Web MasterJust one short week ago, most of us were preparing to spend the next few days on one of this world’s finest beaches, where many beautiful people reside- many of them being even more beautiful after a few of your favorite local intoxicants. Spring Break 2002 was our last vacation before the end of our semester, but for a few select WU students, the fun and games of this student holiday brought on a whole new meaning.
The Washington University Men’s Lacrosse team used this time to compete in a series of matches around the country that took them down to Atlanta to play Emory, Alabama to take on Auburn and ended up in Panama City Beach, Florida to face Florida State and Central Florida. Along the way, they compiled a 2-2 record, losing to sixth-ranked Auburn and Florida State.
“We expected to go 3-1, so it was a bit of a disappointment,” said senior Dev Bala, who has served as the team captain for the past three years. “But this was the first time we’ve ever undertaken a road-trip of this sort, so we did okay, all things considered.”
Lacrosse is one of the only a few sports which incorporate almost every skill you will see in any other varsity sports. There’s the goaltending and physical aspect, which most hockey or soccer fans will relate to. There is also the passing and cradling of the ball, akin to rugby or American football.
Citing the many skills needed to play this game, Bala said, “It’s definitely a game where small, skilled players can play with the big physical players, and together they can make up a successful team.”
The men’s team has gone through a facelift of sorts, over the past year, as several new players have joined the squad, which is led by first-year-coach Troy Hood. Hood is in fact the first coach the team has ever had with extensive experience in the sport.
It should be noted that unlike most of the big schools the men’s team faces, WU does not have a varsity lacrosse program. As a club team, however, they have faced a similar schedule and training regimen of most of this school’s athletic teams.
“A lot of people look at us as a club team from an outside perspective, but once you get on the inside, its different from any other club team here,” said Bala. “The level of commitment, I would argue, is right up there with any other varsity sport in terms of on the field and off the field. The amount of time the people put in to travel and participate with the team demands a lot of respect not only in club sports, but in athletics overall at this school.”
Additionally, while they face other club teams around the nation, they must be faced with the burden of having to challenge schools that are almost four times the size of our institution.
This year’s squad is currently ranked fourth in the conference, with upcoming matches this weekend against the University of Illinois, and the following week versus Indiana. All this leads up to the end of the year conference tournament, where the top six teams get to participate.
“Depending how well we do at the conference tournament, we could make it to nationals,” said Bala. “But our goal at the beginning of the season was to be at least the second best team in the conference.”
As the Bears continues to exceed expectations, and accomplish new feats, it’s easy to see why the team takes so much pride in what they do.
As evidenced by a 10-9 victory over interstate rival Missouri last month and their spring break exploits, the WU laxmen have proven that they can play with the big boys.
This team is hoping that all their hard work will culminate into a successful end of the season, and a good showing at the conference tournament. If this happens, it will be easy for them to forget that while they were sweating away, others were sipping daiquiris under palm trees. Believe me, victory will taste just as sweet.
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