Liberty Flames Lacrosse senior leads the team on national championship campaign

The University of Nebraska was Noah Rude’s dream school throughout high school. After graduation, Rude received offers from several Division III schools and was accepted to Nebraska, where he could have attempted to walk on and play lacrosse. 

Instead, Rude chose to come to Liberty and try out for the lacrosse team. 

According to Liberty Lacrosse Head Coach Kyle McQuillan, Rude had not been in close contact with the coaching staff before coming to the open tryouts in the fall of 2016. Though that approach typically does not bode well for players’ hopes of making the cut, Rude was confident in his abilities.

“I knew I was good enough to make the team,” Rude said. “I just couldn’t think about it too much and try too hard. I knew if I did that, I would be fine.”

Few players make the cut for the Flames team, which competes nationally at the club Division I MCLA level, and even fewer get accepted without being in extensive contact with the team before tryouts.

Rude proved to be an exception to the norm. His hard work and dedication to Liberty lacrosse have transformed nearly every aspect of his life in the last four years.

“I don’t want to say we are looking for diamonds in the rough, but sometimes we definitely are looking for some guys that need (to get) cleaned up a little bit and need a little bit of time and energy poured into them,” McQuillan said. “Noah was definitely one of those guys.”

A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Rude began playing lacrosse in third grade. His best friend’s father was the coach of a local club team and convinced Rude to try the sport. Rude also played football in middle and high school, but he quickly realized that lacrosse was his passion.

Coming into his freshman year, Rude was listed at 6 feet tall and 230 pounds. At the attack position, his size and stick ability convinced McQuillan that he was a player worth investing in.

Rude made the team as a walk-on and quickly developed friendships with his teammates. He looked to the older, experienced players for guidance and support as he progressed as a player.

One of the most significant examples of Rude’s growth during his time at Liberty has been in his physical fitness. During the summer between his junior and senior years, Rude worked hard to improve his diet and increase his speed and agility as a player. 

“(His health improvements) communicated to us as coaches that he was committed not only to getting better, but was willing to stick with something,” McQuillan said. “Anyone who has ever dieted before or tried to lose weight or have a physical transformation like he has knows how much energy and effort and dedication goes into that, and it was neat to be able to see him do that.”

Today Rude is listed at 6 feet, 1 inch tall and 190 pounds – a transformation that has allowed him to move from attack to midfield for his senior season.

“He has kind of revolutionized himself (on the field),” McQuillan said. “We moved him from attack to midfield, which is something we never would have done before. Middies are the guys who need to be up and down the field and need to be the fastest guys out there. The fact that (Noah) is now in that group of guys is a testament to his work ethic.”

McQuillan described Rude as one of the most “beloved” guys in the locker room, adding that while many people might see him as being quiet or shy, he is actually the “life of the party” on bus rides and helps to keep the team loose.

“Noah reminds me a lot of the time of making sure that we are having fun,” McQuillan said. “He prioritizes that. He doesn’t prioritize it over the things that are important to us like working hard in practice and staying focused on the task at hand, but he brings a lot of levity and joy to the team that we are definitely grateful for.”

During his four-year career, Rude has played in 22 games, scoring 16 goals and adding seven assists. While not being a prominent player on the stat sheet, Rude’s presence and work ethic have allowed him to play a crucial role on several high-achieving teams.

Last year, the Flames went a perfect 14-0 in the regular season before being eliminated by rival South Carolina in both the conference and national tournaments. 

The stinging losses to end the last three seasons have left Rude hopeful to finally get over the hump in his senior campaign.

“Winning the conference has been very doable since I’ve been here,” Rude said. “But to do it as a senior with this group of guys that I started out with here would mean a lot more.”

Weaner is a sports reporter. Follow him on Twitter.