Harrison Seabold Finds Success in Lacrosse and Embraces Cultural Opportunities at Allegheny College

Life isn’t always as simple as sticking to the same plan. It’s about flexibility and growing into your own. For Allegheny College lacrosse player Harrison Seabold, that’s exactly what he’s done during his time as a Gator.

(Photos courtesy of Allegheny College Athletics. Photos taken by Ed Mailliard.)

A native of South Korea, Seabold came to the United States and settled in the state of Maryland in Silver Spring. An area prominent in lacrosse, he started playing the game in the sixth grade in youth lacrosse for the Silver Spring Warriors. Interestingly, he only played one season of high school lacrosse as a freshman before transferring to another school for increased academic benefits. 

Instead, Seabold started focusing on other sports like basketball, soccer, track and field, and volleyball at the varsity level where he found a lot of success. He also stayed around lacrosse by playing recreationally and helping out the girls’ team at Barrie High School. Despite minimal high school lacrosse experience, continuing to play for his club team helped him to get recruited by Allegheny men’s lacrosse. Initially, he came to Allegheny to be a dual-sport athlete in lacrosse and soccer, but these plans changed a few months into his college career. Seabold graduated high school having racked up two All-Region selections and two Team MVP awards in volleyball, two All-Region and Team MVP awards in soccer, and an All-Defensive Second-Team selection in basketball. Staying around the game of lacrosse despite not playing for a school team would prove to be a wise decision as after his situation in college soccer did not materialize as he hoped after his freshman season, he decided to shift his focus and solely play for the Gators men’s lacrosse team moving forward. A tough decision to give up a sport he loved, focusing on being a college lacrosse player has been the change he needed and has embraced despite challenges early in his college lacrosse career out of his control.

After a COVID-19 made the 2020 and 2021 difficult, this past season became a meaningful one for him and his teammates. After playing in just nine games in his first two seasons, Seabold found the field in 16 games in 2022 and made four starts. He scored two goals and dished out four assists, the first points of his college career. Due to the pandemic, Seabold will have more eligibility to use, but choosing Allegheny was not all about his athletic interests. He’s majoring in international studies with a minor in Chinese. With this degree and minor, he plans to join the Peace Corps or work abroad after he completes his degree. He said this about why he wanted to go to Allegheny. “Initially, I wasn’t looking to play any sports in college as I didn’t receive much interest when it came to soccer or volleyball. But when I looked into the programs that Allegheny offered academically and athletically, I realized that it fit my interests more than any other school I applied to.”

This summer, the current Allegheny midfielder is studying abroad in the Republic of Korea at Yonsei University in the nation’s capital of Seoul. It will allow him to complete his study abroad requirements while allowing him to return to his birthplace, experience Korean culture, and study the Korean language and Korean-American history in his coursework. These last three years for Harrison Seabold have been filled with adversity, growth, and progress into growing into a man who makes a true difference in the world. Life may not work out how we hope sometimes, but athletics teaches people to be resilient. Obviously, Harrison Seabold has learned that from sports over the years and works towards a promising future. Best of luck as you continue your time as a Gator, Harrison! Thank you for the chance to share your success on and off the field 🥍 🇰🇷