Connor Eck is a staple of lacrosse media, especially among the realm of division 3 athletes. He has been granted the name of ‘The D3 Hero’ due to his advocacy for the athletes and his sharing of his personal experiences.
He has been vocal about the poor treatment of some schools of their athletes and hopes to make an impact on players old and young. I had the chance to speak with him about his career and what brought him to that goal.
Early Life of Connor Eck
Eck’s journey into the lacrosse world was like many others. With parents who worried about his health, his path was much different. “I first picked up a stick when I was eight years old. My parents didn’t want me playing football, and my town had just started a lacrosse team for my age group.”
As time passed, he still played the game of lacrosse. However, once middle school hit, things became much different. He started playing club lacrosse out of season and shifted focus to the stick. Immediately after joining the club team, he knew he wanted to play college lacrosse. However, as seen by the nickname D3 hero, division 1 lacrosse was not in his future. However, after a few years, he would finally understand that he would not make it to the next level. This did not deter Eck but only motivated him further.
College Career
Connor Eck’s college career has been quite impressive. Playing for Rivier University, he found genuine playing time during his true freshman season. His 28 points in 9 games were electric, with 26 goals to only two assists. When given the minutes, he shined.
His sophomore campaign was during the 2021-22 season, and he was shown to be even more valuable. Starting in 17 of 18 games, his stats pop off the page. His 42 points trample his numbers from the previous year. However, he scored the same amount of goals as the year prior. Each of his new points was an assist, going from 2 in 9 games to 16 in 18 games. He is expected to take on a leadership position this upcoming season and should see a much higher workload.
Connor Eck Social Media Impact
Eck may not have had the same trip to success as he envisioned as a child, but he found it in his own way. He said to me, “Lacrosse has been a part of almost my whole life. The social media part came later. I always dreamed of being on The Lacrosse Network, and that dream became a reality. I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had through social media thus far it has taken me a long way.”
He may not have been a division 1 athlete, but that did not stop him from finding other incredible opportunities. Starting off just posting funny videos and jokes on TikTok relating to his daily life and lacrosse, he found a bit of a following. Once he gained more viewers, his focus differed. His nickname of ‘The D3 Hero’ refers to his content advocating for division 3 athletes or even making jokes about the differences between himself and the highest level. He stated, “Once the NIL announcement came out in 2021 I shifted my content to posts pretty much making fun of myself constantly. You always gotta have a sense of humor about yourself, and I even admit I’m not the best at lacrosse. I’m just the guy advocating for Division 3 athletes getting more respect.
End Goals for Connor Eck
Eck’s motive is to advocate for his peers and shows that division 3 athletes are not alone in their experiences. He told me, “My ultimate goal is to shed light on the struggles of being a Division 3 athlete. It is so relatable for those who play a division 3 sport to have similar experiences, and I use my TikTok to spread that ‘Division 3 Athletes Matter Too’.
Obviously, as a lacrosse player, Eck has some other goals in mind that do not relate to social media. He ended the interview by saying,
Of course, lacrosse wise is to keep playing to my standards and get my team a conference championship.
