TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) — Matthew Winegardner is headed to Mercer University in the fall to play lacrosse. The Maclay student-athlete has a long list of accolades such as being a 3-time first team All Big Bend, 2019 all county midfielder, 2019 US Lacrosse All American--Honorable Mention, and much more.
Winegardner had his signing at Island Wing Company in Tallahassee Monday night. He was surrounded by his family, teammates, teammates' parents, and coaches.
After his parents and coaches spoke, Matthew stood up and started talking about his best friend, Sam Chase, but he could barely finish his sentence before getting choked up. He said, " I couldn't imagine playing lacrosse without him or making this journey without him or making this decision with him."
Winegardner and Chase have been friends since they were in first grade, and have played lacrosse together for years.
The Maclay lacrosse star picked Mercer for numerous reasons. "Growing up your whole life and all you see on tv, well lacrosse isn't televised that often, but when it is, it's D1 lacrosse and you see all of these teams and you want to be a part of that so it's just being a part of something special like that."
He added that the coaches at Mercer were the first to offer him a scholarship and were very persistant. Another reason for his decision is that the university is close to home, so his family and friends will be able to visit easily.
