NY Native Lax Star Plays Through Nasty Injury, Cites Veteran Shot 27 Times

One of our favorite stories from Memorial Day came from the world of sports, and specifically, came from the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse national championship game. The game itself was a classic, with third-seeded Notre Dame upsetting the top overall seed, Duke, by a final of 13-9.

The story of the game, however, quickly became that of Pat Kavanagh, a two-time Tewaaraton Trophy Finalist, and the adversity he battled through in order to participate in the championship game.

The New York native shared an incredible story after the game about his inspiration for playing through the pain, one that we should all keep in-mind when life gets difficult.

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NY Native Kavanagh Cites Navy SEAL Vet for Inspiration to Play Through Injury

A story from OutKick and other outlets shared the story of Pat Kavanagh, a senior attack on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosse team, who made headlines for his perseverance through significant injury down the stretch in the NCAA Men's Lacrosse tournament.

Kavanagh was battling through a significant hamstring injury, so significant in fact, that you could see visible bruising from the injury happening on the back of his knee. Take a look at this image, captured on Twitter:

Despite that gnarly-looking injury, Kavanagh, the team's leading point scorer this season, suited up for the game and played through immeasurable pain. He recorded one assist, one shot on goal, and one memory that will last a lifetime.

Though his effort garnered him a great deal of attention, it was comments he made during a postgame interview that truly launched him into the pantheon of college lacrosse legends.

Check out his comments here:

Given that this game happened on Sunday, one day before Memorial Day, this was an especially moving tribute from Kavanagh and his teammates ahead of the national title game.

Check out more about the Navy SEAL, Mike Day, that Kavanagh referenced:

What Kavanagh was speaking about, and what Day embodied throughout his service, is perseverance. Whether it's a sports game, a major project at work, or something as simple as a tough day, the ability to persevere and fight through adversity is what gets us all to "the other side" of our hardships.

It's an incredible message, and one that rings especially true each and every Memorial Day.