Senior, Brock Pflugh, saw the shift from being rivals all season with other lacrosse teams, to posing side by side for a day. It all started when he received a direct message on Instagram from an account called Cover Three Athletics. It invited him and some of his teammates to partake in the Lacrosse Media Day. Pflugh had been following this page for quite some time, so seeing this message from a verified account with over 27,300 followers was intimidating. “I saw how good tracks’ media day went and was excited to be a part of something like that,” Pflugh points out. He was honored to be one of the five selected to go out and represent the team, but being unfamiliar with the D1 Training facility, he was unsure about what to expect.
When Pflugh first arrived after the 90-minute car ride, several friendly faces greeted him. He talked with players from teams like Indiana, Seton La Salle, and Gateway, who are all teams they face this year. They kept the conversation basic, sharing things like how good their teams were looking this year. “It was a fun experience talking to the other players like we were friends,” Pflugh comments. “Instead of the normal rivalry we feel when we’re facing off in a game.”
He had an especially fun time at the photo station against the back wall. The one with the black backdrop and bright lights. “We could fit all the Latrobe boys in it, and they encouraged us to be creative with our poses,” he recalled. While Pflugh doesn’t see himself making the long drive back to D1 Training anytime soon, he said, “The place was awesome, great setup, the energy was really high. If it were closer, I’d definitely train there.”
Sophomore Alex Meile, from Latrobe’s girls’ lacrosse team, was also given the opportunity to attend. Although she wasn’t familiar with the D1 gym prior to this, she had also seen photos on Instagram from track’s past media days. The idea of going to an event like this was daunting at first because of the many people she didn’t know. “I was nervous in the beginning, but eventually I got to talk to people from other schools, even get some photos with them,” said Meile.
Getting outside of her comfort zone, she was able to make the most out of this experience. “This day was such a cool experience, I have never done anything like this before. I think it was great how they were able to get so many people to show up,” said Meilie.
In addition to making bonds with new people, she was able to further bond with her teammates. “It was really fun spending time with my teammates, coming up with funny poses, and we all had a great time together,” said Meilie. What was first an intimidating event turned out to be a fun-filled day with new memories and friendships.
The 2025 D1 Training Lacrosse Media Day was a success. For the first time, players were able to interact with their opponents off the field and put their usual rivalries to the side. The athletes were able to get free photos taken while promoting the photographers and the D1 Training Pittsburgh West gym at the same time.
D1 Training Pittsburgh West facility
Athletes are constantly striving to get to the next level of play. At D1 Training Pittsburgh West, athletes are given the opportunity to get personalized training based on their sports. There are classes for all ages, starting as young as 7-year-olds.
Over the past few months, this gym has been hosting media days for Pittsburgh’s local sports teams. These media days focus on a single sport, inviting around five people from each of the boys’ and girls’ teams in the area. They also invite a group of up-and-coming photographers to take pictures of the athletes in the gym. This is a great promotion for D1 Training; not only are hundreds of athletes coming to visit their facility, but they are also posting photos on social media in their gym.
Recently, the Latrobe Lacrosse teams were given the opportunity to attend D1 Trainings Lacrosse Media Day. From the boys’ team, players Brock Plugh, Eli Toth, John Massaro, Kyle McNeil, and Mitchell Horner went. While players Aliza Yeager, Allyson Merchant, and Alex Miele went from the girls’ team. In total, there were over twenty other teams there, all from different schools and sections.
The photographers each had their own stations set up around the complex. The first one had a white backdrop with lights glowing from behind it, making it super bright and clean-looking. Teams could line up and pose in front of it for well-lit photos.
The most popular station was the final one. It was an all black backdrop with bright lights in front. Since there was a lot more space, teams could get creative with their poses. Some stood in cool formations, while others lifted teammates on their shoulders. The lighting made everything look dramatic, and the photos turned out with great quality.
