On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, Central Bucks West seniors Will Shandlay, Austin Hahn & Billy Timbur were recognized for committing to compete in lacrosse at the collegiate level.
Austin Hahn – New Jersey Institute of Technology (Lacrosse)
Major: Finance & Technology
Final list of colleges: NJIT, Utah, High Point, Jacksonville
Reasons for choosing NJIT: “I wanted to be closer to home. It’s really expensive to pay for flights to go out to all those places, not necessarily High Point, but Utah and Jacksonville – I wouldn’t be coming home for
holidays, I wouldn’t be seeing everyone. I’m very happy with where I ended up. All the coaches are new – it’s a newer program, a new D1 in general. One of the coaches was recruiting me at Bryant University, and he got an assistant coaching position at NJIT. I thought it was really cool that he had loyalty to me, stuck with me. He kept reaching out even when I didn’t show as much interest in the beginning. He was really helpful throughout the whole process and a very big supporter of me and showed up to a lot of my games, which really meant a lot. It shows character, it shows that he cares.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in lacrosse at the collegiate level? “My dad played football and he wrestled at CB East, so growing up, I was a big football kid. I was one of the 18 million kids who said they wanted to play in the NFL when they grew up. If you would read my sixth grade yearbook, it says I wanted to play football at Duke. That’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a quarterback in the NFL, and then the realization hit me in middle school that it wasn’t realistic.
“I was pretty good at lacrosse growing up, so that’s why I wanted to stick with it. I worked hard – I could sit there and hit the wall all day, and I would never get bored. That’s how I knew it was a passion of mine because it’s something I could do all day, and I’d never get sick of it, no matter what.”
Coach Matt Coverdale says: “Austin has been a critical piece of our success over the past few years. He has incredible commitment and dedication to everything we do as a team. He has been a natural leader amongst the players – vocal, tough as nails. He’s both a model to be followed in work ethic as well as in passion for the game and passion for the team. He’s a razor-sharp shooter and a powerful dodger. His prolific scoring this past season to now own the single season record for goals (67) came as little surprise.”
About Austin:
Favorite food: A nice steak
Favorite movie: Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith
Favorite artist: J Cole
Will Shandlay – Drew University (Lacrosse)
Major: Political Science/Communications
Final list of colleges: Drew, Catholic, Penn State Abington, Lake Forest, Rider, American
Reasons for choosing Drew: “It’s a very welcoming environment. The coaching staff did an excellent job on prospect days and visits. They made me feel like family before I was even part of it. The school has the perfect atmosphere, and it’s not too far from home. They allowed me to see an environment where I think I’ll be the most successful.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in lacrosse at the collegiate level? “Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to play in college until probably the end of my junior year. I was accepting that I was going to have to hang up my cleats at the end of my senior year. I thought about it as a possibility, but I hadn’t actually considered it. I went to a prospect day and played okay, and after that, I got some attention. I started not necessarily viewing schools where I could play lacrosse, but schools I would want to go to and play lacrosse. Obviously, academics is always primary, and lacrosse is secondary. With Drew, I visited the school as an academic before, and after emailing the coach, it all worked out.”
Coach Matt Coverdale: “Will Shandlay has been a resilient force in the cage for us. He was a two-year starter in the net and a vocal leader on the defensive end of the field. He’s a passionate player and has continued to work to improve his game in the offseason as well as seeing continued improvement over the course of the last few years. Will is a fiery personality, and he has some very good positioning and reaction to shooters and a resiliency mentally. He has really developed.”
About Will:
Favorite food: Steak
Favorite TV show: The Office
Favorite artist: Juice WRLD
Billy Trimbur – Pennsylvania College of Technology (Lacrosse)
Major: Diesel Technology
Reasons for choosing Penn College: “To be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go to college. I was looking into trades. I wasn’t really sold on college, but I heard about this, and I heard a lot of good things from a couple of people. I went up there, did a couple of summer camps, and I really liked it.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in lacrosse at the collegiate level? “I didn’t have my mind set on playing lacrosse in college, but they had just started their program – I believe it’s the fourth year they have a team, so I reached out to their coach. I sent him some highlights, talked to him, and everything worked out. Everything fell into place.”
Coach Matt Coverdale says: “Billy Trimbur emerged last year as a dominant defenseman, taking first team honors and becoming our most valuable defenseman even amongst upperclassmen on the team. He was a steady, reliable force on defense for us, and we could always count on him to cover any team’s best assignment. He’s fast and rangy and smart on the field. He was vocal in helping to coach the other defensemen on the field. He was an asset every game we had the privilege of having him on the field. He was an absolute difference maker for us defensively. We had the league’s best defense in allowing under five goals a game, and he was a key part of that leadership on the defensive end.”
About Billy:
Favorite food: Any pasta “I love a nice dish of pasta, preferably with marinara.”
Favorite TV show: Breaking Bad
Favorite music: Country/Kenny Chesney
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