As the spring season continues, Kenyon men’s lacrosse captain and all-time points leader David Chintala ’26 sat down with Sports Editor Henry Brandt ’26 to discuss his illustrious career. 

Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.

Hometown: New Albany, Ohio

Major: Physics

Henry Brandt (HB): How old were you when you started playing lacrosse and what are your earliest memories in the sport?

David Chintala (DC): I started playing lacrosse in third grade. I was 9 years old and we had this school meeting, and at my school you couldn’t play for your school until fourth grade, and they offered the sport for third and fourth graders. So an opportunity to play a sport for my elementary was a pretty cool opportunity. I remember showing up to this meeting, and they held up a helmet and it’s like, “Oh, that’s a little bit of contact, might as well try this out.” So that’s probably one of my earliest memories of the sport, and then the first clinic I went to, I liked to cradle one handed, and they didn’t like that, and I got yelled at. So those are kind of my first two memories ever.

HB: What have you learned in your four years of playing lacrosse here at Kenyon?

DC: What I’ve learned here is that the overall team means a whole lot more than individual wins or how you play. I think I can go out there now and not put up a single stat, but if the team comes away with a win, that means a whole lot more to me than anything else, and I learned that here because of how close I’ve become with everyone and how much fun it’s been competing with them.

HB: What is your favorite memory of lacrosse at Kenyon?

DC: My favorite memory was from sophomore year. We were in the conference tournament and the three seed. We’re playing Ohio Wesleyan, who is the two seed, and we’re playing at their place, and there’s a weather delay, so we were delayed for an hour or two until 10:00, 10:30. Our game, because it was delayed, was going super late into that time frame. And we’re actually losing. I forget how much we were down by, but we were down by probably four or five goals in the fourth quarter. We were mounting a little bit of a comeback, and the lights just shut off. We’re down by a goal or two at this point. And after they’re down for like 20 minutes, they get them ramped back up. We all kind of looked at each other like, we’re gonna win this game. We end up coming back and winning in the final seconds of that game and going to the conference championship, which is pretty awesome and an unforgettable memory.

HB: How has the program changed since you got here?

DC: I think the program has really changed for the better. The camaraderie amongst guys has really gotten a whole lot better. I felt like when I came in, there [was] a little bit of class [year] divide at times, and I feel like now that’s nonexistent. I can sit down at the Peirce [Hall] table with guys from any class and feel like we never skip a beat. I find myself hanging out with guys from all different classes on spring break, trips away, games, in Peirce and the library, and it feels like, instead of being four classes on a team, feels like we’re just 46 guys. We’re all super good friends, so that’s really unique, and something that I never got to experience until I got here.

HB: What does it mean to you to be the all-time points leader at Kenyon?

DC: I mean, it’s awesome. I came here wanting to leave an impact, leave my mark. I feel like doing this has done that, but it also allowed me to take a step back and appreciate my time here and the contributions I’ve made to the team and the success we’ve had, not only individually, but as a team as a whole. So yeah, it just means a lot to be able to leave my mark in my time here.

HB: How has the start of this season gone?

DC: It’s been an interesting start. So far we played a lot of really tough teams, especially on spring break — a lot of top-20 opponents, and fell short in a lot of those games, but I feel like we learned a lot of lessons along the way. Our record in nonconference was not indicative of the team we were. We lost games in every single way possible, which has really strengthened us for conference play, and we’ve really hit the ground running in conference play, rounding off some big wins so far.

HB: What are some goals you have, both personally and for the team, for the rest of this season?

DC: The goal was, and always will be, to win a conference championship. Smaller goals are to win out here in the regular season and get the number one seed so we can host the conference championship at [the Field at] Benson [Bowl]. And then for me personally, just do whatever I can for the team the rest of the way, whether that means diving for an end line, getting a huge ground ball or scoring goals. For me, just continuing to take it game by game and enjoy every single second I have on the field because it is winding down. 

HB: What advice would you give to the future captains after you have graduated?

DC: Definitely enjoy it. It’s tough. I mean, managing 46 guys, it’s never easy, but at the same time, take it as a gift to be able to have people who look up to you. Because these younger guys come in and they look up to you whether you like it or not. They see you as a role model. So cherish that and understand that you have a bigger role than you think, and instill into the younger guys not only the culture you want, but the kind of people you want them to end up being, because your words have a larger pull than you think.

HB: What will you miss most about playing lacrosse and being on this team?

DC: Just the adrenaline rush and being able to compete with a bunch of guys that you love. I’m gonna miss the little things, like sitting down at Peirce, or just sitting outside the [North Campus Apartments] talking. Those little moments with the guys are definitely things I’m gonna miss the most, as well as just the grind of preseason, the grind of fall and getting up early for morning lifts because as much they suck in the moment, doing them with everyone and people you love makes it a whole lot better. You remember those forever.