Collison to Join Johns Hopkins Lacrosse in 2022
St. Michael’s College School (SMCS) student Matthew Collison is headed across the border in 2022 to begin his post-secondary journey at Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
The Grade 12 student-athlete is getting set to join the university’s lacrosse team, the Blue Jays, as a midfielder.
“With Hopkins being the second most winningest programme of all time, obviously, there’s an immediate attraction,” says Collison. “Their attention to detail as well as an obsession with continuing their greatness really played a heavy role in my decision as well. Not to mention the recent acquisition of Coach John Grant Jr., who is a fellow Canadian and considered to be one of the all-time greats of the sport of lacrosse.”
Collison has been playing lacrosse since he was around seven years old and enjoys the creativity and competitiveness of the sport the most.
“Lacrosse is a sport where you can easily become a very creative, unique player and can be successful without fitting into a specific playstyle,” he says. “I find that the playstyles that vary from team to team really makes the sport impossible to get tired of. It’s like there is always a new challenge at play. In regards to competitiveness, that sense of competition is something that helps me thrive in different life scenarios to this day.”
“I decided on Johns Hopkins due to the combination of world-renowned excellence in the classroom, year in and year out the display of elite-level competition on the field, and last but not least, the people and culture I will be surrounded by for the next four years of my young life,” says Collison.
While at Johns Hopkins, Collison plans to pursue a major in economics and minor in political science.
“I chose economics because of my experience taking the course this year at SMCS,” says Collison. “Since the beginning of this year, I found the subject extremely interesting and something I can easily see myself becoming well educated in, over the next four years of university.”
At SMCS, Collison was also active in many co-curriculars apart from his role on the Blue Gaels Lacrosse Team.
“I’m the prime minister of the Irish Club, I played hockey in my younger years, and was part of the honour band programme, the Blue Knight’s Chess Club, and intramural soccer,” he says.
“Matt is a dominant on-field presence. A gifted and hard-working athlete, with tremendous strength, offensive power, and vision, Matt will be a key contributor for the Blue Jays from the moment he arrives,” says Angus Dineley, SMCS teacher and lacrosse coach. “He’s a pleasure to coach, a fierce competitor, and a natural leader on and off the field. Matt will be joining two other Blue Gaels alumni in Baltimore: Johnathan Peshko ’19 and Jakson Raposo ’19.”
Collison plans to take a gap year in 2020-21 while he continues to prepare for the rigors of his student-athlete experience at Johns Hopkins.
“I believe that you are most definitely a product of your environment in every way shape and form,” says Collison. “This is the same belief that myself and my parents had when choosing to attend St. Mike’s, as well as choosing a university to call my second home.”