Carson Miks is a standout defenseman from the ADVNC San Francisco and NDP ‘25 squads who is committed to play at Marquette University, starting next Fall.

Carson Miks was a very active kid who loved all sports at an early age. “I hated playing baseball, so my parents sent me to lacrosse camp,” Carson recalled. “I did not like lacrosse at first. I couldn’t catch or throw, but I liked it more than baseball. So my parents sort of forced me to attend the lacrosse camp the next year, and I’m really glad they did.”

Carson’s mom, Kirsten Miks, recalled Carson’s transition from baseball to lacrosse. “His baseball coach came to me and said Carson is a great kid, but he seems bored with baseball and keeps getting in trouble for climbing the dugout. He told us about this new sport in the Bay Area called lacrosse. He said lacrosse is great for kids with lots of energy, and it’s fast paced, which he thought would appeal to Carson. So I came home and watched lacrosse on YouTube with my husband. We watched lacrosse, and thought that Carson would end up going back to playing baseball. We were wrong!”

“That second lacrosse camp, I fell in love with lacrosse,” Carson said. “I was happy that I could hit people. I loved running around and liked that it was fast paced. The scrums for ground balls were my favorite. I stopped playing baseball, but kept playing other sports like basketball and eventually football. But after a while, lacrosse became my only sport. I just love it.”

“At first, we were shocked when Carson made the choice to play lacrosse over baseball,” Kirsten Miks said. “But every time he came home after lacrosse, he would just be glowing. He fell in love with the sport.”

“Even though I was very new to lacrosse, I liked it a lot,” recalled Carson’s dad, Dan Miks. “It was a good fit for Carson. He started out playing all the positions, but as he gradually became a defenseman, I learned to love watching him play on that end of the field. It just fit him so well.”

The Miks family also loved the lacrosse community. “Lacrosse is its own community,” said Carson. “It’s just crazy how tight knit the entire community is. All the friends I’ve met through lacrosse throughout the Bay Area, Seattle, Oregon and all over the East Coast are so awesome. When you play lacrosse, you have an immediate tight bond with everyone else who is a part of this community.”

“The lacrosse community is just different from other sports,” said Dan Miks. “It’s a more welcoming community. Carson and our family just get along really well with everyone we’ve met in lacrosse. We had friends in other sports, but the lacrosse group of friends are so supportive. Everyone is very family oriented.”

Carson played for his local rec league in the East Bay, the Scorpions. Soon, he started playing with ADVNC East Bay. Not long after that, he transitioned to ADVNC San Francisco. Despite the commute from the East Bay to Atherton being difficult, the Miks were very appreciative of the opportunity to play for ADVNC SF.

“I felt a little out of place when I moved over to ADVNC SF,” said Carson. “But that quickly went away. I saw my skills improve and I started to understand what it takes to be a complete defender. That’s because of the great coaching with ADVNC. The coaches are all guys who played in college and they knew what I needed to do to be a great player. They were very patient with me, and over time, I have grown so close to everyone with ADVNC, from the coaches, to the players, to all the families.”

One of those coaches is ADVNC Director of Training, and a former standout defenseman at Marquette and the PLL, BJ Grill.  “BJ had seen Carson play and reached out to us to try out for the ADVNC World Series of Youth Lacrosse team,” said Kirsten Miks.

“I didn’t think I would make that team,” Carson said. “But when Coach Grill told us I made that team, it changed my life. It literally changed my entire path. I would not be in the spot I am today if it weren’t for Coach Grill and making that ADVNC team. Coach Grill took me under his wing and he’s become the best coach and mentor I have ever had.”

“Making that team with ADVNC gave Carson the confidence he did not have,” Kirsten Miks said. “Having the ability to play on that team gave him the assurance that he could play with those other top guys.”

The WSYL experience led to Carson being chosen to play for the ADVNC National Development Team (NDP). 

“NDP also changed my life,” Carson said. “It gave me the opportunity to play in the best tournaments in the country against the other best players. It gave me the opportunity to be seen by the best college coaches. It also gave me the opportunity to be coached by the best coaches on the West Coast, including Coach Rotelli. He’s awesome, and a total college recruiting guru. He knows everyone in college lacrosse. I’m where I’m at today because of Coach Rotelli and all the coaches that have coached me and believed in me. 

The Miks family relied on both Chris Rotelli (ADVNC Founder & CEO) and Jono Zissi (West Coast Starz) to help navigate the college recruiting process. Both were instrumental with their guidance. 

“Heading into September 1st of 2023, I didn’t think I was going to get any outreach from any Division I schools, until Coach Rotelli told me that several schools were interested in me. But even then, I didn’t really expect it. So I’m sitting on my bed at 9pm on September 1st, not expecting anything, and all of a sudden, my phone went: ding. And it kept dinging, and I was totally blown away that college coaches were texting me.”

“We just never thought it would happen like that,” said Kirsten Miks.

“We thought those texts would come weeks later, if at all,” said Dan Miks. “We had no idea he would be contacted that first night. It was surreal.”

After Carson came to grips with the fact that several  Division I programs were interested in him, he scheduled a trip to visit the schools on his list. “It was the greatest week ever,” Carson said. “I didn’t know what to expect during those visits. I thought each would be really quick, but each visit lasted the entire day.

“Each school and program were beautiful in their own way,” Dan Miks said. “It was just amazing to visit these impressive campuses and meet with the lacrosse coaches that seemed to just love our son. We’ve never experienced anything like it.”

“I rated each school in three categories,” Carson said. “I wanted a school that would balance lacrosse, social life, and academics. I wanted a bigger school that had other good sports programs. I also liked the idea of living in a pretty big city. I wanted to really like the lacrosse coaches and players. I thought Marquette had the best balance of those three categories.”

“Coach BJ was so helpful going through the different schools with Carson with a slight bias towards his alma mater,” Kirsten Miks said. “He just kept asking Carson what he really wanted in a school, and Carson decided that Marquette was the right choice for him.”

With that part of his journey now behind him, Carson has this advice for young players who aspire to follow in his footsteps. “You need to be dedicated and have a true love for the game. If you love the game it will love you back” said Carson. “One of my first Scorpions coaches, Adam Cox, told me, you need to focus on your head, heart and hustle, and that those three things will take you far. I truly believe that. I think about that before every game. When you are not worried about the outcome you are able to be your best self. So if you just stay focused on the process of getting better, it will get you to where you want to go.”

When the Miks family looks back on their ADVNC experience, they have nothing but fond memories and gratitude. “The ADVNC family is like no other family that I’ve experienced,” said Kirsten Miks. “They are the most authentic and kind hearted group of people. They all genuinely wanted Carson to do well, and we want all their kids to be successful too. They are more than friends, they are our ADVNC family. 

“They are families you look forward to sitting with on the sidelines,” said Dan Miks. “I would really look forward to seeing them all at the next practice and tournament. We all feel really lucky that we found ADVNC. We would not change a thing. “