What do you enjoy most about lacrosse?
McLinden: You go in every day with 45 of your best friends, and I can’t ask for much more than that.
Sperry: Just showing up to practice, working hard with my teammates and having fun with them every day.
What sport would you play if you couldn’t play lacrosse?
McLinden: If Fairfield had a football team, I’d definitely play football. Other than that, I’d probably say basketball.
Sperry: I would definitely play hockey.
What is your favorite lacrosse moment in life?
Sperry: Beating the number one team in the country, Denver, two years ago was a pretty special moment for me, especially at their home stadium.
McLinden: I attest to that [Tristan]. You don’t have many opportunities to beat the number one team in the country, so probably beating Denver as well two years ago.
What are your thoughts on Rafferty Stadium?
McLinden: It’s unbelievable. It’s probably one of the top 10 facilities in the country now after what we’ve had last year which, for the past decade or so, was probably one of the worst facilities. So, I think it’s a big step up for Fairfield lacrosse and I think it’s going to help us in the future with recruits and getting fans and the local community to our games.
Sperry: It’s awesome. I can’t wait to get out there and do right for the alumni and everybody else that has contributed to putting this stadium together for us.
What celebrity would you meet if given the chance?
McLinden: I’d have to go with Rob Gronkowski. He just seems like a fun guy. I don’t know if you’ve seen his interviews after the Super Bowl, but he seems like a comical, fun guy to hang out with. But when he means business on the field, he does it right. He’s a very good player on and off the field.
Sperry: I’m going to go with Jay-Z. I want to see what he’s like. He’s got a bunch of different sides to him, and I’d like to see what he’s like socially.
What’s a fun fact about you?
McLinden: I really do not like spiders. I’m very afraid of spiders.
Sperry: I’ve been skydiving.
Who’s the funniest teammate?
McLinden: I’ll give that to my roommate Tom Lukacovic ‘15. He’s a character in every way. He knows every line to every movie, and if you ever watch a stupid movie like “The Interview” or “The Dictator” with him, he knows every line. He’ll make you laugh throughout the entire movie.
Sperry: I’ll go with Matt Borda ‘17. He’s a funny character and he’s always making the team laugh.
What are your team expectations for this season?
McLinden: We’ve got all the pieces this year to be a successful team. We lost one player on offense, but we did lose quite a few players on defense. We’ve got some young guys coming in and they’ve put in the work in the offseason and throughout the fall. If we don’t win the Colonial Athletic Association Championship, it’s a failure this year, I believe.
Sperry: I think we’ve got really high expectations. We’re trying to win the CAA and then make a real run at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament.
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