[2] Handley looked up to Peter Baum, a fellow Portland native who won the 2012 Tewaaraton Award, later stating that "as kids playing lacrosse in Oregon, we all wanted to be like him".
[3] Handley attended Jesuit High School, where he was a US Lacrosse All-American and first-team OHSLA all-state selection for three straight years.
[9][14] Handley led the Quakers to their first Ivy League double in program history by winning the conference tournament after securing their first outright regular-season title since 1986.
[16] As a sophomore in 2020, Handley played one game for the Quakers, tallying three goals and two assists in their season opener against Maryland, during which he unknowingly suffered a ruptured spleen.
Handley suffered internal bleeding for over six hours following the game before he was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center to undergo an emergency procedure.
[9] In a regular-season win over Princeton, he came within one assist of the program's single-game record with a three-goal, eight-assist showing, and was named to the USILA National Team Of the Week for his performance.
[1] Ahead of his final season in 2023, Handley was named the Division I national preseason player of the year by USA Lacrosse Magazine.
[21] However, Penn was defeated by Princeton in the Ivy League tournament semifinals, with Handley putting up two goals and two assists in his final collegiate game.
[26] Handley was one of nine collegiate players who were invited to try out for the U.S. men's national team ahead of the 2023 World Lacrosse Championship, as well as one of five collegians who made the training roster.