Just months ago, Mitch Kingsley was completing his senior season at Hofstra, he played 13 games as a defensive middie. At the same time and on the same campus, Amanda Seekamp and Zoe Gomez were playing their final games in the blue-and-yellow of Hofstra.

It was the end of their Hofstra careers — a point at which many cease playing high-level lacrosse for good. But that wasn't the case for the Pride trio, who decided to continue playing the sport they love for at least another year.

Kingsley, Seekamp and Gomez decided to bring a little of Hofstra to the United Kingdom. All three headed across the Atlantic Ocean to study at Durham University in Northern England — taking part in Master’s programs while helping grow the game of lacrosse.

Seekamp and Gomez are suiting up for the women’s lacrosse team, while Kingsley is helping lead the men’s program. It’s a one-year Masters program sponsored by Lacrosse Pond, an organization founded to help high-level players obtain another degree in England and in turn share their knowledge of the game with the locals.

Just weeks into the program, the three former Hofstra players are enjoying their time at Durham, both on and off the field.

“Having the opportunity to play lacrosse with this school, and [LTP student advisor Ravi Sitlani] outlining that they help out when it comes to scholarships, it was kind of a no-brainer to continue playing lacrosse and have it be a segue into a university that’s really unbelievable,” said Kingsley, who is studying Management Finance.

For Seekamp and Gomez, who room together just a short walk from Kingsley, it was the perfect fit for their interests.

“I immediately jumped on the bandwagon,” Seekamp said. “For me, it was a win-win. I could travel, study, meet new people and play lacrosse, which is ultimately why I’m here. It seemed like a really great opportunity and one I did not want to turn down.”

The opportunity wouldn’t be possible without the help of Hofstra men’s coach Seth Tierney, who brought Sitlani and his Lacrosse the Pond team to a practice last fall. Kingsley, a Pride captain who was getting recruited to work in New York City after graduation, was interested. 

He had entertained the thought of grad school, but wasn’t thinking about doing it in 2018. Still, he couldn’t chase the idea out of his head. He’d visit Tierney’s office and talk for hours about the opportunity. Eventually, he made the decision to pursue his Master’s at Durham, one of the first schools to work with Lacrosse the Pond, in a one-year program.

Tierney, for his part, assured Lacrosse the Pond that it would be getting one his team’s best.

“He led our team. He was just a bull,” Tierney said. “Was he the most talented short stick out there? No. But he’s one of the top five most focused kids I’ve ever coached. I have zero worries that anyone from Lacrosse the Pond is going to call me in a year going ‘He’s the hardest working kid I have ever had. Do you have any more Mitch Kingsleys?’”

Kingsley made the trip to Durham a little more than a month ago, and joined a lacrosse program that boasts former American college players like Greg Weyl (Mercyhurst/Florida Launch), Buddy Carr (UMass), Nick Nesbitt (RIT), Colin Greenway (Mercyhurst) and Conor Healey (St. Lawrence).

Although he's settled into life at Durham, Kingsley is happy to have a support system via the lacrosse program.

“To have a group of guys that were all successful in their college careers coming here and not only experiencing the things England has to offer, but doing it all together is pretty cool,” he said. “Just seeing their reactions even if it’s different from yours, that’s pretty cool to see. Having that American group definitely makes the experience just as fun if not more fun.”

It certainly doesn’t hurt that he had two friends headed with him to Durham. After Kingsley decided to join with Lacrosse the Pond, word spread to Seekamp, who wasn’t sure what she wanted to do post-graduation. She spoke with Tierney about Lacrosse the Pond and was sold on the merits of the program.

Durham had her major (marketing). It offered a chance to travel abroad, which she wasn’t able to do during his college career. She was in.

Gomez came along shortly after. Seekamp’s good friend said the prospect of her teammate being in England with her made the opportunity even better. Seekamp was thrilled once she found out her teammate was headed to Durham with her.

“I still can’t believe she’s here,” Seekamp said of Gomez. “One, you’re going to another country, an unknown place that’s different. Not just a semester — we’re here for a full year. It’s really nice to have that one person to be there with you. It’s a sense of familiarity and welcomeness. It’s really nice that she’s here with me.”

“Aw that’s so cute,” Gomez replied.

Both of the Hofstra women’s lacrosse players entered into an intense Durham lacrosse atmosphere. On the first night with the team, leadership made it clear that it intended to keep alive a 52-game winning streak.

“We were like ‘OK welcome to the team,’” Seekamp joked.

Seekamp and Gomez are playing with a mostly British team alongside former North Carolina product Maggie Auslander and former Fresno State player Abigail Bergevin. There are six women’s teams at Durham — from the top team down — so the Seekamp and Gomez play a role in helping raise the level of play of each team.

“It’s a lot more intense in the States with the recruiting process and how expansive the sport is around the country,” Gomez said. “Here, it’s just starting to get developed and girls are really excited to play. The England lacrosse community is more interested in getting girls to love the game.”

And that’s what the three Hofstra players are hoping to do. Not only will they come home next year with a Master’s degree, but they’ll leave Durham having helped its lacrosse program blossom.