights – in 2012.

Harris also became a member of the President’s Council that year, serving as a liaison between students and the college’s administration, and began to play a leading role in the Quony Cup. The annual all-campus soccer tournament commemorates former men's soccer and lacrosse player Chris Quon, who died unexpectedly in 2009. The event also pays tribute to one of Quon's lacrosse teammates, Evan Spirito, who lost his battle against cancer in 2011.

Sponsored by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the event raises funds for the American Cancer Society, the Christopher Quon Foundation and the Evan Spirito Memorial Foundation.

Harris also served three years as a team leader for Movember, the moustache-growing initiative that raises funds and awareness for men’s cancer awareness, as well as a New Student Orientation group leader for a service project in New Mexico during 2011.  

His campus involvement culminated this year when he became president of SAAC.