BYU’s Chris Severson took the lacrosse season by storm in 2016, becoming one of the best scorers and play makers in the nation as a freshman.
Severson scored 41 goals this past season and quickly forced teams to focus their defensive game plans for him. Even with opponents attempting to slow him down, he scored three goals against Utah State, then followed it up by scoring four against UNLV and Boise State. Severson then went on to score a hat trick in each of the next three games.
Severson continued his scoring flurry throughout the season. He was named to the All-American Third Team and the All-RMLC First Team and was the RMLC Freshman of the Year. Severson’s strong offensive game helped lead BYU to the quarterfinals of the MCLA national tournament.
Severson’s mother Mykel knew lacrosse was the sport for her son when he first started playing lacrosse as an 11-year-old in South Jordan.
“I was excited because he had tried several other sports and just hadn’t found one that he clicked with,” Mykel said. “First practice, he came home and that was it — that was the game for the rest of his life.”
Severson began working hard to improve his game, and the results followed. People who watched Severson could tell he was destined for success.
“Anybody who watched Chris play at a young age or throughout the years knew that Chris was going to be this good,” said Marshall Kay, Chris’ high school coach. “With his love for the game and … his heart and dedication, he was always going to be successful.”
Severson went on to play in high school, where he was also a goal-scoring machine. He decided he wanted to play lacrosse at the next level.
“My junior year I led the state in scoring, and my sophomore year I realized that I loved the game so much,” Severson said. “So between those two years, I decided that I wanted to keep playing as long as I could.”
Severson received a lot of attention in high school because of his lacrosse playing and was invited to play in the Adrenaline Senior Showcase on national TV.
“I remember watching that, not knowing where Chris would end up, and I believe he had two or three goals within the first quarter of the game,” Kay said. “It was super impressive to watch somebody on the national stage.”
Severson hasn’t relied on his natural talent alone to become the player he is today.
“I spent most of the time in my summers running, lifting, playing wallball and going out and taking shots,” Severson said. “I’d say that it’s pretty much all hard work, and then also the players around me, too. I’ve been blessed to play with some of the best players in the state of Utah growing up.”
At 5’6″ and 165 pounds, Severson definitely isn’t the biggest player on the field, but he uses his size and work ethic to his advantage.
“He’s just a hard-working kid,” said teammate Josh Tunick. “He’s the first one to practice every morning. He’s always trying to find ways to get better; always working to improve every aspect of the game.”
