"Where Are They Now" - Hayden Shuster

"Where Are They Now" is a Wells College Athletics series that spotlights graduates with an inside look at some of the many special student-athletes from years past. We would love to tell your story; knowing that part of your life journey involved your time at Wells! Today's segment features Hayden Shuster.

Hayden Shuster was a member of the Wells College men's lacrosse team and graduated from Wells with major in chemistry in 2015. On the field he anchored the defense, a position not traditionally in the spotlight. Hayden's efforts did not go unnoticed, especially with honors he received from the North Eastern Athletic Conference as a two-time all-NEAC team selection.

Hayden finished the 2014 season as the NCAA Division-III leader in caused turnovers-per-game, and concluded his Wells lacrosse career ranked fifth nationally in 2015 with an average of three per-contest. He led all NEAC players in caused turnovers in 2015, posting 36 overall on the year that included a NEAC-leading 21 against conference opponents. Defensively, Hayden recorded at least one ground ball in 48 of his 49 career games and caused at least one turnover in each game as a senior.

His 45 ground balls ranked him 16th overall in NEAC play as the Wells lacrosse defense posted the lowest goals-against average in team history in 2015. He concluded his career having played in 49 career games while ranking first in career caused turnovers (141) and caused turnovers-per-game (2.88). At the conclusion of his senior season, Hayden's 233 ground balls ranked him second all-time in school history and his 4.76 ground balls-per-game placed him fourth all-time in the team's eight-year history.

Then Wells College men's lacrosse head coach Christopher Bily had this to say about Hayden after leading the nation in caused turnovers-per-game as a junior before his senior season, "Hayden Shuster is a main focal point of our defense. A team captain going into his senior year, you saw what he was able to accomplish in only 10 games as a junior. He wants to learn every single game and is fundamentally sound - he has great positioning and excellent stick skills. At the end of the day, his statistics speak for themselves."

The two-time men's lacrosse team captain also excelled in the classroom as a two-time NEAC scholar-athlete and as a Ruth M. Dunlap Award for Excellence in Chemistry recipient. He parlayed his four appearances on the Wells College Dean's list to nine times at the Idaho State University's College of Pharmacy and is also a former Who's Who Among Students inductee. He was a member of the Rho Chi Society and Phi Lamba Sigma groups as a student. His passion for athletics remains today as a coach in Pocatello, Idaho.

In a brief question and answer segment with Hayden, we asked him to reflect on his time at Wells in looking back, while at the same time offering some advice to current and future Wells College student-athletes:

Wells College teams participated on and years of participation: Wells College Men's Lacrosse 2011-2015 (Spring sport = 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, but off-season participation in all "fall balls").

Current occupation: Immunology Medical Science Liaison for Bristol-Myers Squibb (answer off-label medical questions, provide un-biased scientific information to key opinion leaders, provide medical information for clinical trial sites).

Reasons for choosing Wells to continue your athletic career: I loved my on-campus visit at Wells. The people really make the Wells experience great, and the traditions are a wonderful thing to be a part of. Wells was also beautiful from the brick buildings to overlooking the lake, and that made an easy transition from the lake I grew up on.

Favorite memory of Wells College:  There isn't one thing that stands out as my favorite memory as I loved the entire experience. I have friends that I continue to rely on and visit this day, I met the love of my life at Wells, I was part of the men's odd line team, and helping grow and to be able to be a part of the lacrosse team was amazing. I guess my favorite memory was the Wells experience.

Advice you would give to current Wells College Student-Athletes: Time management is critical. Fine time to practice your sport, succeed in the classroom, and make time for friends and family. It's tough but do-able! Sometimes it takes a few years to figure it out, so don't worry too much about it right away either.