It’s early in the morning and cold, and most people are still asleep. This is just another ordinary day for a college athlete.

Gabriel Reno, a freshman at Cleveland State University and alumnus of Fredericksburg High School, gets up at 5:30 every morning for a hard workout and lacrosse practice. Though FHS did not offer the sport, that didn’t stop him. His love for the game and his hard work brought him to where he is today.

“I have been playing lacrosse since about fourth grade,” Gabriel Reno said. “When we were living in Pennsylvania, my dad asked if I wanted to do a camp, and that’s how I got started.”

Reno found his passion for lacrosse at a young age. Playing D1 lacrosse is actually very similar to high school sports.

“You’re an athlete, but you’re also a student,” Reno said. “The biggest thing is that it’s much more time consuming.”

During college, roommates become the people you spend the most time with.

“I just enjoy hanging out with them,” Reno said. “Sometimes we might go downtown, but honestly my favorite memory is just hanging out with them in our room.”

Living by yourself for the first time can seem very scary, but Reno has a few tricks to help.

“If you ever need to do anything, like cook, YouTube is the best for that,” Reno said. “Doing your own laundry sucks, so try to do it as little as possible.”

Reno shares his thoughts for students about to go to college.

“Do something risky while you can,” Reno said. “You can always fall back on college.”