Taking a year off after your senior year of high school is starting to become a common theme among students. There are different reasons for students taking a gap year. Some may choose to take a gap year, whether that be for academic reasons, sport reasons or that they aren’t ready to go yet. Jackson Leischow, a senior committed to Duke for lacrosse, is doing just that.

Leischow is a dual-sport athlete, he plays football and lacrosse for Benilde-St. Margaret’s and has been a key player on both teams. He was the football team’s starting quarterback, and the lacrosse team’s starting midfield. Coming off a strong senior football season, Leischow is looking forward to showcasing his talents on the lacrosse field as well.

Leischow is already signed with the Duke Bluedevils of the ACC conference, following in his brother Blake’s footsteps, who is a senior on the Duke lacrosse team. In order to attend Duke, he needs to take a gap year. The reason behind this is because he didn’t take enough AP classes during his four years at Benilde. Regardless, Leischow is signed and committed to the program and is willing to take the extra year to take the AP classes needed. “I’m taking a PG(Post-graduate) year because I have to take more AP classes in order to go to the college I wanted to go to,” Leishcow states.

Lacrosse being Leicschow’s main sport, he needed to choose a school that would help him excel on the lacrosse field but also the football field, seeing as Taft is allowing him to play both sports. The school Leischow chose was Taft School, a prep school in Watertown, Connecticut. Taft has a very well run lacrosse program.. “It’s one of the premiere lacrosse programs in the country. I really connected with the people I met at Taft,” Leischow said.

However, the move to Connecticut does not phase him or deter him from reaching his goal of playing Division I lacrosse at Duke University. The academics and lacrosse program at Taft will carry him to Duke, where he will follow in his brother’s footsteps in making an impact there. “I am extremely looking forward to it. I can’t wait to live in another part of the country for a year and then move again the following fall,” Leischow said.