Up to 2,500 miles separates Denton Macdonald and Kyle Playsted from their homes in Canada, but that hasn't stopped them from creating a home here in Louisville and in Bellarmine University's Men's Lacrosse program.
 
Not only have these players managed to create a home for themselves, but it is with their profound playing experience that they have grown into the leaders they have become for their team and the program.
 
Playsted's lacrosse career began at the age of three, when his father introduced him to the sport, and has remained a significant part of his life ever since. He attributes a portion of his on-field mentality to his father, Gary, acknowledging that he taught him how to play the "right way". For Playsted, that means prioritizing the success of the team as a whole and consists of "passing to the open guy and making the right play." After gaining exposure with several teams throughout his minor career, he found himself at Trinity-Pawling School in New York, where he played for two years. It was shortly after a Prospect Day in January of his senior year that he was offered a place at Bellarmine University.
 
Macdonald's career also began early in his life. It was at just five years old that he knew he wanted to play. "I was walking in a local park and saw it, and my dad and I stopped and watched. I looked at him and told him I wanted to play." Before he arrived at Bellarmine, Macdonald gained experience and recognition participating in several tournaments and in his five years playing at Claremont Secondary in Victoria, British Columbia. He took a fifth year at Claremont Secondary to deliberate further about the future of his lacrosse career. It was in that fifth year that he crossed paths with Bellarmine Head Coach Andrew Whitley. A couple of phone calls and a visit to Louisville later, Macdonald decided that this would be where he continued his career.
 
The distance that separates Macdonald and Playsted from their homes served as the foundation for their friendship. The pair were assigned as roommates their freshman year and found support and a family structure in each other and in their team. "You're automatically given 50-odd people to be your friends and your family away from your actual family," Macdonald said. Playsted described how he found a home in the team, saying, "Going to class together, going to lift, going to practice, going through the not so pretty parts of the day become the best times of everyone's day, just being together and being with your teammates."
 
This is a hallmark year and season for these players. In their final year, they have the opportunity to serve as captains and hopefully carry their team to an ASUN Conference Championship.
 
Macdonald is feeling optimistic about the year and where the program is headed. "Standards are high, expectations are high, but I feel like our coaches have instilled in us that we're able to do it and everyone has a role," he said. When Macdonald leads his team, the words of Associate Head Coach Nicholas Marks stay with him: "keep the main thing, the main thing." He described how this motivates him as a leader. "We all know what we want and what our end goal is. As captains, it's our job to keep everybody on the right track and make sure the train is going in the right direction," he said.
 
Playsted's growth in this program has been exponential over the last four years. He's racked up an extraordinary collection of accolades including, honorable-mention All-American by Inside Lacrosse, ASUN co-Player of the Year, first-team ASUN All-Conference, and has led his team in points and assists for two consecutive years.
 
He knows that the players and structure of the team when he arrived at Bellarmine are key in his development in becoming the strong offensive player he is today. "Over the years, the constant incline on getting better and producing more has been my goal. To become a better playmaker, dodger in every facet of a game, and just working my hardest to be the best player I can be," Playsted said. His on-field performance in each game isn't motivated by a list of goal statistics but is derived from the lessons he's learned in his time with the program. "I don't try to go out there and think, 'I'm going to score this amount of goals and assists.' I just try to do my job and play my hardest, and I know that if I do that then things will turn out. Maybe I'll get the lucky bounce here and there," he said.
 
Macdonald, who is in his second year as a team captain, and Playsted, who is in his first, have grown to become exceptional leaders on their team. Their experiences have shaped their leadership skills and mindsets to be goal-oriented, and that will be critical to achieving their objective for the end of the 2024 season.
 
Both players understand the responsibility they have to their team as captains. Macdonald described his leadership philosophy, saying, "A captain has to have a short memory at times, because you're the messenger between the coaches and the team. You have to be the guy that people can come to and put your arm around them, but you also have to be the guy that can put your foot down to stop things from happening." Playsted identifies with that ideology and is settling into his role as captain. "I feel like I can provide a voice for my other teammates who need help positioning, and I can also just be someone that the freshmen and sophomores can look up to in order to understand how to be a key player when it matters most," he said.
 
The countdown to the 2024 season has begun, and as the Knights prepare to suit up, Playsted and Macdonald are helping to lead the charge. "We've lost to the same team the last two years, so it's about getting over that final hump and making it to the actual conference championship game to at least get a shot at it," Macdonald said. He believes that part of their job is using their previous ASUN Conference experience to motivate the younger players. "The guys that were here last year got a taste of it, so it's more now just bringing in the young guys and passing that fire and that drive to want to continue to break and match those records from last year," he added.
 
Bringing a championship home, not only to Bellarmine, but back to Canada, would be incredibly special for these men. "It's do or die. It's our last chance to win the conference championship, so that's the main goal. That's all we care about," Playsted shared. Macdonald feels that they have created a "winning culture" and that it's important to maintain it for the season and for the seasons to come. "The last two years we've been coming up a little short and gone home earlier than we wanted to, but I feel like everyone in this locker room and our coaches are motivated to get back to that point this year. For us to be able to take that back home to Canada, knowing we did that and to leave a legacy here would be pretty sweet," he said.
 
The future that lies ahead requires the work of the whole team, but with the Playsted-Macdonald duo helping to spearhead the mission, that future is sure to be nothing but bright.