This past fall, Dan Brownell and Alex Chirgwin began their freshman year at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont.

“From the start, it was pretty good,” said Chirgwin, who grew up in Queensbury. “I made friends right away.”

“It went pretty well,” said Brownell, who graduated from Niskayuna High School last spring. “It was a bit of a transition going from high school to the first year of college, as with anybody, I would imagine.”

Both midfielders on the St. Michael's lacrosse team, Brownell and Chirgwin are among the team’s three first-year players who grew up in the Capital Region.

“It’s definitely nice to have some 518 guys on the team,” said Brownell, who also played football for Niskayuna.

“It makes you feel like the world is a little smaller,” said Chirgwin, who was also a two-sport star in high school. “You have guys with you and it helps you feel comfortable, I guess.”

Their first season, which began with a loss to Saint Rose in Albany at the end of February, would last just three games after the spread of the coronavirus brought on the cancellation of all NCAA spring sports across the country.

“There were rumors," Chirgwin said. “You heard about other schools closing and other sports getting their seasons canceled. We were all kind of worried that it was going to happen to us, and then soon enough, it came around.”

“We got the news on our way back from a game at Dominican on a bus,” Brownell said. “It was devastating for all of us.”

For two weeks, the two freshmen and their teammates have been scattered, taking online classes and trying to stay in shape at home.

“Going back home and having to live with your parents, it’s a little tough at first, but I am getting used to it,” Brownell said.

“I’m trying to get workouts in when I can at my house, going on runs and spending time with my family,” Chirgwin said.

To make up for the lost seasons, NCAA Division II, which St. Michael's is a part of, has offered to extend the eligibility of any athlete by one year. The NCAA has yet to rule on the same issue for Division I athletes.

“It is definitely exciting to hear that, because definitely, guys are going to want to come back,” Chirgwin said.

“I think it is definitely nice to have that option,” Brownell said. “I think it is fair, I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Like people in virtually all corners of society right now, the two young athletes are learning to make the best of an unprecedented situation.

“We know we are never going to get that same team back together again to play again,” Chirgwin said. “That is really the most disappointing part for me.”

“It is definitely a difficult time for everybody,” Brownell said. “I am just doing my part to keep myself safe and keep everybody else safe who I care about, and just wait until it all blows over.”