What does Jase Macaulay love about lacrosse?
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“How much time do you have?” Macaulay smiled in response.
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The Grade 12 Holy Trinity Catholic High School student recently signed a scholarship with Thomas More University in Kentucky, and will be playing field lacrosse at the school next spring.
The 17-year-old, soon to be 18, Port Dover resident has been playing lacrosse as far back as he can remember. Maybe even a bit further.
“Sixteen years now,” Macaulay laughed. “My dad brought me out. There was a rule – as long as I didn’t have an accident on the floor, I was allowed to play.”
Over the years, Macaulay played mainly in Simcoe, but he also plays field (outdoors) for Six Nations – an ‘attack’ in field and ‘right shooter’ in box. He played for the RedBlacks, who helped with recruiting videos, and he was scouted through the FieldLevel recruiting network.
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“They (Thomas More) liked the way I could see the floor, liked the way I shoot the ball… because that’s a Canadian thing – the second we see the net we shoot the ball. I like to score – I haven’t played defense in three years.
“I’m pretty good with sprints – my favorite player is Cody Jamieson. He’s a shorter guy… so I base my game a lot like him. Getting inside and bouncing off checks.”
Macaulay, who is 5’7”, does not shy away from the physical nature of the sport.
“It’s a lot more entertaining watching sports with contact, so I think that’s how I first really started watching it. Playing, it’s just what I’ve been doing my whole life, so I’m just used to it at this point. I’ve haven’t been hurt since I was like six or seven.
“I’ll throw a few whacks and I’ll have a few hits when opportunities come up but I’m not the biggest kid on the field, so…”
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He said his focus this summer will be stamina, footwork, and for field lacrosse, getting better at switching hands.
“I’m working on being a lot faster.”
Macaulay also plays for Holy Trinity’s lacrosse team, which is hosting a one-day tournament on May 15.
“He (Macaulay) has so much love for the sport, that’s for sure,” said Holy Trinity lacrosse coach Tyler Backus. “He has so much skill, works hard, great leader. He’s the reason why we got the team. Him and his buddies, they’ve been playing it their whole lives, so that’s why we wanted to do it.”
Macaulay, who visited three different schools before making his college decision, will be studying sports management at Thomas More.
“School-wise, I had a lot of opportunities for Division III and a ton of NAIA teams.”
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NAIA teams are primarily small colleges. Thomas More has competed in Division III and NAIA until recently moving up to Division II in 2022.
“The second they called, I said, ‘yeah, I’m definitely going there.’ Nothing really compared to Thomas More – it was amazing. I liked the small classrooms and my wing is newly built. And I’m told the teachers will know my name, I won’t just be a number. That made it a lock.”
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Thomas More University, with a student body of just over 2,000, is located in Crestview Hills in northern Kentucky, just 16 minutes south of Cincinnati, Ohio. The municipality has a population of 3,250, in a county of 170,000, and is located within the sprawling Metropolitan Cincinnati. The Catholic liberal arts school was ranked in the Top 10 small colleges of the South by the Wall Street Journal.
The school’s NCAA Division II men’s lacrosse team wrapped up its 2024 season on April 23. The Saints finished with an overall record of 2-6 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, 7th in the nine-team G-MAC, and 2-10 overall . Thomas More’s MLAX returns in the spring of 2025.
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