15 questions with... Ben Bedard, a Penn men's lacrosse senior

The Daily Pennsylvanian asked Ben Bedard of Penn men’s lacrosse 15 questions about his time with the team, his experience at Penn, and his life overall. Here's what the senior midfielder had to say.

1. Can you introduce yourself?

I’m Ben Bedard. I’m from Annapolis, Md. and my major is political science.

2. What are your plans after you graduate from Penn?

Right now, I don’t have specific plans [in regard to a job], because I’m planning on taking a fifth year to play lacrosse. I’m not sure where I’ll be playing yet.

3. How did playing in a conference as competitive as the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in high school help you develop as a player and get recruited?

When you’re playing against good teams and the best competition, you’re able to get to the next level. You get a lot of exposure because the college coaches come to watch the best high school teams, so if you’re able to stick out in those games against really good teams, that’s always a plus for getting recruited.

4. What other schools did you consider while you were getting recruited and what made you choose Penn?

Wow, that was a long time ago. Ohio State and North Carolina were other schools that I considered. I chose Penn because when I visited the school I loved the culture in our locker room, the team feels like a family, and the coaches really bring you in, so it was a pretty easy decision.

5. Did you play other sports growing up and how did they help you become a better lacrosse player?

I played football growing up. That helped me get tougher and helped with the vocal aspect and being a better leader, along with some other elements of the game that translate over to lacrosse too. 

6. How did it feel to play against outside competition for the first time this season on Friday?

It was awesome. We’ve been waiting and fighting for that for a long time now. I think it was 411 days since the last time we played another school so it was definitely a really good feeling.

7. Who would you say has had the biggest impact on you as a lacrosse player?

I would say my older brother. He played Division I lacrosse at North Carolina, so I got to watch him play and we went to the same high school. I sort of watched the way he played and competed and that really shaped the lacrosse player I am today. 

8. What three words best describe you as a lacrosse player?

I would say tough, leader, and athletic. 

9. What’s your go-to pre-game song?

My pre-game song is Kickstart My Heart by Motley Crue. That has to be my favorite. 

10. What’s your favorite sports movie?

I would definitely say "Miracle". 

11. Who’s your favorite athlete?

I think my all-time favorite would be Sean Taylor. I’m a big-time [Washington Football Team] fan. 

12. How have practices been not knowing if you will get the chance to play in games?

Our team has held together really nicely. There were a couple of times we got kicked around, but we always got to come to practice and be together. We all wanted to be there and were able to get better as a team every day. 

13. How has your approach to the locker room changed as a senior this year in such an unprecedented season?

We’ve kind of switched gears and started focusing on the culture and not letting it slip while we’re in this year. It would be easy for us to roll over and give up, but we’ve focused on really fighting to play and we work every day to make sure the guys returning next year have what it takes to compete for a national championship.

14. What kind of legacy do you hope your class will have left on the program?

For our senior class, if Friday was our last game together, we got to go out 1-0 together. We hope we set the foundation for future classes to compete for a national championship. 

15. What kind of legacy do you hope you’ve left on the program individually?

That’s a loaded question. But I hope when people think of someone who was tough and someone who was a leader, I hope they think of my name.