Two-sport star athlete Mac Bredahl graduates this spring after leaving his mark on the Tufts athletics world. Bredahl, a senior from Chatham, New Jersey, is an attacker and captain of the Tufts men’s lacrosse team as well as a top player for the Tufts golf team in the fall. Despite his seasons as a Jumbo being cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bredahl has made the most of every second on the field.
As a sophomore in 2020, he was named Inside Lacrosse’s 2020 Breakout Player of the Year for all of Division III, and as a junior last year, he was named both NESCAC and New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Player of the Year. He was also named to USILA Dynamic All-American first team after leading the Jumbos with 69 points. He also led the NESCAC in both assists and points per game.
Eighteen games into his senior campaign, Bredahl is leading Tufts and the NESCAC in points, with 116 on the season, comprising of 61 goals and 55 assists. It is rare for a player as dominant as Bredahl to have such an equal number of goals and assists. The equality of these stats shows not only that Bredahl can finish, but he can also see the field very well and set his teammates up for success.
Bredahl highlighted the importance of his team and coaches more than the importance of any wins or seasons over the course of his four years on the team. He values all the time spent with his teammates, not necessarily on the lacrosse field but in the smaller moments in the locker room or socializing.
“My advice [for a first-year]: I would just say, and I think a lot of you hear it all the time, but the time really does fly by so there’s not really a second to waste,” Bredahl said.
Throughout his time at Tufts, Bredahl has received many accolades, but perhaps the two most impressive came before and during his senior season. Going into this season, Bredahl was named Division III Preseason Player of the Year and partially through the season, he was added to the Tewaaraton Watch List. The Tewaaraton Award is an award that recognizes the best collegiate player, across all three divisions. On a list filled with Division I players, Bredahl was one of the few Division III players to be included, showing his amazing level of play. Despite receiving these impressive awards, Bredahl is very humble and credits his team for these successes.
“I think it’s important to note that we have a very, very good team," Bredahl said. “I happen to get those accolades, but it’s not just me. We have a really, really sound team all around.”
Bredahl, a leader on the field, is also deemed a leader off the field by his teammates. Tufts has a unique team culture that the players pride themselves on. Bredahl attributes many of the lessons he has learned through his collegiate career to this culture.
“Being grateful is something that we really emphasize and I think that’s really cool,” he said. “The things that we do really aren’t that tough in the grand scheme of things, so [keep] that in perspective and everything from there kind of takes care of itself.”
Bredahl is an example for other players on his team to look to. His teammates say that he exemplifies his love and commitment to the team and sport in everything he does, both on and off the field. Bredahl is constantly working to make himself and those around him better. He takes his responsibility as a leader of the team very seriously while maintaining an open and supportive relationship with his teammates.
“It’s not just what he does on the field. … He’s checking in with guys, looking at our goal sheets, making sure that we’re all on track,” first-year Owen Sedransk said. “And yes, he’s always working on his craft, but he’s always willing to teach others and bring guys along, which is not only making himself better, but it makes the entire team better.”
Bredahl has brought intensity and determination to the athletic community at Tufts during his four years. Bredahl is not sure what he is going to do after graduation, but he may take his game elsewhere to see what else he can accomplish.
