Part One (Sept. 2008) Free Fall? | Peer Review: Shannon
Smith
Part Two (Oct. 2008): Passport to Campus |
Peer Review:
Gordie Wells
Part Three (Nov. 2008): Too Vested in Verbals?
| Peer Review:
Lily Ricci
Part Four (Dec. 2008): Piece of the Pie | Peer Review: Ilyssa
Meyer
Part Five (Feb. 2009): Best Foot
Forward
Part Six (March 2009): Camp
Stories | Peer
Review: What Camp Best Fits Me?
Part Seven (April 2009): Be
True to Your School?
Part Eight (May 2009): Transfer
of Power | Peer
Review: Q&A with an Early Commit
Part Nine (October 2009): Are
You the Diamond in the Rough? | Think
D-III
Part Ten (November 2009): Me Time |
Peer
Review: Kayleigh Hynes
Part Eleven (December 2009): New
Beginnings
Recruiting is a topic on which families, prospects, coaches
and others expend considerable resources, time and emotion.
Lacrosse Magazine will delve into many of the sub-topics involved
in a series of articles, augmented by personal stories from young
men and women that have recently completed or are in the midst of
the recruiting process.
Part Eleven of the series examines the rise of playing
opportunities with new Division III programs, and the growing pains
recruits should expect should they choose to join them. This
article appears in the December issue of LM. Don't get the mag? Join US
Lacrosse and its 300,000-plus members today to start your
monthly subscription.
Recruiting U: New Beginnings
by Joel Censer | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
|
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Whittier's men's lacrose team endured early lumps in California before earning its first NCAA tournament bid in 2002. © Brendan Bush |
Randolph College sophomore Nick Randall did not expect college
lacrosse to be this tough.
A talented defenseman and a freshman during Randolph’s
first-ever season in NCAA competition, Randall found himself on a
team with only 15 other players, some of whom had never before
played organized lacrosse. The Randolph team predictably struggled,
losing all eight of their games by large margins. Moreover,
Randall, who had always played close defense exclusively, was
forced to expand his skill set, becoming a fixture on extra-man
offense and even taking some faceoffs.
Randall’s experience at Randolph, a charming liberal arts
college in Lynchburg, Va., which went co-ed in 2007 (it was
previously Randolph-Macon Woman’s College), reflects some of
the common challenges for players at new Division III programs.
“Last year was the hardest athletic season I’ve ever
been a part of,” said Randall, a native of Yarmouth, Maine.
“There were definitely times when I didn’t want play.
Things are so much better this year. I was taught a ton of
leadership skills.”
Unlike Division I, the trend in Division III athletics, where
schools cannot provide athletic scholarships and every student pays
tuition, is that colleges are adding varsity lacrosse programs as a
way to boost enrollment and subsequently improve their financial
situations. The additions are providing hundreds of new playing
opportunities for high school athletes wishing to continue their
lacrosse careers.
The result has been a spread of lacrosse programs at the D-III
level at almost epidemic proportions, even in geographic areas
where most people’s contact with the sport consists of a few
fuzzy memories of “American Pie.” Hendrix College in
Conway, Ark., Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., and Concordia
University Wisconsin in Mequon are just a few of the schools which
have recently added teams.
Although advocates for the sport have pointed to this
unprecedented expansion as a sign that the game has outgrown the
cozy confines of the East Coast, what bears consideration for high
school prospects is the pain these players and coaches suffer to be
competitive. Randolph’s introduction to college lacrosse was
made particularly ugly by a lack of depth — head coach Scott
Ketcham spoke about a defensive strategy which consisted of a
packed-in zone so his middies could rest — but every new
Division III team is likely to struggle, even ones with significant
institutional advantages.
Take Christopher Newport University (CNU), a state-supported
school in Newport News, Va., which launched its program in 2007.
Despite being able to offer cheap tuition and a quality education
in a state ripe with lacrosse talent, when faced with competitive
opponents like Whittier, Hampden-Sydney and St. Mary’s last
year, CNU lost by an average of 10 goals.
But the growing pains can be a rally cry in some cases.
“It’s fun being part of something that is a new
challenge,” said Ben Shaeffer, a junior captain at
Birmingham-Southern College. “I enjoy the challenge to play
against teams that might not know or respect your area. It keeps us
working.”
Working is exactly what BSC head coach Andy Bonasera has done,
particularly following a relatively successful 6-9 inaugural season
in Alabama. He believes a number of talented players are
under-recruited. He attributes that to the rapid growth of the game
at the high school and grassroots level, even in areas not
typically known for lacrosse. Not surprisingly, the BSC lacrosse
roster reads more like an SEC football roster than a Division III
lacrosse one.
As such, this level play has proven it’s a home for
athletes, and prior lacrosse experience isn’t always
necessary. Randolph senior midfielder Cody Roza came to the school
from Granite Bay, Calif., for its political science program. He had
never seen lacrosse until his sophomore year. He caught the bug
almost overnight, and by the end of his sophomore year was going
out every day with Ketcham to play catch until dark.
“It’s definitely been worth it; really, a good
challenge,” he said. “I love to go over game
tape.”
Consistent among the players was an appreciation for their teams
and an understanding that playing for a nascent program means more
than counting wins and losses. The players stressed that their
experiences involved learning a lot about leadership, commitment
and perseverance, and they believed that their close — almost
familial — relationships with their teammates had been built
as a result of long practices, small improvements and, yes, even
dispiriting losses.
Moreover, these new teams have reasons to be optimistic.
Muhlenburg College, where Ketcham used to coach, and Ursinus
College launched programs in 2003. They have shown that they can be
competitive. Mulhenburg made the Centennial Conference playoffs in
2008 and Ursinus beat traditional superpower Washington College in
2007 — signs that the perennially challenging league may have
to deal with more balance in years to come.
As rewarding as these players and coaches have found the process,
none of the teams are satisfied with their place in the Division
III hierarchy, and each seems serious about working to change
it.
That can resonate with high school student-athletes looking to
make their mark on the next level.
As Ketcham put it: “I’m tired. I haven’t even
considered taking a day off since August because, as much fun as
I’ve had here, I definitely don’t want to do this
building thing again.”
