Freddie Lapworth '26, Economics and History

"I want to be known as someone who's engaged and making the most out of the opportunity that's there — someone who wants to help people."

Before most students hear their first alarm, Freddie Lapworth '26 is already setting the tone for his day — and everyone else's.

 Twice a week, he's in the fitness studio at the Kenneth Langone Athletics & Recreation Center before sunrise, cueing up an '80s-themed playlist and leading high‑intensity intervals for a 6:45 a.m. class for faculty and staff.

"I love doing it. It's just good fun," he says. "I'll wake up at 6 a.m., and other people wake up at 10 — that's four extra hours to get work in."

For a starting Division I soccer goalkeeper — and the 2024-25 Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year — those extra hours matter. After that early start, Lapworth's schedule only accelerates: lectures and office hours, networking calls and student‑athlete leadership meetings, soccer practices and games. At Bucknell, he's found a perfect home for someone who craves a packed schedule.

"I plan my classes accordingly," he says. "During my junior year, I had Fridays off, which was really nice. It meant that I could just do all my homework on Friday."

His busy mornings aren't about doing more for the sake of more. They're about doing things well — especially in the classroom. "I like to stay engaged in what I'm doing," he says. "I'll be interactive, I'll speak to the professor, and then I'll remember that a little bit better when I leave."

That approach helped him shape an academic path that fits the way he thinks. Lapworth arrived in the College of Arts & Sciences and chose economics because it closely aligned with his interests in business. He added a second major in history as he explored more of the curriculum. "I love history," he says. "It's just fascinating stuff." Finally, a real estate minor tied the threads together as he thought about turning these classes into a career.

This mix of pursuits is also a reason he chose Bucknell. The University's try‑and‑pivot approach allowed him to discover new opportunities — like a sector of real estate he hadn't considered.

"I discovered that you can do commercial real estate rather than just residential," he says. "I thought, that's fantastic. That's what I want to do."

To test that instinct, Lapworth got off campus and into the market. During the summer before his senior year, Lapworth interned at Continental Realty Corporation in Baltimore, an internship arranged through JM Schapiro '91. 

"The CEO is a Bucknell alum, and I landed this internship through networking with him," he says. "I always tell recruits this when they come — about the power of a Bucknell degree and the power of the alumni network."

It's why he plans to stay in the United States after he graduates, building a career in commercial real estate while staying connected to the program — and the place — that helped him put the pieces together.

Freddie Lapworth '26, the 2024-25 Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year, combines skill and leadership on the soccer field. Photo by James T. Giffen, Marketing & Communications

Those connections were part of what drew him to Bucknell in the first place. Lapworth, who hails from England, chose the University without an on-campus visit, guided by feel and the promise of a welcoming community that would let him explore, adjust and go deeper.

"I never visited any schools that I was talking to," he says. "I just made a decision on kind of gut instinct — and I'm happy to be where I am." He also appreciated Bucknell's rhythm of campus life, where nearly all students live on campus all four years.

"I like the fact that it's campus living," he says. "It gives you this sense of community."

His fellow student‑athletes appear happy he's here, too. Elected president of the Student‑Athlete Advisory Committee, Lapworth leans into organizing and listening — two traits sharpened on the soccer pitch and useful everywhere else.

In fact, he's found a lot of parallels between his academic experience and the feelings he gets guarding the goal for the Bison. One big lesson: Prepare for the best, and shrug off the setbacks.

"The perfect game is having to do absolutely nothing at all," he says. And when something doesn't go to plan, "You need the memory of a goldfish," he says, borrowing a mindset popularized by Ted Lasso. "There's another action coming."

As for how he'll be remembered, Lapworth doesn't point to the stats or the trophies or the headlines. He thinks of the people. 

"Football's [soccer's] only a game," he says. "Sport teaches you how to be a good person."