Over the course of his career, Gonos has gone through a metamorphosis, according to his coach, from the quiet but talented player who arrived on campus in 2009.

“I started coaching [Harvard] when Jason was a sophomore,” Wojcik said. “He was a starter then, but kind of a quiet, hard-working guy who would just do everything he could to do his job. Since then, I think he has really opened up and become much more of a vocal leader.”

This was a challenging but necessary transformation, according to Gonos.

“I’m a pretty quiet person,” he said. “And as a freshman, you’re very focused on yourself and trying to do everything you can to get yourself ready to help out the team. As a senior, I’ve learned that it’s not just about how you can get yourself ready to contribute. You’re responsible for getting everybody else on the team better too. I’ve tried to become more vocal and find more ways to get the freshmen involved in the game to make the whole team better, from the bottom to the top.”

One of the biggest challenges for the captain has been leading a team that relies heavily on its youth to win games.

The Crimson managed to land the nation’s fourth-best recruiting class this year, highlighted by the second- and fourth- highest ranked recruits in the country: defenseman Robert Duvnjak and attackman Devin Dwyer.

Both have excelled this year, as Dwyer leads the team in points and Duvnjak leads it in forced turnovers.

“Over the summer Jason sent out a letter to all of us,” Duvnjak said. “He explained what it was going to be like being on the team and really just tried to welcome all of us freshman in. I didn’t really know what was going on, but he sort of showed me around and taught me a lot. Jason is a great leader both for me personally and for the team.”

Coming into the season, expectations were high for both Gonos and his team. Gonos was named a preseason honorable mention All-American and has since helped Harvard’s defense hold opponents to 9.67 goals per game. The defender even scored his first career goal in the Crimson’s second game against Holy Cross.

“We have a new defensive system this year,” Gonos said. “But it’s one that we did my freshman year. A big thing for us has been trying to teach it to the younger guys, through watching film and working on our own outside of the scheduled practice with the coaches. We’ve been trying to get it to the point where it is more reacting rather than thinking, and that takes a lot of work.”

So far, Harvard is 6-6 overall and 2-2 in the Ivy League, a conference that boasts four teams ranked in the nation’s top 20.

“We have so many great leaders and players, and I knew I could rely on each and every one of them,” Gonos said.

“While I knew that I had a lot of responsibility as captain and I embraced that, it hasn’t been just me stepping up and leading this team, everyone has done their part.”

OFF THE FIELD

Lacrosse is not the only thing that characterizes the student-athletes chosen as finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. The award also recognizes players who excel in the classroom and in public service.