Tampa Goalie Blake Ulmer on Finding the Place that Makes you Happy as a Goalie – LGR Episode 167
By Coach Damon
August 16, 2022
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On today’s Lax Goalie Rat Podcast episode, I sit down to chat with the starting goalie of the Tampa Spartans, Blake Ulmer.
Blake Ulmer had a pretty outstanding 2022 season with the University of Tampa.
He first burst on the scene with a huge save that went viral early on in the season which also showcased Ulmer’s fiery swagger.
He would go on to finish the 2022 season named the USILA Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. DII Goalie of the year, a unanimous First-Team All-American, while his .634 save % led all goalies in the nation.
Ulmer and the Spartans capped an undefeated season by winning the program’s first NCAA Division II National Championship, defeating Mercy 11-7.
Ulmer made nine saves in the National Championship including three crucial saves in the 4th quarter as Mercy could only net one goal in the fourth.
The all-time saves leader in program history at Tampa finished the 2022 season with 298 saves and now stands at 414 in his Spartan career.
The accolades since arriving at Tampa aren’t certainly anything new for Ulmer.
During his sophomore season, he came away with First-Team Sunshine State All-Conference honors, Sunshine State Conference All-Freshman team selection, was a USILA All-American South Region Honorable Mention, and his .599 save percentage ranked fourth in the nation in Division II.
Ulmer comes from a family of goaltenders, his father Rick was a goalie at Syracuse and his brother was also a walk-on with the Orange.
After getting stuffed twice on the crease as a youth attackman, Blake quickly realized goalie was more suited for him as well!
Blake’s recruiting journey took an interesting turn, after big summer during his junior season in high school and a stellar performance at the Maverik Showcase he quickly drew a lot of interest from some big names schools.
He ended up committing pretty early to follow in his family’s footsteps in signing with Syracuse.
However, after arriving at school Blake realized that Syracuse wasn’t his fit. He loved the lacrosse at Cuse but the native of Naples, FL wasn’t a fan of the upstate new york weather. To him not seeing the sun on a regular basis began to affect his mental health a lot and he knew this wasn’t the place that was going to make him happy the most.
This is a really important lesson for any goalie going through the recruiting process. It’s important to take into account all factors into play when choosing your school for the next step.
Blake joins the show today to talk about winning a national championship, improving your game, breaking out of a slump, and much more!
Show Notes
Blake’s Gear Setup
Video Interview with Blake Ulmer
P.S. – Ready to take the next step? Here are 3 powerful ways I can help you:
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