Paul Skulski, senior midfielder and captain for Cabrini’s men’s lacrosse team, picked up a lacrosse stick for the first time in seventh grade. He hasn’t wanted to put it down since.
“I played tons of sports when I was younger but as soon as I started playing lacrosse, I knew it was going to be with me for a long time,” Skulski said.
Cabrini teammate and junior defenseman John McSorley describes Skulski as being a true athlete at his core.
“Paul is one of the most athletic people that I have ever been around in my entire life,” McSorley said. “He is the type of kid that can pick up something for the first time and make it look like he has been doing it for years.”
Skulski played lacrosse throughout his four years of high school at Garnet Valley. He knew he wanted to continue his career at the college level and chose to do so at Cabrini for many reasons.
“I liked Cabrini because it was local and known for having a great lacrosse program,” Skulski said. “I also knew some guys on the team so that made me feel comfortable. Coach Colfer really reached out to me and made sure we had a lot of contact.”
Skulski credits coach Colfer as a big influence on his success and his high school coach, Pat Ryan, for building him into the player he is today.
“Coach Ryan gave me a great foundation and coach Colfer has really fine-tuned my skills and turned me into a strong college player,” Skulski said.
His coaches haven’t been the only influences on his career. He has always looked to his older brother, M.J., as an example in life and in sports.
“My older brother M.J. played lacrosse, so I started when he did. I always wanted to be just like him,” Skulski said.
Now, Skulski gets to return the favor because as a senior, he is known as a big brother figure for the younger players on the team.
“Paul leads by example on and off the field,” McSorley said. “I think that the young guys look up to him on the offensive side of the ball the most.”
Skulski tries to be an effective leader through stressing the importance of teamwork. He believes that the team has made great strides in meshing together since the beginning of the season and has truly come together as a unit.
“I feel like there is really a bright future in store for the Cabrini lacrosse program,” Skulski said. “Lots of the younger guys have been scoring the goals and really stepping up, so I only see the team getting better in the future.”
By being such a dominant force for the Cavs, Skulski challenges the other players on the team to raise their game to the next level.
“He is someone that I have been looking up to since I became his teammate three years ago and the guy I like to go against in practice everyday to try and make myself a better player,” McSorley said.
Skulski has his eyes on winning the conference and leading the Cavs to playoff victories. His dream playoff matchup would be against local rival Haverford in order to get revenge for a heartbreaking loss in the beginning of the season.
Skulski is a marketing major and will be interning this summer. He has an open mind for his career after graduating from Cabrini, but he knows lacrosse will always be a part of his life, whether it’s as a Cavalier or not.
The team will definitely feel the loss of Skulski after he graduates. He has over 100 career goals and 200 career points as a Cavalier. However, the legacy he leaves will be about a lot more than lacrosse.
“As great of a player as Paul is on the field, he is an even better friend off the field,” McSorley said. “He is the type of guy that would do anything for anyone. He always has a smile on his face and wants to have fun.”
