Camel of the Edition: Liam Horkan ‘26

Courtesy of Camel Athletics

Could you please introduce yourself?

I’m Liam Horkan. I play lacrosse here at Connecticut College and I’m from Malden, MA.

Tell me about your sporting journey, and when did lacrosse become your focus?

I started playing lacrosse when I was five years old. My dad was super into it—he coached me all the way until high school. My brother and I helped each other get better, playing together in the backyard, and that really helped our love of the game. I played a bunch of other sports in high school, but lacrosse is what landed me here at Conn.

What was your recruitment process like, and why did you end up choosing Conn?

I always loved the small school aspect of the NESCACs. Coach [Jim] Nagle was really great through the recruiting process—he was really honest and always kept me in the loop. It’s hard to explain, but Conn was really forthcoming about my place here on the team. It was a really great balance between academics and athletics. My brother is a sophomore here too, so I pulled him in and now he’s part of the group. The place really feels small now, especially as a senior, looking out on things and seeing so many people that you know.

Since you play attack, what are your responsibilities, and what makes the position appealing to you?

I would equate the position mostly to a striker in soccer. I label myself as a “crease attackman,” someone who plays off the ball. I’m not necessarily creating all of the offense but I work well off of assists from my teammates. Unselfish play is huge for my game. People might say, “oh you’re just the lazy attackman who wants to score all of the goals,” but on our team, the attacks are some of the hardest working guys here.

Last year, you were named All-NESCAC second team and USILA All-America Honors. Were you expecting to win these awards and what do they mean to you?

Honestly, I’m not a personal goal-oriented person. It was a tremendous honor, of course. I was at the beach after the season ended when Coach Nagle gave me the call, and I was extremely surprised. I’m not looking for anything personal for my senior year, I just want to help the team build off the success that we have built in the past three years I’ve been here. There are larger things at stake for this team—I want to leave the place better than I found it. One of our team mottos this year, something that Coach Nagle says, is “pound the stone.” We’re going to keep doing the same things over and over again, make divots in that stone, and eventually flip the script to get some winning seasons. 

You have been among the leaders in goals and points each year you have been with the team. Last year, you ranked seventh in the NESCAC in goals per game (2.60), and your goal total tied for ninth-most in a single season in school history – what makes you so difficult to defend for opposing teams? Your game has seen substantial growth in points, goals, and assists (20 goals and three assists in ’23, 33 goals and three assists in ’24, and 36 goals and eight assists in ’25). How have you been able to continue to grow each and every year?

It’s really a team thing. In my first three years, I played in an attack line with two other people. Some of those seniors graduated, but each year that line has been more and more consistent. When the chemistry between those guys is good, the points go up. We’re still getting to know ourselves, especially the first-years, who we’ve barely been on the field alongside. It’s going to be really exciting to see what we have this year and make upward progression. Also, with the addition of offensive coordinator Connor Grippe two years ago, we’ve seen some great success since my first year.

This summer, you played for Team Ireland in the European Men’s Lacrosse Championship in Wrocław, Poland. How did you get the opportunity to represent your country and what was the experience like?

My grandparents were Irish citizens, so as soon as we had the chance, my whole family applied for dual citizenship. This is my second tournament with Ireland. Coming out of high school, I represented them in the U20 Championship, and once I had that experience, I knew I wanted to try it again at the Men’s level, which is a much harder team to make. We placed fourth in the European Championship, earning a spot in the World Games in 2027. There were some challenges, of course. I was the youngest person on the team—there were some 33-year-olds playing with me. We also only had two weeks to practice together before the championship, so our chemistry took some time to build. My first takeaway from the experience was not to care about the stats. I just thought it was a great experience, making friends from all over the place, playing with the best competition in Europe. We ended up losing in the bronze medal match against England, but I still felt so much support from my Irish teammates and from the Conn community. I’m hoping to do a little more with it once I graduate, hopefully playing some more games for them in the future.

Will you play in the World Games in 2027?

There is a whole tryout process to be selected. For the Men’s Irish team, there was a local tryout in Boston. From there, they select you, along with 45 other potential players to [try out in] Dublin, which is where they decide their final roster. I think how I played in this last tournament will help me be considered for making the World team for 2027. The tryout process should be the same, so that’s what I hope to do.

Last season, your team fell short of making the NESCAC playoffs. What are you all doing to improve this offseason to try to extend your season longer this season? 

Whatever year we’re having, regardless of our personnel and players, the goal is to always try to make the NESCAC playoffs and do well there. But the goal doesn’t stop there—this is the most competitive conference in Division III. We’ve been incorporating more speed and strength with our strength coach, Coach Leah [Mitchell]. In terms of mindset, we might have to take a bit of an underdog mentality, not getting down on ourselves after losing one game. I think the team will buy into that. We’re changing a lot of things this year and have a lot of new faces, and those changes make a difference in making a push to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the 7th NESCAC team made that tournament, and we want to be that team this year. Even if we aren’t a part of that by the end of the season, just making that push is huge for the team.

Does the lacrosse team have any special team bonding activities, traditions, or pre-game rituals?

Once we have that locker room for springtime, that gives us a great bonding experience. Playing music, seeing what guys do before games, what gets them fired up—that’s huge for us and lets us get to know each other really well. Our warmup has been our style for a long time. Once that music starts playing on the field, it’s time to go and get out there. We call up a different guy every day to lead the team warmup. It keeps people on their toes, whether it be before a lift, practice, or game. It’s the little things that bring us together.

What advice would you give an athlete to become the best possible player they can be?

Reach out to experienced people. One of our junior captains, Chris Travers ‘27, makes videos online about how to get recruited. There are so many people who have been through this collegiate recruiting process which is what makes the internet such a great tool to find drills, workouts, and helpful videos. Stay on top of the little things, too. Working hard in school opens up your options a lot more. For anybody thinking about trying out for a big team, even a national team, put yourself out there. I was nervous before my first tryout, but nerves can be good. It means you care about what you’re doing. It’s just a tryout at the end of the day, and doesn’t define your career. But if you go out there and give it your all, how good would you feel if you made that team?

Is there anyone you would like to shout out or any last comments you would like to make?

Just my parents for giving me the opportunity to come to Conn and play lacrosse, and my Camel teammates for supporting me and playing hard.