When the Utah Archers picked Beau Pederson 13th overall in the 2024 College Draft, it was the perfect fit.

Of course, the 6-foot-4 first-team All-American was exactly what the Archers needed to fill out their short-stick defensive midfield room. But, more than that, it also meant that the latest big-time Utah lacrosse product was coming home.

Pederson – a Park City native – has lived in Utah his entire life beyond his time playing college lacrosse at Princeton and Michigan. His arrival on the professional stage and with the Utah Archers represents how rapid the rise of the sport has been in his home state.

Pederson first picked up a stick at three or four years old when his dad, Chip Pederson – a tight end for the Michigan football team in the late 1970s – agreed to help a family friend named Dave Moore coach his son’s team in middle school. From those early days with a stick in his hand, Beau was hooked.

“I love that lacrosse has so much room for the players to play and make plays,” he said. “The creativity and the flow and the pace of the game was something that I loved from a young age.”

While Pederson’s parents, Chip and Kathy, had no prior knowledge of the game, they were fundamental in helping to raise money and awareness for youth lacrosse programs in Park City. 

As more and more lacrosse people moved out to Utah, Pederson had the valuable opportunity to play for coaches who’d played college lacrosse. Rich Levi, who played at Brown in the 1990s, was Pederson’s fifth and sixth grade coach. Phil Dobson, who won a national championship with Loyola in 2012, was Pederson’s offensive coordinator for three years at Park City High School.

With Park City established as one of the premier lacrosse programs in Utah, Pederson thrived for the Miners in high school. He was a two-time state MVP, a four-time All-State selection and a two-time All-American, and he led Park City to a state championship his senior year.

Following other players from the Salt Lake City area, such as current Boston Cannons SSDM Bubba Fairman, Pederson shipped off to the East Coast to play at the Division I level, committing to play for the Princeton Tigers. 

At Princeton, Pederson found his footing after a switch from offensive midfield to SSDM. Head coach Matt Madalon asked Pederson to switch to shorty to fill a team need ahead of his sophomore year in 2020, and by his third season, he was an All-American at the position.

Adopting a dominant, physical style that made him the aggressor as a short-stick defender, Pederson thrived once he was comfortable with the nuances of playing defense. He credited the focus of the Princeton staff and the SSDM group for thinking outside the box regarding how shorties approached playing defense as a huge factor in his success.

“We started meeting on how to advance the SSDM position,” he said. “Instead of just being someone who goes out there and you have to slide to, we thought, ‘How can we become people that can shut people down, be like a regular defenseman?’”

By studying the film of elite shorties like Zach Goodrich and Danny Logan, Pederson learned how to throw legitimate checks as an SSDM. By the time he hit PLL draft big boards, he’d established himself as the king of the crowbar check and a uniquely physical short stick who could end possessions.

After a stellar fourth year at Princeton in 2023, Pederson used his year of COVID-19 eligibility to transfer to Michigan and follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather as a Wolverine. 

In the 2024 college season, he was the best SSDM in the country. Pederson was named a first-team All-American by all relevant outlets and helped lead the Wolverines back to the NCAA Tournament. As a result, he established himself as a premier prospect for the 2024 PLL College Draft.

Of course, while Pederson was away at college adapting his game, lacrosse had been exploding in Utah.

The University of Utah’s club program transitioned to Division I in 2019. Current Cannons head coach Brian Holman led that charge with a trio of former Archers – Will Manny, Marcus Holman and Adam Ghitelman – on his staff. That, plus the success of local Utah lacrosse players on the national stage, meant the sport was booming in Pederson’s home state.

“It’s been awesome,” Pederson said. “When I was growing up, there was one club with not that many guys. Not many high school programs. It was still pretty small. And just from when I was in high school to now, there has been a huge increase in interest and participation from the youth.” 

The culmination of that growth came last fall when the PLL announced that the Archers Lacrosse Club would become the Utah Archers. From Pederson’s perspective, it was a fantastic decision.

“I thought it was awesome,” he said. “I know there was an immediate, very positive reaction to getting a lacrosse team, which was awesome. It was in all the papers and on the news. People are really excited. I obviously couldn’t have been more excited.”

As excitement grew for the Archers’ homecoming to Utah, it only intensified following the draft and Pederson’s selection to his hometown team. Archers head coach Chris Bates – who originally recruited him to Princeton – was aware of Pederson’s Utah roots. But that wasn’t the leading motivation for selecting the Michigan product.

“It didn’t enter my mind as a reason to draft him,” Bates said. “He was just clearly the best shorty out there. And then, all of a sudden, you put two and two together and you’re like, “Holy crap, this makes a ton of sense. He’s a Utah guy too!’” 

For Pederson, it was a full-circle moment.

“That’s what you dream of,” he said. “You dream of getting drafted by a professional sports team and for it to be the one that is your home base. To be able to represent where you grew up at the highest level is awesome. I couldn’t have been happier.” 

In his rookie season, Pederson has thrived within the Archers’ defense. He’s been a plug-and-play guy at SSDM and has been exactly what the staff was hoping he’d be when they drafted him. 

“He’s everything as advertised,” Bates said. “He’s been really, really good. Big, strong, fast, physical. … He’s been exceptional.”

Now, the Utah native and the 4-4 Archers are heading into their Homecoming weekend with a berth to the Cash App Playoffs and first place in the Western Conference on the line in their back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday night. 

Arguably as significantly, they also have the opportunity to represent Utah for the first time at home – with Pederson leading that charge in his return to playing in his home state. It’s an opportunity and a responsibility that he cherishes.

“I don’t think that it can be overstated how important it is for the kids growing up playing here,” Pederson said. “For me, [I want] to show them that you can come from Utah and play at the highest level.”

“You don’t necessarily have to be from a hotbed area,” he added. “You don’t have to be from New York, Long Island or Baltimore to be on a team and play at the highest level. Growing the game is the biggest thing.” 

Pederson’s career thus far and his storybook arrival to the professional ranks the same year that the Archers are coming home to Utah are signs of what’s to come for Utah lacrosse and the game as a whole. As lacrosse continues to grow, it’s players like Pederson from different parts of the country and different parts of the world who will carry it forward.

“Playing in front of all the kids – I remember watching pro lacrosse when I was their age and wanting to be like those guys,” Pederson said. “So to be able to come back and do it in front of this crowd will be awesome. I can’t wait.”