Web MasterIf their eye-catching (and sometimes revealing) flyers haven’t grabbed your attention, then their play on the field should. Under the new leadership of head coach Troy Hood, the Washington University men’s lacrosse team has compiled their finest season ever. The four-year-old squad garnered its first playoff berth in team history by going 4-3 in the USLIA (United States Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates) this spring. Making the post-season is especially sweet for the club’s seniors, as they are truly the forefathers of men’s lacrosse at WU.
For a closer look at their special season, I went one-on-one with president, captain, leading scorer and all-around nice guy Bobby Dudley.
Q: As a three-year member of the team, what does it mean to finally make the conference playoffs?
A: To make the conference playoffs shows the rest of the league what we’ve known all along; we are one of the best teams in the conference and we can play with anyone in the league. It is also nice because this year’s seniors are the guys primarily responsible for making the team what it is today. Having them be able to see their goals come to fruition is worth all the hard work.
Q: Are you surprised by the progress the club has made in its short four-year history?
A: If I were an outsider, I probably would be surprised how far the team has come. However, because I’ve seen first-hand how dedicated the team’s officers, executives and players are, I’m not surprised at all by how far we’ve come. Frankly, we haven’t accomplished half of what we wanted to do in the first couple of years. But, we’re patient and we will achieve whatever we set our minds to do. As far as our level of play on the field, I’ve always known we could compete at this level and do well. Troy Hood, our new head coach, has refined the potential and the skills that we have and really made us a dangerous team on the field. True we’ve come along way, but we have barely started.
Q: What is your favorite memory from this past year?
A: Well I’d have to say my favorite memory from this past year would be our beating Mizzou. We have a, let’s say, “healthy” rivalry with Mizzou. I’ve never lost to the Tigers in my three years here and I wasn’t going to start this year. We’ve won the past three years by one goal each time, so the games are always exciting. It was back-and-forth all game long, then with 30 seconds left in the game Elliot Appel scored a goal for the win.
Q: How committed are the players on the lacrosse club team compared to athletes on actual “university-run” sports teams?
A: The fact is we really don’t consider ourselves “just a club team.” I’m sure it’s the same for the other club teams, no one really sees how much we invest in our sport. The truth is, it’s hard for me to compare our players’ dedication with varsity sports because I can’t give first-hand testimony as to their dedication. I do know that we have 25 guys who follow our motto, “Team First.” The fact that we receive a lot less recognition and support from the school than varsity sports but still compete nationally with teams like Michigan, Florida State, Auburn and University of Illinois shows how dedicated our guys really are. The fact is our players have to pay to play club lacrosse. That should also testify to their love of the game. I know that I wouldn’t trade my spot on the lacrosse team for any spot on any varsity team at this school.
WU lacrosse will begin its playoff run next weekend in Indianapolis, IN.
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