When Blake Ulmer '19 heard he was the top-ranked high school boys' lacrosse goalie in the country in his class, he thought one of his new Wilbraham & Monson Academy teammates was messing with him.
Nope, it was the truth.
Blake, a first-year WMA student, was named the #1 goalie for the Class of 2019 by Inside Lacrosse in late August.
"I was with John Wright '18 and he was going through the rankings," Blake recalled. "I thought he was messing with me at first. He said, 'Oh, number one, Blake Ulmer.' Then he said he was serious and showed me. I was in shock but it shows all my hard work has paid off."
Blake comes from a family of goalies, with his dad and older brother both playing the position for their careers, which included suiting up for Syracuse University. Blake recently verbally committed to play for the Orangemen.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Chicago resident has played at elite tournaments throughout the country, including the Maverick Showcase, which draws the top 100 players in the nation. Blake was later selected to play in the showcase's all-star game.
WMA is coming off one of its best seasons in school history, and Blake is looking forward to making the Titans a New England lacrosse powerhouse.
"I'm really excited for the season," he said. "I think we're going to be really good."