Harrison Keith ’27 has been playing lacrosse for as long as he can remember. He began his career in second grade and continued into high school, where he played as a starting offensive midfielder for Choate Rosemary Hall. At Choate, he also started on the football team as a safety.
Despite his love for both sports, Keith knew that pursuing football in college would be the right decision — his recruitment status for football was better. So, he committed to Dartmouth for football and, during his freshman year, spent a year off the lacrosse field.
That absence didn’t last long.
“I spent freshman year without lacrosse, and I missed it,” Keith said. “I knew I wanted to pick it up again.”
So, after the football season ended, he decided to contact the lacrosse coaching staff and take on the ambitious goal of joining a second varsity team. He ultimately became a two-sport athlete this January.
Playing at the Division 1 level while balancing a rigorous Ivy League workload is a challenge that few can tackle. Keith, now a member of both the football and lacrosse teams, faces the prospect of mastering not just one sport, but two. His ability to transition between disciplines has set him apart, making Keith not just a key player on both teams but also a unique presence in Dartmouth athletics, his coaches say.
Keith played a key role on the football team as a defensive back this past season, filling in as the Big Green’s starting safety. The team finished 8-2, with Keith posting 10 total tackles in nine games played. As the spring season begins, adjusting to lacrosse will prove to be no small feat for Keith — especially given the physical and mental demands of both sports. Luckily for Keith, his style of football play may translate well to the lacrosse field, according to football head coach Sammy McCorkle.
“I see his ability to play safety, his ability to cover ground quickly, transferring to lacrosse on defense,” McCorkle said.
Keith, too, knew he could be an asset on the lacrosse team. He explained that football has given him a “physicality that [he] can bring to lacrosse.”
Keith will also improve as an overall athlete. McCorkle highlighted the potential benefits that Keith will glean from both sports, explaining that playing lacrosse during the football offseason will help Keith work on his conditioning, speed work and physicality.
“He is one of the hardest working individuals you’ll come across,” McCorkle said. “Not just physically, but also as a student of the game.”
Keith’s commitment to both sports, combined with his work off the field, has not gone unnoticed. McCorkle described him as a quiet leader who is respected by his teammates for the intensity he brings not just to playing football but also to studying the sport through film.
“When Harrison speaks up, people listen and they respect him,” McCorkle said. “And that’s because he backs up everything he says.”
With his first lacrosse season kicking off just last month, Keith has already made a name for himself. Men’s lacrosse head coach Sean Kirwan spoke extensively about Keith’s presence, stating that “the team couldn’t ask for a better addition in the locker room.” Thus far, Keith has led by example as “a student of the game,” setting a bar for performance that has improved not just his play but also that of his teammates, Kirwan said.
Kirwan also noted that Keith has had to deal with rust, given his year-long break from competitive lacrosse. While his teammates gave him a “grace period,” Kirwan noted that Keith wanted to have an immediate impact. Ultimately, Keith found the adjustment to be a fairly easy one.
“Joining the team was an adjustment at first, but pretty easy,” Keith said. “That’s a testament to the culture Kirwan has built.”
Members of the lacrosse team have expressed enthusiasm about Keith joining the squad. According to Kirwan, Keith brings not just leadership skills and an unrivaled work ethic, but also the winning mentality of the Big Green football team, which has won back-to-back championships over the last two seasons. That mentality is desperately needed, as the lacrosse team is coming off of a tough season of 3-10. However, according to Kirwan, this year’s squad has high aims for a much stronger showing in 2025.
The addition of Keith to the team is part of a larger effort to build depth on the lacrosse roster, Kirwan said. Keith’s talent, combined with his demonstrated ability to perform on a championship roster, will make this season worthwhile, he added.
The team’s goals to revamp are already being felt with Keith on board. He scored the game-winning goal against Bucknell University on Feb. 15, and his impact will only grow as he continues to integrate into the team, according to Kirwan. That dynamic makes Keith one of the major Dartmouth players to look out for as the lacrosse season progresses.
“He represents what a Dartmouth student-athlete is in his mindset, work ethic, his passion for the sport,” McCorkle said. “He is a great representative of the Dartmouth football team, and of Dartmouth.”
