Thomas College Sophomore Mikkail Crockwell ’14 from Bermuda has been playing soccer since he was six years old. The expression on his face was priceless, because at 21, his humble attitude and talent brought him back to Bermuda in a big way.
The first time he played goalkeeper was in Bermuda at the age of 13. He joined his first men’s team when he was 18 years old.
When asked why he chose Thomas College, the Business Management major smiled, scratched his head, and replied, “Actually, Thomas chose me.” The men’s soccer program liked what they saw in the young talent and recruited Crockwell for the 2010 season.
Crockwell has been the goalkeeper for the last two years for the men’s soccer team. He set the bar high in 2010 with 83 saves in 17 games. He also recorded 12 saves in one game versus Castleton in the 2011 season.
In early November of this year, Crockwell received a phone call to play in the 2014 Federation International Football Association (FIFA) World Cup qualifying game in Guyana.
A couple weeks later, he got another phone call from his coach in Bermuda, inviting him to come back for more training.
He explained that he would be playing in another game versus Barbados. His reaction to the call ups was, again, with a wide smile. “It was more like a shock than anything,” he said.
He didn’t mind admitting his nerves because he called it “a high maintenance job” with a high level of professional competition. Getting to know his teammates all over again is a challenge he expressed when talking about chemistry on the field. He believes that the key to being a successful goalkeeper is having good communication with his teammates and “knowing that they trust me, and it’s not a one-man team,” he said.
Crockwelll has been a team player on and off the field. He has recently been working with the international recruitment efforts on campus. “Crockwell is always willing to provide insight on potential new Bermudian students and to help us understand the educational system on the island. He was also willing to be featured in our first international recruitment video—a natural on film, he spoke to his experience transitioning from Bermuda and his fit at the College enthusiastically,” says Megan Tapley, Director of International Recruitment at the College.
Although soccer is his passion, Crockwell also plays cricket and competes in track and field.
His fellow students know him as “Croc,” and he said he owes a lot of his success to his parents, mentors, and fans.
