MLAX Senior Reflection: Zachary Melillo
4/30/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
This is part of a series on the Marquette experiences of the men's lacrosse team's 2018 senior class.
Zachary Melillo, an advertising major, will finish his career as Marquette's all-time leader in face-off wins and percentage. The two-time All-BIG EAST Second Team selection has been named to the league's honor roll five times in his career and is sixth among active NCAA Division I face-off specialists in career wins.
1. What is your proudest moment as a Marquette lacrosse player?
Zachary Melillo: My proudest moment as a Marquette player was getting our first win of the season in 2016, which was my first win in over a year.
2. What is your most memorable experience with the team?
Melillo: My most memorable experience with the team would have to be on my official visit. I was hosted by a couple of the seniors at the time. It was about dinnertime so the guys picked me up and we went to one of their favorite places to eat. Once we sat down at our table the guys started to pile their phone in the middle of the table. They turned to me and said "pass your phone" ââ'¬¦ to them this was normal but to me this was not.
I complied, still confused as to why they added my phone to the pile. They explained that the stack of phones represented shutting off any distractions that would take them away from being in the moment and investing in the relationships across the table. When I saw that display of love, I knew this was the place for me.
3. What's the best advice you could offer future Marquette lacrosse players?
Melillo: I'd encourage any future Marquette lacrosse player to continue the culture of investing in the relationships around them, while building new ones. Marquette offers a unique networking opportunity by attracting a quality student body supported by fantastic faculty members. Oh, and invest in TSA PreCheck. It's something I wish I had done.
4. What has motivated you?
Melillo: Never wanting to disappoint the people around me is what motivates me.
5. Most memorable game? Why?
Melillo: The most memorable game for me was the 2016 BIG EAST Championship in Denver, Colorado. Going into the championship game, as an underdog to the No. 1 ranked team in the country, on its home field was nerve-wracking; they had just beaten us a week prior. We were down 7-4 at halftime and came back to win the game with a full team effort, 10-9.
6. What have you learned that you will take with you as you move on from MU?
Melillo: What I have learned that I'll take with me as I move forward beyond lacrosse is that everything happens for a reason. The sequence of events that had to happen in order for me to be able to come to Marquette University was incalculable. The previous institution I attended wasn't the best fit for me, so I entertained the idea of transferring. My family and I thought we knew the best option for me at the time, which was to stay in state, but I was not released to that institution. I fought the appeal and lost the case; accepting the fact that I wouldn't be playing lacrosse in 2016.
Luckily, New Jersey native, former player and staff member B.J. Grill had heard of my intentions to transfer and put Coach Amplo in contact with me. The thought of going to school in Wisconsin was unimaginable for my father, not to mention, I didn't even know where Marquette was located. However, he stubbornly agreed to appease my request and take the visit just to make me happy. After meeting the coaches, players and staff members, my father and I knew this was the place for me.
Reflecting back, I would never have dreamed that I would be graduating as part of a program that won two BIG EAST Championships. The chain of events and the great people I met along the way remind me each and every day to have faith because everything truly does happen for a reason.
