Erik Adamson has achieved a 3.911 GPA and was nominated for the 2015 Senior Class Award, an annual recognition given to an NCAA Division I senior student-athlete based on achievements in community, classroom, character and competition. Photo: Will Schneekloth
As the University of Denver community descends from its post-lacrosse-championship bliss, the reality for most students is final papers and exams. Things are no different for senior Erik Adamson, midfielder for the Pioneers’ 2015 NCAA Championship men’s lacrosse team, who boasts impressive numbers both on and off the field.
Adamson played in all 19 of the Pioneers’ games this season, finishing fifth in points (44), fifth in assists (9) and third in goals (35), including one in the national championship game. A finance major with an accounting minor, Adamson has achieved a 3.911 GPA and was nominated for the 2015 Senior Class Award, an annual recognition given to an NCAA Division I senior student-athlete based on achievements in community, classroom, character and competition.
“It’s an honor, and it’s awesome to be able to represent DU for [the nomination],” says Adamson, who did not win the award.
Adamson was drafted into Major League Lacrosse by the Chesapeake Bayhawks in January and was traded to the Denver Outlaws in April. Aside from professional lacrosse, Adamson says he hopes to work in finance.
“I’ve always been good with math,” Adamson says. “Finance is everywhere and in every industry. I’d like to work in private equity or venture capital and help people to start businesses.”
In his limited time off the field and out of the classroom, Adamson enjoys snowboarding, fishing and playing basketball. He also volunteers with the rest of the men’s lacrosse team with projects such as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and City Lax, an organization that creates educational and enrichment opportunities for youth in underserved Denver neighborhoods through the sport of lacrosse.
“The kid has a 3.9 GPA and is so diligent and such a good person,” says men’s lacrosse head coach Bill Tierney. “Sometimes you actually hope that athletics don’t curtail things like that because [Erik’s] not just an athlete. He’s a student-athlete at its finest.”