Zach Bye, a 21-year-old attacker for Redbirds Lacrosse, U0 Arts, has quickly made a name for himself in his first year at McGill. Hailing from Greenwich, Connecticut, Bye has started his McGill lacrosse career with a bang. The freshman has been named McGill Athlete of the Week twice this season and has been a driving force behind the team’s success this year.

Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, Bye began his career at the age of seven at Fox Lane Youth Lacrosse Club, later playing for The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut. He played both hockey and lacrosse throughout his youth but initially chose to focus on hockey after graduating high school. Before coming to McGill, Bye spent two years playing junior hockey in the North American Hockey League for the Amarillo Wranglers. Realizing his passion for lacrosse, Bye decided to return to his roots when he started university. The idea of getting back into the sport of his childhood was compelling, and he knew he had what it took to make it worthwhile. 

The transition to student life was a big adjustment for Bye, who hadn’t been in a classroom for two years. However, he explained to The Tribune that he has found the balance between academics and athletics manageable. 

“As long as you’re doing the right things, there’s a lot of time in the day,” Bye said. “Our coach is very understanding if you have class or something that overlaps with practice. He understands that school comes first and you’re here to be a student and an athlete. So that makes the whole thing a lot easier.”

On the field, Bye is a standout performer. He leads the league in goals this season with a remarkable total of 29 goals scored and has been instrumental to the Redbirds’ success in the conference, with the team currently 10–0–0. Looking ahead to their qualifier game against Bishop’s University on Oct. 26, Bye has high hopes that the team will secure a spot in the semis. 

“We’re feeling confident. We’re a good team and have been strong all season, but we know that we’ve had a close game with Bishops earlier in the season—we won by one goal,” Bye said. “I think even though they’re in sixth and we’re in first, we know that the gap isn’t that wide, so we have to be ready to go all out to fight for a spot in that semifinal.”

All in all, Bye’s confidence paid off, as the Redbirds stormed over their opposition in a convincing 19-5 victory against Bishops on Sunday afternoon. 

Beyond his on-field accomplishments, Bye is known for his positive attitude and team spirit. Commenting on the difference between playing high-level hockey and lacrosse at the Varsity level, Bye explained the sense of camaraderie on his new team has changed his perspective on university sports. 

“[The team] is one of the tightest groups I’ve been around. I think it’s definitely different playing a sport at university than just another team. Like, obviously, you want to represent the team, but when you’re representing a school it’s more exciting because it’s a whole student body, rather than just your teammates, that you put on your shoulders,” Bye said.

As Bye looks ahead to the future, he hopes to continue playing lacrosse for as long as possible. With three years of eligibility remaining, he has plenty of time to make an even greater impact on the McGill lacrosse program. He believes that the team’s freshman class has what it takes to bring success to the program in years to come.

Given his hiatus from lacrosse to pursue high-level hockey, Bye has faced challenges and ridden the highs and lows of competitive sport. Returning to lacrosse so successfully was no small feat. Bye spoke about his approach to maintaining a consistently high level of performance at the university level. 

“My advice to the younger players, and players that want to get into varsity sports, would be: If you put in time and effort every day, it is compounding,” Bye said. “I’ve had success this year, even though I’ve spent time away from the sport. It sounds cliché, but like it really just is down to how often you’re playing your sport and how badly you want it.”