Michael Marcott was one of the top Oregon lacrosse players coming out of Lincoln High School in Portland. The ESPN No. 72 recruit committed to top-ranked University of Denver initially, but after three years filled with injuries and struggle, he decided to transfer to the University of Oregon.
“I thought that going [to Oregon], my family could visit more. It was close to home — that was a big deal to me,” Marcott said.
His decision to leave Denver and come to Oregon was not based on athletics, but more so on completing his education in his home state and being closer to his hometown. Playing for the Oregon club lacrosse team was just an added bonus.
When Marcott first stepped on the practice turf, he immediately made an impact. It didn’t take long for his teammates to recognize he had competed at one of the nation’s top Division I lacrosse schools, run by one of the nation’s top coaches. Although he wasn’t close to most players on the roster, he was named team captain after being on campus for six weeks.
“It was implicitly expected that he was going to be captain just because of his experience and his knowledge of the game,” fellow captain Liam Delumpa said.
“I definitely appreciate the honor,” Marcott said. “I didn’t expect to be named team captain so early. I think we named them in the winter after fall, so I guess I just made a good impression on all the guys. I’m pretty serious when I do play regardless of if it’s club or the D1 level … and I think a lot of guys saw that too.”
Marcott’s love for the game dates back to fifth grade. Lacrosse is predominately played on the east coast, so it was a new, fun and interesting sport that Marcott immediately latched on to.
“Growing up I played every sport possible — basketball, baseball, soccer — and to me, they were all kind of boring,” Marcott said. “Being that young you didn’t really get to do much. They lowered the hoops in basketball, you played tee-ball and soccer [and it] wasn’t fun because you couldn’t really hit anyone basically, but when lacrosse came around, it was something new. Not a lot of people had seen it before. It was just so unique, and I caught onto it so quick.”
Since Marcott began playing lacrosse, he hasn’t stopped. He is the Lincoln High School all-time leader in points and assists and led the Cardinals to three Oregon State Lacrosse Championships. On top of that, he is a two-time U.S. Lacrosse All-American, three-time OHSLA All-State selection and an Adrenaline All-American.
This past season, he led the Ducks in assists and was ranked third in both goals and points. The Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association recently named him First Team All-Conference Attack as he finished off his Oregon lacrosse career.
With Marcott’s help, the Ducks finished off the season with a 12-4, 11-3 MCLA record. Although they had an upsetting finish to their season — they lost to Oregon State, who they had previously beaten in the finals of the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League — Delumpa is convinced it wouldn’t have been that great of a season without Marcott.
“Looking back on it, I wouldn’t have changed anything,” said Marcott. “Regardless of winning or losing, it was fun, and I met a lot of new friends.”
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