Cam Gerard
John Carroll
Men's Lacrosse
Senior
Finance major
Avon Lake, Ohio
Cleveland St. Ignatius HS

-Story by Chris Wenzler, John Carroll Sports Information 

Little did Cam Gerard know when, after scoring his personal career best of four goals in an 18-11 victory over Wooster on March 8, he had played his last collegiate lacrosse game. 

There was a ten day break between games for the Blue Streaks, and during that break, the world changed.

The COVID-19 virus first caused cancellations of spectators, then games, then the season.

“When it first happened, it didn't feel real, it felt more like a dream,” said Gerard. “As time went on and they eventually postponed pro sports and even cancelled March Madness, I realized that some things are bigger than sports and this decision was for the better. For sure, I am a little disappointed with how this season ended but I am also thankful that I have had the privilege to play the sport I love with my best friends for the past four years. I have learned a ton and grown a lot as both an athlete and as a man and I will be forever grateful for my time at JCU.”

The product of Avon Lake, Ohio, had played sports from an early age. Besides lacrosse, Gerard dabbled in hockey, golf, football, baseball, and basketball. By the time he got to Cleveland’s St. Ignatius High School, he started to focus more on hockey and lacrosse.

“When I was in fourth grade my dad bought me and my brothers mini lacrosse sticks because he thought that lacrosse was similar to hockey and that it looked like we would have fun playing it,” Gerard recalled. “We all loved it right away and played almost every day in the summer and I began to play organized lacrosse the next year in 5th grade.”

When it came time to choose a college, Gerard pursued John Carroll because it is Jesuit like his high school and thought “it would be a great place to grow as a Man for Others.”

He also elected to continue his lacrosse playing career. When Gerard joined the Blue Streaks, JCU had already established itself as the top program in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Over the course of his four seasons, Gerard helped the program remain atop the league. Two OAC regular season titles, three OAC tournament titles and three NCAA appearances, including two playoff victories, back up the claim.

“There are a lot of reasons this program has been so successful recently,” said Gerard. “The biggest one in my opinion is the leadership by upperclassmen year in and year out. As an underclassmen, I learned a ton from the older guys about how to handle myself on and off the field and also how to come in ready to work every single day. They also prepared for the role I played this year as a senior leader. I was now ready to help lead the younger guys and show them what it means to play lacrosse at John Carroll.”

Gerard’s most treasured memory was winning the OAC Tournament title as a junior.

“At one point in the season, we lost three straight conference games and we needed a lot of things to happen in order to even make the OAC tournament,” said Gerard. “The way we were able to defy the odds and turn our season around to end up winning the OAC Championship was pretty special.”

A Finance major with a 3.70 GPA, Gerard was challenged academically over his four years, but it allowed him to take some very interesting classes and work with incredible professors who have helped prepare him for the business world. He plans on staying in the Cleveland area following graduation, working as a financial analyst for Lincoln Electric in Euclid.

“I have interned there the past two summers and everyone there is extremely welcoming and helpful so I am very excited,” said Gerard.

Although his collegiate playing career ended prematurely, Gerard still looks fondly upon the time he did have as a student-athlete.

“The biggest takeaway for me is the relationships that I have formed the past four years with my teammates and coaches,” said Gerard. “I have met some of the funniest, most hardworking, and best people in the world with whom I have made lifelong friendships. I know for a fact that I have people who will have my back for life and I will have theirs as well. The thing I will miss the most is laughing and messing around in the locker room with everyone, trying to forget that we will have to go outside soon to run for an entire practice.”