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player here, but I think for him it was always an important part of his experience and he always appreciated just being a part of it. He always made every day a little better for me — just having him out there." In practice, Lantz, a 5-11, 180-pound defender, spearheaded the man-down scout team, which Starsia took to calling "Dan's unit." The unit's job was to give Virginia's extra-man group a good idea of what to expect from upcoming opponents. "He just took ownership of that," Starsia said. "He understood what we needed in the program and was willing to do those kinds of things to help the operation go smoothly." Over the years, Starsia has had a couple ROTC players, including Josh Bradstreet from the 1999 championship team. Lantz admits that juggling all of his responsibilities is sometimes tough. "I just try and keep my nose to the grindstone and just work every day," he said. "I'm fortunate that I've had leaders in both programs that have really allowed me some flexibility on both ends of the spectrum. "It's a challenge, but something that I've grown into and I think I can benefit from later on in life." While at Virginia, Lantz has been on the Dean's List, and in 2011 and 2012 he won the Doyle Smith Award, which goes to the UVa lacrosse player with the highest GPA. Lantz has also been a star by ROTC standards. Out of 5,500 cadets in the nation, he ranked in the top 6 percent. The ranking takes into account grade-point averages and scores at summer leadership camps. "He's a really nice guy, and charismatic person and leader," Virginia Professor of Military Science Mike Binetti said. "He's involved with his fraternity, he's involved with the lacrosse team, he's involved with ROTC. He's doing well in all aspects. "The ability to manage his personal time and keep multiple glass balls in the air is a testament to his dedication and having a long-term vision of what he wants to do." In June, Lantz will head to Fort Lewis in the Tacoma, Wash., area for a three-month assignment. In August, he'll go to Fort Benning, Ga., to start infantry officer training. Lantz has a four-year commitment, which he is very excited about. "I didn't really want to sit in an office for the next four years," he said. "You graduate at 22, in the best shape of your life — man wasn't meant to sit behind an Excel spreadsheet." Lantz, who majored in Middle Eastern foreign affairs, hopes to attend graduate school after he has completed his military commitment. Lantz believes high-level athletics and the military parallel each other — especially from a teamwork and physical exertion standpoint. "I think being out here every day and not being the best player knocks you down a peg and teaches you a little humility in dealing with people and overcoming adversity," he said. Starsia said his program benefitted in many ways from having a player like Lantz. "He was a great value to me and to the team to have him be there and serve as an example and a role model to some of his perhaps less mature, but better lacrosse-playing teammates," Starsia said. Lantz said the experience he had at Virginia will be something he cherishes forever. He calls Starsia "an incredibly gifted teacher of the game of life." "It's funny — he uses sports as almost a medium to teach young men how to grow up," Lantz said. "It's been cool to hear his wisdom and the way he approaches the world. A lot of the things he says kind of play in my mind as I've matured through the program. "I can envision myself a few years down the road screaming the same stuff he screams at us." ◆