Fred Addy Leads St. Mark's into 2010

By James Joseph
WSL Senior Features Writer

St. Mark’s midfielder Fred Addy will be heading to Princeton next fall to play lacrosse at one of the nation’s most storied college programs.

Addy’s father, William, was an All-Ivy League linebacker for Princeton in the 1980s, and the school was Addy’s “first choice,” he said.

“Right when I heard they were interested, I had my sights set on Princeton,” said Addy, who is ranked No. 8 among high school seniors in the Western United States, according to the WSL Elite 25 selection committee. But while he can look forward to an exciting future at Princeton, Addy is living in the present. He has one more season – and some unfinished business – at St. Mark’s.

“The one thing I’d like to do more than anything else before I leave high school is bring a state championship to St. Mark’s,” said the 6-foot, 185-pound Addy, who played for the 2007 and 2009 St. Mark’s teams that were state runners-up. 

Addy’s attitude makes him “a great model for student athletes” in the St. Mark’s program, Lions coach Hayward Lee said.

“Fred, thankfully, is focused on what he needs to do now,” Lee said. “We’ve still got some things to accomplish both individually and collectively as a team at the high school level, and I know Fred is going to focus on our team’s success first and his individual improvement second. And that’s what makes him such a wonderful kid to coach is he’s interested in the team doing well and getting better every day.”

Addy would like to improve his “ability to cut through the crease and catch a ball on the crease and put it in the net,” he said. He also said he wants to become more adept at “the really advanced stick skills.”

But Addy, who scored 25 goals and added eight assists last season, as St. Mark’s went 17-4, already is among the top prep talents in the Western United States. He combines good stick and shooting skills with speed, quickness and the ability to attack and break down defenses with his dodging.

“He’s been a productive offensive player for us,” Lee said. “And he really elevated his game defensively as well.”

Addy showed potential of even bigger and better things to come during the summer, when Lee took his players to Baltimore to face some of the nation’s top talent. Addy excelled during the trip and left an indelible image with an impressive goal against a Johns Hopkins-bound middie.

“It was just a scrimmage, not a playoff game, but I think that was a really good moment for his confidence, and it showed that he could play against as good a players as there are anywhere,” Lee said.

He’ll get a chance to face the nation’s best at Princeton. But, first things first, there’s a state title to win in Texas.