mhahn

For Matt Hahn, it was love at first sight.

It happened when Hahn and his brother, Taylor, were given lacrosse sticks by the father for Christmas when they were in second grade.

Now, a decade later, not only has Hahn’s passion for the game grown, so too have his skills and talent level.

Last week, the Class of 2015 attackman from Avon Old Farms (Conn.) verbally committed to play at Air Force, a decision first reported when it was made on July 26 by Joe Lombardi on LaxLessons.com’s “Lacrosse Insider” section.

The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Hahn, a righty who plays travel lacrosse with 3d New England, is a two-year standout at Avon, where he also runs cross country and plays hockey.

Hahn uses his size and strength to power his way to the crease.

recruiting_updateNow, here’s a Q&A with Matt on his commitment.

What were the main factors in your decision?
I chose the Air Force Academy because it not only will provide me with an outstanding education, but it will also provide me with the necessary leadership and military training to succeed in life after the academy. It will also give me an opportunity to serve my country.

When I visited there, I felt welcomed by the coaching staff and loved every second that I was on campus. I was very impressed with all that the academy had to offer. The selling point for me was its outstanding reputation and ability to mold leaders for the 21st century.

What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
I also considered Army, Navy, Michigan, Brown, Bucknell and Merchant Marine. I visited Army, Michigan and Brown.

What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
My strengths as a player are my big body and strength. I like to use both of these assets to my advantage when I cut off ball or play crease on man-up. I also use my stick work to my advantage and really focus on catching passes in tight spaces.

What area of your game do you need to work on?
Overall, every single aspect in my game could be improved upon. I would like to specifically develop my speed, agility, and dodging. In addition, I would like to develop my off-hand shooting as well. My goal is to become as comfortable, if not even more comfortable, with my left hand as my right. I want to also increase my overall knowledge of the game and lacrosse IQ.

How did you get introduced to lacrosse and what other sports have you played?
I was introduced to lacrosse when my father bought lacrosse sticks for me and my brother Taylor Hahn (who attends Union College) for Christmas when I was in second grade. I went to an MLL game shortly there after and wanted to try the sport as soon as I could.

We grew up playing hockey and found so many similarities between the two sports that I figured it would be worth the while to give lacrosse a shot. When I stepped on to a field for the first time, I fell in love with the game. In addition, my mother played women’s lacrosse in high school and was a huge influence in my love of the sport.

What travel team do you play on what showcase events did you participate in?
I play for 3d New England and went to the Denver Shootout, which we won two years in a row, the Baltimore Summer Kick-Off, Best of the Best, and FLG in 3d, in which we were runners-up. In addition, I went to Jake Reed’s Fall and Summer Nike Blue Chip.

Any final thoughts?
I would like to thank all of my family members including my father, mother, brother, grandmother and pop-pop for all their love and support for me over the years. I owe them for all the countless hours and money that they’ve put into my development as a student-athlete up to this point.

I would also like to thank Coach Wilson, Seremet,and Acee for giving me this opportunity to attend one of the greatest institutions in the world.

In addition, I would like to thank all of my coaches over the years specifically Coach Flanagan, Munroe, Jenkins, Kendall, Rowley, Goodrich and Pirie.

Also, all of my teammates that have pushed me over the past couple of years specifically Nolan Callahan, Larsen Bidstrup, Pearse and Conor McEneaney and Will White.

Finally, I would like to thank AJ and Austin Rocco, and my brother Taylor for all their help as they have served as three of the biggest role models in my life.

Have a recruiting commitment to report from anywhere in the lacrosse galaxy, from sea to shining sea and beyond? Email us at info@laxlessons.com or joe@laxlessons.com or send a Tweet to @Joe_Lombardi or @LaxLessons.

LAXLESSONS Links

Become a Lacrosse Insider

Are you passionate about lacrosse? Do you love being the first to know and always being in the know? Then get access to unprecedented, groundbreaking coverage of summer travel and high school lacrosse and college recruiting now. Become a Lacrosse Insider here.

– See more at: http://www.laxlessons.com/2013/07/27/news-notes-27/#sthash.mW7iULtE.dpuf

New iPhone/iPad and Android apps

* Download for free the new LaxLessons’ playbook Android app in Google play.

* Download for free the new LaxLessons’ playbook iPad/iPhone app in the iTunes store.

* You can subscribe to LaxLessons.com’s playbook, featuring animated drills and plays for your team, by clicking here.

Recruiting coverage

* Updated tristate recruiting review and commitment rundown (for classes of 2013, ’14, ’15 and ’16)

* College-by-college commit breakdowns by class (from 2014-2016)

* College-by-college breakdown for Class of 2013

* Recruiting commitment story archive

* 2012 Fall Signing Week story/photo archive

* Recruit profile archive

* For a list of committed players with their profiles up, click here.

* To get your profile up, click here

Connect with us

* Follow LaxLessons on Twitter by clicking here.

* Become a Fan of LaxLessons on Facebook now by clicking here.

Posted In: Connecticut, New England lacrosse, New England prep schools, Recruiting Rundown

If you liked this article, please take this time to share it with your Facebook friends using the Facebook button (see Facebook post button to the left) or retweet it using Twitter (see retweet button to the left). You may also want to follow us or subscribe to the site to stay up-to-date with this article. If you'd rather follow us from your Facebook account, join our Facebook fan page.

Leave a Reply