Many coaches believe you need to specialize in one sport to play at the NCAA level, Noah Robert shows why that is not necessarily the case.
The transition from playing a high school sport to then going to the next level in college is a massive challenge for any athlete no matter how talented they may be. That does not phase newly recruited athlete Noah Robert who has committed to New England College(NEC) to play both wrestling and lacrosse. He and his coaches have the utmost confidence that Noah will transition to the college level nicely and make an impact right in his first season for both sports.
Coming out of Cranston West, Noah Robert was a three sport athlete who was a very dedicated and determined leader during his tenure there. He always knew from a young age that he wanted to play sports his whole life and playing in high school really solidified his decision to keep this journey going.
When choosing where he wanted to go after high school, Noah took a lot of time to decide and think it over. Ultimately, New England college had much to offer him compared to the other schools he was looking at. “The Coaches actually care and will look out for you even off the field and not just on the field.”, said Noah Robert when I asked him what made him choose New England college in the end.
Robert is very confident that he will be able to manage both sports in college while also having to focus on school. He has mandatory six hours of study hall so will have time to do his work and he knows there will be consequences if he does not maintain his grades.
“I will do everything that needs to be done” said Noah Robert when I asked him about what value he was bringing to the table for New England college for both wrestling and lacrosse.
Justin Erickson is coming off his seventh season as the Cranston West lacrosse coach even though there season was cut short this year unfortunately. Nevertheless, Erickson had many positive things to say about Noah Robert and his commitment to New England college.
Erickson knew right from Noah’s freshman year that he had something special in his game and could eventually take it to the next level. Robert started all three seasons he was able to play which is very impressive considering he stepped right into a pretty big role as a freshman, but he proved he was one of the best people to lead the team.
“He would always shut down the best guy…..He would even shutdown seniors as a freshman.”, said Justin Erickson when I asked how Noah was as a leader during his time with him.
Noah’s lacrosse coach from high school went on to talk about how Noah has a certain level of intensity that does not match up with others and it will only continue to grow once he begins playing in college. He is willing to go the extra mile for his teammates no matter what the obstacle is and that is exactly what New England college needs.
Tom Lynch had been an assistant wrestling coach for one year at Cranston West before taking the head job two seasons ago. He was not able to coach Noah for as long compared to Erickson but Noah made enough of an impact that has Lynch confident he can play wrestling at the college level.
When Noah was a junior in high school and it was Tom’s first season as head coach, Tom immediately saw how much drive and passion Noah had when playing the sport he loves. Noah led by example and took initiative when others wouldn’t which set him apart from his teammates.
“Noah will rise to the occasion, he’ll do what needs to be done.”, said Tom Lynch when I asked him if he had any concerns with Noah having to manage both sports along with school.
According to Lynch, Noah’s athletic ability, strength and dedication is the real value that he is bringing to New England college’s wrestling and lacrosse team. In addition, he is a great role model and is an outstanding person that the coaches at New England college will have respect for immediately.
“Three sport athletes are tough to come by…..better than just focusing on one”, said Tom Milewski, head coach for football at Cranston West when I asked him about what Noah is bringing to New England college even though he is not playing football.
For the past 13 years, Jedd Brown has been the head coach of lacrosse at New England college and he is very excited to have new recruit, Noah Robert, on his squad for next season. Noah was on his radar by early 2019 and they started communicating. Right from when he first met Noah, Jedd knew he had a great understanding of what is needed to excel at the college level and that he was a very honest and upfront individual.
“Noah is a hard nose defender, has great footwork, and has the aggressiveness we are looking for in a defender…..I also love two sport athletes”, said Jedd Brown when I asked him about what value he sees Noah bringing to the team next season.
Brown does not seemed concerned at all with the fact that Noah will be having to balance both wrestling and lacrosse during his time at NEC. He and the wrestling coach at NEC have a great relationship and communicate well enough that they will be able to have no conflicts/problems when it comes to Noah. Communication is the biggest thing to Jedd and Noah has been great with that according to Jedd so it seems that he is already on the right track to success.
New England college’s wrestling program only started five years ago, but assistant coach, Brandon Gauthier, has been with the team since the beginning. He first found out about Noah through being tagged on multiple Instagram posts by both Cranston West and Noah’s dad, Ron Robert. Immediately, they started asking about Noah and wanted him to come play wrestling there.
The first thing that stuck out to Gauthier was how they were in much need for a wrestler in his weight class and they needed more depth overall. Just like lacrosse coach Jedd Brown, Gauthier is a big fan of two sport athletes, feels they have a lot to offer and have the work ethic to make them want to be on your roster.
“Noah has the intangible things were a looking for like leadership for example”, said Gauthier when I asked him about how much an impact he thinks Noah will have in his first season.
Gauthier in addition to Brown does not have any less confidence in Noah even with him coming in as a two sport athlete because they have the confidence in him that he will be able to manage all of this with not much difficulty.
The future is looking very bright for young recruit Noah Robert as he prepares for a big first year at New England college and hopes to make an immediate impact once he sets foot on that campus.