Just two games into his Brown lacrosse career, Thomas Muldoon '10 is already one of the leading attackmen for the men's lacrosse team. He recorded a hat trick last weekend against Hofstra University, including the game-winning goal in the team's 7-6 victory. For his inspired play, Muldoon was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week. The High School All-American and second all-time leading scorer in St. Albans School history reflected on his first-year success.
The Herald: How did it feel to get a hat trick in your second career game at Brown against Hofstra, including the game winner? Muldoon: It was a lot of fun beating the 14th-ranked team in the nation. It was a great team effort and we played well. It also was great to get our coach's first win as a Brown Bears coach.
What was your off-season schedule like?During the off-season, the Ivy League is only allowed 12 official practices with our coaches. All of the other leagues can have unlimited practices.
Does that put your team at a disadvantage in non-conference play?It sets us back a little bit, but it just makes you work harder. We are allowed to have an unlimited number of skill sessions with six man groups during the off-season.
Are you excited to play Providence College this weekend?I'm always looking forward to the next game. I love playing out-of-conference teams because it shows us what we can do on a national scale, but I especially want to beat Providence because my dad went there. However, I hear you've never played a game until you play in an Ivy League game.
When did you start playing lacrosse?My dad talked to a Madison high school coach when I was going into third grade. They practice next to my house and my dad asked where I could start playing. The coach, Chad McRae, actually had a summer camp that I attended the summer going into third grade. But I had a fiddle stick when I was two years old.
How was your high school lacrosse experience?It was great. I played lacrosse at St. Albans. ... It was one of the best leagues in the nation, with Georgetown Prep and Landon. Landon was the best team in the country in the 1990s but Georgetown Prep took over the top spot around 2003.
Did you ever defeat either of those teams?In my four years of lacrosse, we never beat either of those teams at the varsity level. We lost against Landon four years in a row, each time by one goal. In the semifinals of the league tournament, we lost by one in overtime and the other two years we lost by one in the final minutes of the game.
What was the toughest part about transitioning to Brown?Figuring out the classes was difficult. You have to learn the whole style of college to fully transition. You learn what you need to do to succeed. Sometimes, that means I don't have to do everything one night but I have to make up for it another night. You have to work with your schedule and it becomes a lot more flexible. You really need to manage your time.
Does the Duke program come up a lot?It did a lot in the beginning. It's really sad for the sport. Lacrosse is a small sport, especially when I was growing up. If you see a guy wearing a basketball shirt, he may not be playing basketball, but if you see a lacrosse shirt, you know he plays lacrosse. We're a tight knit group. The Duke players made some poor decisions and I don't like to see people get hurt, but it's also sad that there is a stigma about lacrosse players.
Have you traveled anywhere recently?I went to Europe this past summer. I actually saw Sweden play England in (Cologne) when Joe Cole scored from outside the box. He volleyed it and hit the top right corner of the net. It was an amazing game, even though it ended in a 1-1 tie.
What did you think of Beckham?It was just cool seeing him and knowing he was there. I don't remember him doing much in that game.
Do you follow professional lacrosse?I'm not an avid fan, but I like watching the games. Its fun seeing players you've been watching since fourth grade playing together on the same team.
Do you think the professional lacrosse league has potential to be popular in the mainstream media?I hope so. It's a summer league so it does compete with baseball. I think it would be great to play in the league if I could one day.
