It’s not a given for a high school student-athlete to earn a scholarship to play collegiately in their respective sport. The chances are overall reasonably small. Even rarer is for an athlete to do what Habersham Central’s Lincoln Wright has done. That is, to earn the opportunity to play a sport that doesn’t even exist at your high school.
Wright has signed to play lacrosse at Mars Hill University in North Carolina, becoming the first known male from HCHS to receive a scholarship to play college lacrosse. For the senior Wright, the game is still relatively new to him, which makes his accomplishment that much more impressive.
“I got into lacrosse while I was living in New York because my dad was in the military,” says Wright. “I played my first time while I was in eighth grade, but on JV. I have little experience with playing because I played one season with Carthage High School (NY) and one summer in New York.”
Wright did play football for the Raiders and threw discus in track and field for two years.
“One day, I was working out at my local gym, and some guy came up to me and talked to me about Mars Hill, so I looked the school up and found the coach for lacrosse,” says Wright on how the opportunity came about. “After a few days of talking to him, I went on my official visit and fell in love with the school, and I got to play the sport I have always wanted to play.”
While the sport has continued to grow in popularity, it hasn’t quite made it north of Hall County at the high school level. That absence truly made the heart grow fonder for Wright.
“I have always loved the sport, and I was hoping Habersham would start a team while I still attended there, but they did not,” adds Wright. “It means a lot to me because most kids in Hab do not have dreams of playing sports after high school, but by signing to a sport we don’t even have, I hope it will give others after me the hope to chase their dream of playing in college.”
Driving force
Wright was mostly dual-enrolled with college courses and COVID-19 gave him more free time to pay attention to his classes. Whether on the field or in the classroom, he had a driving force beyond what most people use as motivation. Wright draws from the tragic 2017 passing of his sister, Kennedy, in an auto accident.
“My sister (Kennedy) passing has been very hard for me because me and her have always been super close,” he says. “Her passing has made me want to be the best at everything; we have always played sports together to make each other better, which is why I have tried so hard since her passing to be able to play after high school because she didn’t get the chance.”
Kennedy, who the family nicknamed “Smurf,” has a lasting impact on her brother, and the two were seemingly inseparable.
“She played a big part in Lincoln’s life,” says the kids’ mom Leah Misenik. “There was no Lincoln without Kennedy. They were 11 months apart to the day and were constantly asked if they were twins and best friends.”
Wright says his sister’s dream was to play college basketball, and he wants to do all he can to keep her dream alive, even if it looks a little different.
“I have made a 180 in my life since Kennedy passed because I want to be everything my sister wanted for me to become,” adds Wright. “My sister has been the push I needed to be the best I can be. It was hard at first because she was my best friend. She was always there for me through everything. My sister’s dream was to play basketball after high school, but I wasn’t too good at basketball, so I knew after her passing, I needed to finish what she started as being the first in the family to play a sport in college on a scholarship.”
The objective is complete for Lincoln Wright, who will continue his playing career at Mars Hill. However, the overall goal is one that he will likely never consider finished. He’ll center his life on being the best he can to make his sister proud. That’s a lifelong endeavor that Wright will use to overcome any obstacle in his path.
