“Maryland has been impressive, taking a 13-game win streak into the tournament. They are the most balanced team in the field. Brown has had a breakout season. Denver’s offense is potent. Notre Dame once again has the best defense in the nation. Teams like Marquette and Air Force have quickly risen up the ranks. 2016 has been defined by parity, unpredictable results and chaos.”
This weekend’s start of the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship marks analyst/reporter Quint Kessenich’s 22nd Lacrosse Championship with ESPN.
The former All-American goalkeeper at Johns Hopkins will be in studio for the first round of the Lacrosse Championship alongside host Anish Shroff, before hitting the road for the quarterfinals and championship weekend with Eamon McAnaney and Paul Carcaterra.
Front Row caught up with Kessenich to talk about his recent workload, the upcoming tournament and his telecast partners.
What’s the most challenging stretch of assignments you’ve had?
March and April are my busiest months – wrapping up the winter sports while simultaneously starting lacrosse. I had 24 shows in a six-week period covering the Big Ten basketball tournament, NCAA Wrestling, NCAA Hockey, college lacrosse and the McDonald’s All-American high school game.
The time management reminds me of when I was a multi-sport athlete in high school – you can’t waste an hour. I enjoy the preparation, research, watching tape, going to practices and talking to players and coaches. The travel is the challenging part as long as I get my daily hour for a workout (a run, weights or a Bikram yoga class). The connection to mind, body, diet and sleep can’t be undervalued.
It’s exhilarating to work with professionals like Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, Sean McDonough, Mike Tirico, Dick Vitale, Jay Williams, Dan Dakich, John Buccigross, Barry Melrose, Anthony Robles, Jalen Rose, Louis Riddick, Bill Polian and Adam Amin, not to mention the talented producers, directors, camera operators and behind-the-scene production folks who contribute so much to what we do. Whenever I see a familiar face on a new show it settles me down – working amongst teammates has its rewards. I try to take a bit of the best of what I hear from those announcers and incorporate it into my lacrosse analysis.
Describe your relationship with Eamon and Paul.
Eamon, Paul and I are good friends – we enjoy spending time together and are all extremely passionate about lacrosse. We care about the game and push each other. We are all in similar stages of life as fathers, so much of our non-lacrosse discussions are about the challenges we face at home.
