Player of the Week Ben Burns ’26 Talks NESCAC Honor, Leadership as Captain, and Toppling Middlebury

Ben Burns ’26 is an economics major from Suffern, N.Y., as well as an attack and captain of the men’s lacrosse team, leading them to an 8–2 record and a No. 4 national ranking. His moment in the spotlight came this past week, as two dominant performances against No. 16 Amherst and No. 14 Middlebury led the Red and Black to forceful wins against their conference rivals. On April 1, he carved up the Mammoths’ defense, putting five shots in the back of the net and adding one assist for a six-point performance in a 16–4 victory. On April 4, he did more of the same versus the Panthers, with four goals in a 14–6 win, and for his impressive week of offense, earned his the first NESCAC Player of the Week honor of his career. The Argus sat down with Burns to talk about receiving the honor, choosing lax over hockey, and taking down Middlebury.

The Argus: When did you first pick up a lacrosse stick?

Ben Burns: I started playing lacrosse in first grade. I remember the town team reached out to my parents; they were looking for guys. My parents bought me a stick, and the rest was history.

A: Did you play any other sports growing up?

BB: I grew up playing hockey. Hockey was actually my first sport. I played hockey my whole life, until towards the end of high school, when I knew I could get recruited for lacrosse. That’s how I ended up here.

A: Did you look up to any players growing up or throughout your career?

BB: Not really. I didn’t really watch a lot of professional and college lacrosse as a kid. I just watched the older varsity guys when I was in middle school and looked up to them. But I’d say I became more of a lax-er as the days went on, especially now.

A: What about the Wesleyan program stood out that made it the place you needed to play in college?

BB: Head Coach John Raba definitely was the biggest reason why I came here. And I like the culture: The school’s so well known for its education, and had really everything I wanted for a D-III program.

A: What have been the most rewarding and most challenging parts of balancing the student-athlete lifestyle at Wes?

BB: The most rewarding part is definitely my buddies on the team. I really love being a leader for the team. I’m one of the captains, so it means a lot to me. The most challenging part is just dealing with the ups and downs of a season or a career, and what comes with that of injuries, losses, battling for playing time, all stuff like that. But I think you can kind of turn that around and look at the positives in that light, too. 

A: Do you have any pregame superstitions or traditions that you do?

BB: I’m not superstitious at all. I try to be pretty loose before the games, but I do try to play a similar playlist on the speaker before every game. But I’m not superstitious at all.

A: We’re writing this article about you because of your two performances against Amherst and Middlebury. To start with Amherst: What stood out during that game that allowed you to relentlessly find the back of the net?

BB: It was my first game back from injury. I was out battling a hip injury for four games, so I was really just excited to be out there playing loose. My teammates did a great job getting me open, putting the ball in a good spot for me, and I did the rest from there. It’s kind of my job to put the ball in the net. Couldn’t have done it without the guys. So, it was a great game. 

A: When you’re sidelined for multiple games like you were before Amherst, how, as a captain, are you able to support the team, even though you aren’t on the field with the rest of the guys?

BB: It’s pretty easy to lead the guys when you’re so close and friendly with them. They’re always just asking me, “What do you see out there?” And I’m telling them some things that I think might work, and watching film with them and just trying to be a positive influence from the sidelines and in the locker room.

A: In your career, the team hasn’t had the greatest success against the Panthers. What was the difference this time in your approach that led to the win against Middlebury?

BB: We’re just playing with a lot of confidence right now. We know how talented we are, and we’re a high-character team, and that goes a long way. It was time for us to beat them in the regular season. I mean, we beat them in the NESCAC championship my sophomore year, but we hadn’t won against them in the regular season during my four years, so that motivated us a little, and we were definitely playing with an edge.

A: You earned your first-ever NESCAC Player of the Week award for these two performances. What was your reaction when you received the award?

BB: Honestly, I had no idea. No one told me until I saw the post on Instagram. My roommate [Douglas Rabin ’26] came into my room and was like, “Dude, congrats!” I was like, half asleep, and I was like, “What are you talking about, Doug?” And he’s like, “Dude, you won Player of the Week!” I was pretty excited. It’s my first time, so obviously it’s cool. I’m definitely happy about it, but hopefully we’ve got a few more in the pipeline over the next few weeks.

A: Looking ahead, you have a heavyweight fight against Tufts this weekend. How are you as a team approaching it differently this year as you try to defeat the top team in D-III?

BB: I think we just approach it as we would approach any other game. We know what we’ve got on our end, and we’ve got what it takes to beat anyone, and I think everyone in the locker room believes that. But with that being said, to beat the top team, you have to be really detailed and focused, so we’ll be ready come Saturday. 

The Red and Black ultimately lost 14–19 to Tufts this past weekend. Burns got the scoring started, opening up the game with his 19th goal of the season. But the Cards’ effort was not enough to topple the top team in all of D-III. They are back at it this upcoming weekend, traveling to play Williams on April 18, where a win will clinch a Little Three Title. 

This article was edited for length and clarity.

Max Forstein can be reached at mforstein@wesleyan.edu.