Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics
Why Noah Chizmar is Virginia Lacrosse's Toughest Player
Virginia is up 11-8 against Michigan in the third quarter in the first game of the season. Bo Lockwood escapes a double team from X and feeds an open Aidan Mulholland, who is about to uncork a cannon of a shot from close range. Seeing his goalie in trouble, Noah Chizmar sprints and headfirst dives in front of the shot. His effort to sacrifice his body for the team is an example of why Chizmar is known to be one of the toughest players on this Virginia roster.
“This is the toughest guy on the team,” said UVA head coach Lars Tiffany.
That may be coach Tiffany’s thoughts on Chizmar now, but he refused to recruit Chizmar to come to Virginia out of high school.
“We told him we aren't recruiting, but yet he still showed up,” said Tiffany.
The now sophomore defensive midfielder has had two incredible years, becoming a vital player to the Cavaliers' squad. Despite his success now, during his senior year of high school, there was a chance Chizmar would never be able to play collegiate lacrosse.
Growing up, he remembers picking up a lacrosse stick as soon as he could hold one and instantly fell in love with the game. Chizmar comes from a family of lacrosse players, as his mother Kara played lacrosse at Johns Hopkins and his father Richard played lacrosse at Essex Community College and UMBC.
He also has an older brother named Billy, who played collegiate lacrosse at Colby College as a goalie. Before that, Noah remembers shooting and practicing with Billy in the backyard with their fiddlesticks. Those early moments playing lacrosse, Chizmar says, are memories that will be with him forever.
As he grew older, he became obsessed with the game. When Billy began high school, Noah attended not only Billy's games but also his opponents' games, bringing a pencil and paper with him to create scouting reports for his brother.
“I loved watching my brother,” said Chizmar. “I just love the sport and watching other players and learning.”
After watching his brother for a couple of years, Chizmar stepped onto the field at St. Paul’s High School as an offensive midfielder before becoming a two-way midfielder his sophomore year. At the time, Chizmar began to have symptoms of compartment syndrome, a condition characterized by increased pressure inside a muscle, causing a restriction of blood flow and a significant amount of pain.
Due to Chizmar's symptoms being atypical, he was not diagnosed until his senior year. He remembers experiencing burning sensations and tightness in his legs.
“It was a tough time in my life,” said Chizmar. "I felt like I could do more mentally, but my body was holding me back.”
Fighting through the pain, Chizmar still was an impressive lacrosse player and in his junior year, he committed to play lacrosse at Marquette.
“When I was getting tested, they had [me] run on a treadmill. And then you get off, and they stick a needle in your leg to protect the pressure. As I was getting off, I fell off the treadmill because I couldn't move my ankles or any part of my lower body,” said Chizmar.
After being diagnosed with compartment syndrome in both legs, he had two surgeries on each leg his senior year, with the last surgery six weeks before his final spring lacrosse season. Chizmar, unsure of his future, applied and was accepted to the University of Virginia.
“I wanted to be at Virginia if I wasn't gonna be able to play lacrosse,” said Chizmar.
The thought of not playing lacrosse at the highest level was devastating for Chizmar, but it increased his love and appreciation for the game. After months of uncertainty, Chizmar was cleared for contact and returned to the lacrosse field. Shortly after, despite not being recruited to play lacrosse at Virginia, Chizmar decommitted from Marquette and planned to walk on to the Virginia lacrosse team.
In the fall of 2021, a confident Chizmar stepped on grounds and walked onto the team as a short-stick defensive midfielder.
“I remember the first practice. After making a few plays, I felt like I could be there and that I belonged,” said Chizmar.
Within a few weeks, coach Tiffany saw Chizmar as not just deserving of a spot on the team, but as the toughest player on the roster.
“It’s difficult to pick up our defense in the first year. It takes a good year, year and a half to understand the nomenclature and the schemes, and within a couple of weeks, he had a very strong grasp of it,” said Tiffany in an interview with the Baltimore Sun back in March.
As a true freshman, Chizmar instantly became vital to Virginia’s short-stick defensive midfield room, finishing with 15 ground balls and five caused turnovers. This year as a sophomore, Chizmar has only improved with 33 ground balls and nine caused turnovers through 15 games. He has also become a force in transition, with seven goals and two assists this season, including a big goal in Virginia's 17-8 victory over Richmond in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
Chizmar is known to be a gritty and tenacious defender, which he attributes to playing sports with Billy and being four years younger.
Although Noah Chizmar has made his last name known around Charlottesville, there is another reason his last name sounds familiar, as his father, Richard Chizmar, was named bestselling author by the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. To add, Richard Chizmar is the founder and publisher of Cemetery Dance Magazine and Cemetery Dance Publications book imprint.
“The coolest thing about my dad is, if you've met him, you would never think he's famous. He's one of the funniest and nicest people I know,” said Chizmar.
Chizmar has looked up to his father and looks to emulate his values and, after his experience with compartment syndrome, does not take playing lacrosse for granted. Entering postseason play, Chizmar aims to do everything to help this team win a national championship. He is not afraid to put his body on the line for this team, and enjoys every minute of playing, embodying the essence of a true team player.
Chizmar and the Cavaliers will take on No. 7 seed Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for the chance to advance to the Final Four on Saturday at 12pm in Albany, New York.
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