Parker Ackerman likes both the physicality and finesse of the sport of lacrosse after also playing football and basketball in Oregon.
Versatile attackmen overcame injuries to receive recruiting offers from Flames’ men’s lacrosse
7/11/2024 6:00:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
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Parker Ackerman from Oregon and Ben Papendick from New Jersey inspired teammates, siblings with their work ethic, attitude.
Besides being the only players from their respective states on Liberty University's men's lacrosse team's 2024-25 roster, Parker Ackerman from Oregon and Ben Papendick from New Jersey have a few other things in common.
Both incoming recruits can play at either midfield or attack, both are planning to pursue B.S. in Business Administration — Finance degrees, and both have overcome serious injuries to emerge as viable players capable of making major impacts at the MCLA level.
Parker Ackerman was a three-sport athlete from near Portland, Ore.
Ackerman, a 5-foot, 11-inch, 180-pound three-sport athlete, has demonstrated tremendous potential in the sport since a helmet tackle to his hip derailed his football career on Oct. 28, 2021. That triggered a series of surgeries in January, February, and March 2022 to remove a hematoma in his blood stream that caused bleeding through his hamstring and a benign tumor in his hip.
"If didn't get that first surgery when I got it, I could have lost my leg, or died," said Ackerman, who has also healed from a hairline fracture in his femur that resulted in a bone infection. "My mom said God has a plan and His plan is greater than our plan."
Through his injuries, he focused on staying positive and being an encouragement and inspiration to his teammates from the sidelines.
"Being patient and trying to stay at peace and knowing that God was in control, I tried to keep the right attitude, to always be happy and smiling and trying to make the best of my situation," Ackerman said. "I've been at rock bottom, but always knew how good God was, and this experience really solidified that for me, that God can get me through anything."
Ackerman has shown steadfast commitment to Liberty's program, and remained on Head Coach Kyle McQuillan's recruiting radar, by making three trips from his home near Portland, Ore., to visit the Lynchburg, Va., campus since last July, when he participated in the U-19 Flames Futures summer camp before returning for the team's recruitment camp in August and committing to the program in September. He visited a third time with his family in March to see the Flames upset then-No. 2 Utah Valley University at the Liberty Lacrosse Fields.
"We really like his attitude and his work ethic," McQuillan said. "He's done a really good job of getting ready for his transition to college level lacrosse. He's a player who we expect will continue to get better and better as his career goes on at Liberty."
Ackerman said the sport combines the physicality of football, where he played wide receiver and safety, and the finesse of basketball, where he was a shooting guard for his high school team.
"What I love about lacrosse is the physicality of it," he said. "I like hitting players, having that tenacity to go after ground balls, and not being afraid to get hit, as well as using my agility and quickness to be able to dodge through people and to finish around the crease."
He also enjoys the emotional side of the sport.
"I like to come in and be a spark plug and get guys fired up," Ackerman said.
Ben Papendick scored 65 points and led his team in assists as a senior.
Papendick, a versatile and athletic 6-1, 185-pound player, planned to follow his family's path to become an NCAA Division I swimmer before tearing the labrum in his right shoulder, requiring surgery.
"I put everything into lacrosse after that," he said.
He later broke his hip in a snowboarding accident that sidelined him for his sophomore lacrosse season, but he has recovered from both injuries.
"I did question my faith at times and asked God, 'Why are You doing this to me?'" Papendick said. "But I can see clear as anything now that He always had a plan. Though it may not seem like the way I wanted it to happen, I could not be in a better place in my career than going to play lacrosse at Liberty."
He said after discovering Liberty through an online search, God gave him a desire to attend regardless of whether he was offered a position on the lacrosse team.
"My faith has always been important to me, and I thought it was surreal how you could have such a faith-centered university while still being so competitive," Papendick said. "I was planning to walk on, but trusted God through the process and was fortunate enough to earn that roster spot."
A team captain for his senior season of high school, Papendick is as much a catalyst as a scorer on attack.
"My strength has been understanding the game, and my vision as a feeder and my ability to go to both my right and my left hands," he said.
He leads primarily by example but has learned when the time is right to be vocal and how to set standards for his teammates with his actions and words both on and off the field. That comes naturally to him as the oldest of five siblings, including two sisters that swim and two brothers, Jonny and Nicky, who have also transitioned from swimming to lacrosse and could potentially follow him to Liberty in 2025 and 2029, respectively.
"We have always had success with brothers playing together, and we are interested in talking to his younger brother as well," McQuillan said, noting that Ben brought Jonny to the Flames' recruiting showcase last summer. "You can't teach size, and it's hard to teach athleticism, and Ben's got both of those things. We are excited about his potential in helping us in our transition game."
