Dual threat: How a South Bay athlete is juggling two high school sports at same time
Live Oak's Ben Ledwith plays both lacrosse and golf. He hopes to trailblaze a path for other athletes to play multiple sports.
MORGAN HILL — On most days, Live Oak’s Ben Ledwith has barely any room in the trunk of his car.
He has to fit lacrosse gear, golf clubs and a school bag filled with AP textbooks into his Jeep Wrangler before he drives to the Morgan Hill campus.
Ledwith is doing something that is not common in this era of specialization. The 6-foot-1 senior is playing two sanctioned high school sports – lacrosse and golf – in the same season.
He is thriving at both.
“I think I can set the bar for people to realize you can do different things and try multiple sports,” Ledwith said.
His busy schedule this spring followed a fall season in which he was the long snapper on Live Oak’s football team.
The activities have not affected his studies. He carries a 4.71 GPA and will be playing club lacrosse at UCLA next year.
Live Oak coaches and other athletes have taken notice. They believe Ledwith is setting an example for others to play multiple sports.
“We’re happy to see him playing both sports,” Live Oak golf coach Mark Cummins said. “We want our student-athletes to learn many life lessons while they’re playing sports. He’s done very well managing, going from golf to lacrosse while also having such a high GPA. He’s just been a model for other student-athletes to look at.”
Playing sports was a must in the Ledwith household.
Ben’s dad, Brad Ledwith, won the NCAA Division II baseball national championship with Cal Poly in 1989. His twin brother, Nolan, recently committed to Concordia University to play lacrosse.
“My mother-in-law asked me once, ‘What would happen if your kids didn’t like sports?’ Brad Ledwith said jokingly. “I told her, ‘I’m not sure that they would be part of this family.’
“Sports is something that teaches life lessons and I wanted to instill that into my kids early.”
Ledwith’s lacrosse career at Live Oak got off to a good start as he made the varsity team as a freshman. But a torn ACL forced him to miss his sophomore season.
The time away from lacrosse opened another door for Ledwith.
While recovering from the injury, he was convinced by his dad to try out for Live Oak’s golf team.
“I honestly thought it was just a sport for older people to play,” Ledwith said. “When I tore my ACL, I was just really down in a hole because I love sports and it was my outlet to dealing with my problems. After my dad told me to try out, I fell in love with golf. I just kept practicing, and I just kept getting better and better.”
Since last spring, Ledwith has played golf and lacrosse simultaneously.
And this season, he convinced two of his lacrosse teammates, freshman Sawyer Drago and senior Ryan Forbis, to join the golf team.
“We’re all really close,” Forbis said about the bond he has with Ledwith and Drago. “We go to golf matches together and go to lacrosse practice right after. It’s been cool to spend all day together to play golf and lacrosse.”
On the lacrosse field, Ledwith has been a team captain for two years and is the Acorns’ best offensive player this season. He is averaging 2.3 goals per game on a Live Oak team that is currently in first place in the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
“He embodies the pure leadership aspect of a captain,” Live Oak lacrosse coach Gavin Herr said. “I couldn’t respect him more. He’s been integral in this offense and this throughout the season.
On the golf course, Ledwith is Live Oak’s No. 4 golfer and has already helped the Acorns capture a share of the league title.
“He’s been a great role model for the rest of the players on the team,” Cummins said. “There’s no complaining because we have Ben, who’s playing two sports at the same time while having a 4.0 GPA. He’s been a great leader for our younger players and our freshman, showing them the way.”
Ledwith maintains a regimented schedule to keep himself focused.
That includes getting his school work done immediately after practice and to bed before 10 every night.
“It’s definitely challenging,” Ledwith said. “I have to be very good at time management. I try to plan out a schedule before my day … I can’t waste a single minute or second of my day.”
Ledwith has his sights set on continuing his athletic career in Southern California. UCLA has one of the better club lacrosse teams on the West Coast.
“I’m just so grateful for the opportunity,” Ledwith said. “I think it’s absolutely amazing that I get to keep playing lacrosse for another four years. I’m just going to continue to use what I’ve learned and play at the next level.”
