Greg "Beast" Gurenlian Loves Penn State Lacrosse!

Some things are incredibly special. Like an Eddie Van Halen solo or Gandolfini playing Tony, Greg "Beast" Gurenlian (@GregBeast32) had that "it" quality on the lacrosse field. He's undeniably one of the greatest faceoff specialists the sport has ever seen. Now, "Beast", a proud Penn State alum, is grooming the next generation of faceoff men at his Faceoff Academy TheFaceOffAcademy.com. Greg took a few minutes to answer a few questions.

STADIUM JOURNEY:

This is arguably the most important question. Give us the story behind the nickname. Who's responsible? How did Beast come about? 

GREG GURENLIAN:

I picked up a stick for the first time just before freshman year of high school. In Springfield, (Pennsylvania), most kids start when they’re six years old, so I was way behind the 8 ball. I really sucked, but I was so fired up to play a team contact sport. I just ran around all the time trying to hit everyone. I was strong but skinny, and I didn’t really shoot up height wise until late sophomore year. So, the older players would yell “Beast” as a joke because I was a crappy, skinny player who tried to hit everyone. My own best friends started calling me Greg Beast, putting an endearing spin on what was otherwise a mocking nickname.

STADIUM JOURNEY:

What were you like as a kid? Was it bis and tris every other day from the very beginning?  Were you an introvert? Extrovert? In between? Were you part of a clique?

GREG GURENLIAN:

Honestly, most of my life I was just a kid who really wanted to fit in. My parents were pretty strict, which kept me out of a lot of trouble, and I’m grateful for it, but it also turned me into a bit of a socially-awkward, anxiety-filled introvert. I started playing lacrosse because I wanted to be in with the cool kids, which as a 41-year-old man now seems ridiculous. But looking back on life, I’ve always felt a little on the outside looking in. And not many people know this, but I had debilitating social anxiety and it’s taken a lot to overcome that. Coaching has helped

tremendously. I still have the same five best friends since I was in grade school, and that’s been a rock for me over the years. As for training, I started lifting in 1998 and the connection of strength training became a real outlet for me.

STADIUM JOURNEY:

You've accomplished so much, but you've always been impressed by your humility. Who do you attribute this to?

GREG GURENLIAN:

That’s kind of you to say. That’s all my parents. My house was not competitive at all. We cheered for each other and looked out for one another. Anything I have accomplished in my life of course came from hard work, but I know that I’m where I’m at now because incredibly good people helped me along the way. My parents, coaches, teammates, friends, my wife, etc.. To have the success I’ve had, it really takes a ton of good luck and amazing people at the right time. I’m not better than anyone. I just had tremendous luck and decided to make the most of it.

STADIUM JOURNEY:

You've probably been asked this question a million times, so what's a million and one. Did you choose the faceoff position or did the faceoff position choose you?

GREG GURENLIAN:

The FO position one hundred percent chose me, but I readily accepted it. I was so lucky that my first year in high school, my JV coach was a Springfield faceoff legend, Chris Britton. I was not a good player, but he saw potential in me, and I immediately soaked up whatever faceoff knowledge he gave me. I was a natural, fast-twitch athlete, and it just made so much sense to me the first time doing it. It was like a kid picking up a guitar for the first time and feeling at ease because he could naturally play it. My wrestling background certainly helped, and the one versus one-nowhere- to-hide part of it gave me some life. It was a way for me to get on the field and gave me time to develop my catching and throwing skills.

STADIUM JOURNEY:

Were you considering other colleges besides Penn State, or was it always Nittany Lions or bust?

GREG GURENLIAN:

My career is a unique one. I’ve been a Penn State fan since I was born. Many aunts, uncles and cousins went there. When I started getting recruiting letters after my junior year, I remember getting one from Penn State, and all I could think of was wow this is my ticket to my dream school. I took other schools like Loyola, Towson and Maryland into strong consideration. But Penn State was what I grew up on, and they have an incredible kinesiology department, which is what I wanted to study. I honestly knew very little about the program. I had only been playing lacrosse for like three years at that point. So, I chose Penn State the university not just the lacrosse program. Best decision of my life.

STADIUM JOURNEY:

What was the state of the lacrosse program during your time at Penn State? I know it hasn't been that long ago, but the sport has grown exponentially since your time in State College.

GREG GURENLIAN:

Haha well to be fair it was around 20 years ago at this point. It’s all way different now. Back then PSU recruits were mostly big, strong athletes who might not have been extremely highly recruited. Because of that we had a chip on our shoulder. We were aggressive, and we had a lot of room to improve once we got on campus. That was the Glenn Theil era of Penn State. We were generally in the 12-15 ranking range nationally. But my freshman and junior years we made the tournament for the first time(s), and we won two conference titles in my time there. It’s incredible to see where coach Tambroni and the Athletic Department have taken it now. I’m very proud.

STADIUM JOURNEY:

So when people think of college lacrosse venues, Klockner Stadium and The Dome immediately come to mind, but Penn State has a great, relatively new venue. What can fans expect at Panzer Stadium?

GREG GURENLIAN:

A game at Panzer stadium is absolutely electric. Happy Valley is the home of the football white out, packed rec hall matches for the powerhouse wrestling and volleyball programs, one of the world’s most state-of-the-art hockey arenas, and now Panzer stadium is quickly becoming a can’t miss destination to watch college lacrosse. The fan base has fully embraced the program. and even though I’m an extremely proud alumni, man am I jealous that those guys get to play in that environment every home game.

STADIUM JOURNEY:

What can kids and their parents expect at Faceoff Academy (TheFaceOffAcademy.com)?

GREG GURENLIAN:

A few things. One, a guarantee that no matter what level your son is at when they come to train with us, we will absolutely make them better. Whether it’s a small technical tweak, advice from our experience or showing them how to break down their opponent. Two, professionalism. We are unique. We don’t teach cheating; we respect the athletes too much for that. Our coaches go through training on how to deliver the system we teach in the best way possible to the athletes, and we are hyper aware that parents trust us with their sons and their future. We take that seriously. We want them to improve on the field while being around good men who their kids can look up to.

STADIUM JOURNEY:

How much has NIL become part of the college lacrosse equation?

GREG GURENLIAN:

It will take time for NIL to really push kids to one place or another in this sport. Lacrosse is different than some other sports. The best programs are generally also the best educational schools, and that is one of the main drivers for a lot of recruits. We’re not talking millions of dollars being thrown at kids like in football. Is a 10k check worth a kid choosing one school over another? Probably not. But if lacrosse becomes a revenue generating sport then sure, we could see that down the line.

STADIUM JOURNEY: 

A lot of lacrosse guys let their hair grow out like they're in a band. As far as I know, you've always said no to flow. Discuss this choice.

GREG GURENLIAN:

I think it’s pretty obvious that hair is not the only thing that makes me a black sheep in this sport. I shaved my head in-season. I’m a public-school kid who chose his college based on major and family. I didn’t become a faceoff specialist until I became a pro. I was professional strength and conditioning coach back when lifting wasn’t really that big in this sport. I started a camp and clinic business as a faceoff man while I was still playing, which was also an oddity at the time. I didn’t come from an affluent background, or go to prep school, or get highly touted at any level. My parents didn’t fight my battles for me. I fought and clawed my way all the way

through my career. So, the hair was probably the last thing I’d think about when it comes to being an odd ball in lacrosse.

STADIUM JOURNEY: 

Another very important question. You're a well-known pizza connoisseur. Could you give us some destination spots? 

GREG GURENLIAN:

Haha. I knew things were getting out of hand when NCAA coaches texted me photos of their pizza on Fridays during the pandemic. If you ever stop in Westchester, New York though, there are three spots that I love: Sal’s, Village Pizza, and Villa Maria. Bacon and Pineapple Pizza, lightly cooked.

Jon Hart is @manversusball