Benjamin Lang was a four-year member of the men's lacrosse team at Concordia University Chicago, appearing in over 30 games despite having seasons shortened due to injury and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Recently, the West Dundee, Ill., native began to look toward his future beyond CUC, and he hopes that lacrosse will continue to be a major part of it. 

During the last week of May, Lang attended the 2021 NCAA Career in Sports Forum alongside 300 other athletes from all levels of the NCAA who want to pursue careers in sports. 

"First of all, I want to give a huge thank you to Janet Wolbert for nominating me," Lang said. "This wasn't something I could just sign-up for; her nomination was everything. I was very blessed and lucky to be there among all those student-athletes." 

The event was held virtually and the participants were split into teams. Lang was a member of the green team, who he very much enjoyed working with. He believes the virtual platform allowed him to soak up the entire experience without any distractions, but that his group would have been the rowdiest had the event been held in-person. 

Another perk of the virtual experience was it allowed coaches from all across the country to hold panels and speak to the students. One of the speakers who stuck out most to Lang was the head coach of the Ole Miss women's basketball team, Yolett McPhee-McCuin. 

"She told us to be fearless and take chances," Lang said. "My biggest takeaway from her was not to sit back and rely on other people. You're in control of your own future." 

Lang always had a passion to coach. After being sidelined with a broken thumb just three games into his sophomore season, he saw the game from a completely different angle and his interest in coaching grew even more. 

Knowing of his interest in coaching down the road, former Head Coach Brian Welch took Lang under his wing and invited his sophomore to coach other teams with him outside of CUC. The connection with Welch allowed him to network with other college coaches at tournaments and events, with the biggest event being the Under Armor All-American tryouts.

Networking is a skill Lang expressed needing to do more of, believing a lot of coaches know who he is but don't truly know him as a person. He hopes he can work on changing that through his coaching role this summer when he serves as a volunteer for his high school team. Without a lot of feeder teams in Illinois, Lang is optimistic this role will offer the chance to grow the game among a fresh group of young players. 

The desire to coach comes as no surprise to Lang's CUC teammates. His nickname within the team was "The General" due to the fact that he was the only player who knew every play. He credits teammates Jack Liskey and Isaac Strand as people who pushed him to chase his goals.

His dedication to being a student of the game actually began during his sophomore year of high school following a collarbone injury suffered during a football game. The injury forced him to quit basketball, but opened the door to seeing lacrosse from a different perspective. 

"I became what's known as a 'lax rat,'" Lang said. "I was so excited to play that I watched lacrosse every day. I was learning to read defense and goalies and I think Welch saw the focus and passion I had for the IQ of the game. He even called me 'The General' on my Senior Day." 

Lang will finish his degree work this fall after completing a semester of student teaching near his home in West Dundee. He is a secondary education major with an emphasis in history, hoping to one day teach the subject to high school students. 

"I want to focus on older kids, and that's wrapped up in my major as well," Lang said. "I prefer to teach strategy and challenge their IQ of the game. My goal is to build a winning program wherever I'm at. I want to teach kids the game, how to love it and how to be great citizens in society who have lasting memories for the rest of their lives. More than anything, I want the sport to grow and for kids to have fun playing it."

For the time being, "The General" has to wait and see what next spring brings once he wraps up his student teaching. If a teaching position doesn't present itself, Lang is interested in pursuing a graduate assistant position to obtain a master's degree as well as gain coaching experience at the college level. 

Lang knows one thing is for sure: he wants to stay involved with the game of lacrosse. Being a part of the NCAA Career in Sports Forum will help him get there, especially with the great advice he took away from this experience.

"Be fearless. For any future coaches and anyone who wants a job in sports. Be yourself, never give up. Be yourself and don't let anyone take it away from you."