Former MBYLL Athlete Bill Mason
Of Northborough-Southborough
Story by Jonathan Sigal
2009, 2010
2011, 2012
2013-present
Played two years at Western New England University
Named Assistant Coach for WNEU as a
junior and senior
Currently serving as Assistant Coach at
Bates College
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The Scoop / Winter '15 19
through a larger recruiting experience, where I was recruited by a lot of schools at the Division I and Division III levels.”
This extra year of experience paid off, as Mason found himself committed to Western New England University, a Division III school in Springfield, Massachusetts. As a Golden Bear, Mason’s career continued to flourish at a rate that nobody quite foresaw.
Through his freshman and sophomore seasons he finished with a combined 13 goals, seven assists, and 17 ground balls. On top of the individual plaudits was the success of his team, particularly in his freshman year. That year WNEU won the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship and made it to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament before falling to the eventual national champions, Cortland State.
“The two years when I played at Western New England was the best experience of my life,” noted Mason. “I was just really proud to make the roster actually, but then our team was super. I was also able to play with a former Mass Bay player Stephen Toomy who was a senior that year. It was really nice to share that experience with another guy from Northborough.”
Despite the rapid ascension of his game, Mason’s time on the field at WNEU came to an abrupt end when a torn labrum joint in his hip hindered his career and kept him from being the same elite player again. No longer able to play the game he loved, Mason fittingly found solace in the leadership side of the game.
Jon Klepacki, Mason’s coach at WNEU, greatly shaped his penchant for communication and management. Mason also credits a teammate from his freshman season. A senior from that team was an Iraq War veteran and Mason says his leadership united and inspired the whole team.
“My freshman year we had a leader who returned from a deployment on Iraq and to have that type of leadership was amazing,” he said. “It was just such a powerful experience.”
With this inspiration close to heart, Mason stayed connected to the WNEU team. During the team’s 2012 season he served as an assistant coach. Then after graduating, with the help of Klepacki, Mason was given and accepted an opportunity to serve as an assistant coach at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.
At Bates, Mason is under the tutelage of legendary head coach Peter Lasagna. Mason’s duties include calling prospective student-athletes, organizing practices and
conditioning drills, helping with film sessions, and preparing
for games in the brutally competitive New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). Mason discusses how impactful it has been to be involved in such an athletically and academically prestigious conference so early in his coaching career.
“To be able to have my first job in the NESCAC means a lot,” he explained. “There are just so many great schools academically and athletically. All of these teams are as competitive as they get and we know each other so well. It can be really stressful in this league, but also really rewarding. The talent and level of play is just so high.”
But it’s not the X’s and O’s that Mason has grown to love as a coach. He enjoys the opportunity to be on the sideline teaching, influencing, and advising his players, just like his youth coaches did for him.
“To be able to coach in college is such a great experience,” he expressed. “The kids are so bright and energetic and just amazing young adults. I have really gotten an idea of what its all about now being on the coaching side of things, and it is a lot of fun for me. Being around the game I love is the best part.”
He is starting to realize just truly how enjoyable the coaching aspect of the game is and how staying involved in the game in such an enriching manner can be rewarding on so many levels.
Now as the coaching aspect of lacrosse has come full circle for Mason, he reflects on how the game has done so much for him as a person. His decision to join the Northborough-Southborough Youth Lacrosse Association in 8th grade has transformed his life.
Through all of Mason’s highs and lows with lacrosse, his determination and genuine passion have molded him. Lacrosse has been far more than a game; it has allowed Mason to create many lifelong friendships, learn life lessons and values, and embark on a rewarding career. No matter where the game has taken him geographically or which side of the white line he walks, Mason will always cherish and value how impactful lacrosse has been.
“The sport is just full of great people and a lot of different things that you can apply to everyday life,” he affirmed. “The decisions I have made through lacrosse have shaped who I am today and I could not be more thankful for the coaches and people I have met along the way. The coaches who gave me life advice are invaluable. There are great people in the game who have absolutely affected me and given me a positive outlook on life.”