Second year lacrosse player stars on the field - and on YouTube

The Detroit Mercy men’s lacrosse team has battled through a lot of adversity this year.

Between injuries to key players, numerous road games and having to practice at a local high school before dawn, grit has become a main theme of their season.

But one player has picked up a new hobby that’s quickly become a bright spot for the entire team. Sophomore Will Edell has started a vlog this season, capturing candid moments on the team bus and inside the locker room.

The videos, which have racked up thousands of views on YouTube, include first-person musings as well as impromptu interviews with teammates. In one vlog, he quizzes other players on their go-to gas

station food as they make a pit-stop on the road. In another, he asks a long-locked teammate to describe his haircare routine.

Edell said he invested in a nice camera to record the action along with a number of attachments, in- cluding a microphone enhancer, new camera grip and other accessories. He said he first became interested

in vlogging after taking some film classes in middle school and high school.
“My favorite part about vlogging for the team is getting to capture all the moments of our trips that don’t in- volve lacrosse,” Edell said. “I really like being able to show other people what playing lacrosse and college is like and enjoy their reactions.”

Edell has had a great YouTube response. His top rated video, about a trip down to Columbus, Ohio, to

play Ohio State, has more than 850 views. His YouTube channel is clos- ing in on 100 subscribers.
“Some of the guys really liked being in the videos while other guys prefer not to be on camera,” teammate Kyle Loken, a junior, said. “It’s really fun to partake in the vlog and the guys look forward to watching them and seeing Will’s final product.”

Edell said he hopes to keep mak- ing videos but wants to branch out beyond his current expertise.

“I think now that I have a camera there’s a lot of things that I’d like to do,” he said. “I want to try to create a few more vlogs that don’t relate to lacrosse. And I also plan on getting into photography and taking all kinds of pictures.”

Edell is likely to have more videos this season. You can view them on YouTube by searching “Will Edell.”