March 29, 2005

Within the lacrosse community the event barely raised an eyebrow. It was just another relatively little-known team making a brief appearance on the USILA's Division II Top 10 poll. Heck, those teams at the bottom of the polls come and go, so who cares in the long run, right?

Well, it meant a lot to the players, coaches, and athletic administrators at Notre Dame de Namur University when that little number 10 showed up next to the school's name in last week's poll.

"It was huge and the players are fired up," said Joe Romano, head coach for the Argonauts. "We made that a goal. We weren't real specific where it was, we just wanted a number next to our name. We knew we had a chance with the win over Bryant and it meant a lot to the guys."

The ranking can be directly attributed to NDNU's 13-10 upset of a ranked Bryant squad in Rhode Island on Mar. 19. The win gave the Argo's their first Top 10 victory and improved their record to 12-2.

But the ranking was also the culmination of a lot of toil, sweat and selfless dedication that went largely unnoticed in the world of lacrosse as NDNU, located just south of San Francisco on the bay, laid the groundwork for a program over the past two years in an area devoid of any varsity NCAA competition.

The foundation of the NDNU program was laid in 2003 by then newly-hired athletic director Doug Locker - the former head coach of California's other varsity program, Whittier - when he selected Romano, one of his former players and assistants to be the first coach.

"He's a good coach and a people person," said Locker of Romano. "He was involved with me in the recruiting process at Whittier. We needed a guy who could coach, but also a talented recruiter. I was real comfortable with him. It was a no-brainer - he was the guy we wanted."

With the coach in place and the program set for its first varsity season in the spring of 2004, Locker and Romano set goals for the program. They knew that they couldn't afford to take the Whittier route, which started out as a club program in 1982 and didn't make it on the national scene until 2000.

"Joe and I had the conversation during the building year," remembered Locker. "It couldn't take 20 years to make a name for ourselves and we're definitely seeing some results a lot quicker."

"In terms of the master plan, we're farther along than we anticipated," added Romano. "The ultimate goal is to compete at the national level, but with some of the games we've been able to win and how the players are responding, we're slowly improving."

The trick to shortening NDNU's success curve was using the Whittier model and the tenets it used making the jump to varsity. It was important for Romano to tap into those areas of the country fertile with good lax players, but yet to be prospected by the major eastern programs.

"We try and get kids from the non-traditional areas like Utah, Washington and Oregon, but we also take shots at traditional East Coast programs and other hot beds," said Romano. "We usually get one to three from the East Coast. If we can get a player to check us out, it means they are pretty serious."

At present, 10 different states and four different Canadian provinces are represented on the Argo's roster. Operating out of California is both an obstacle and boon for NDNU at this point. It's tough trying to get good lacrosse players to think outside of the eastern establishment, but San Francisco, the Bay Area and California sell themselves.

The weather was a big factor in drawing Romano out of Philadelphia to Whittier and the NDNU coach is smart enough to use location as a selling point. "A lot of kids want to be in California," he said. "We can practice in January and the thought of snow is miles away from here."

The players who did commit early on the in the building phase have bought into the goal of trying to put NDNU on the lacrosse map, which makes Locker and the school both proud and grateful.

"I was happy for the kids who bought into it," said Locker. "It was pretty scary for someone to come in here during the first year. A lot of people probably thought we were nuts. I'm really happiest for those guys who came in that first year. They believed in what we were doing.

"It's tough for a guy coming into a situation where there isn't even a program. I traveled with them to North Carolina [earlier this year] and I told them in the locker room after the game that I was really grateful. I knew what kind of commitment it was. They really had to believe, and they've been partners in this thing. I told them, You guys are shareholders in this. That was one of the things that was most rewarding."

Naturally, when the ranking finally came out with Notre Dame de Namur in bold print with a number to its left, it brought out a bit of reflection.

"It was actually pretty emotional to finally see that," admitted Locker. "I called our president the minute it came out. It was a happy day here that it happened so quickly."

NDNU's ranking is obviously a testament to its achievements, but it also indirectly illustrates the respect that voters are gaining for non-varsity teams out west. Because the Argos are only able to take two trips per year, they fill the rest of their schedule with US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associate teams, mostly from the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL). Nine of NDNU's 17 games come against I.A.'s.

"Having come through the WCLL and watched things grow, I kind of snicker when I read shots taken at the club teams and the high schools out west," said Locker. "We're starting to see things differently than 15 years ago. Kids now want to be lacrosse players; they're not just doing it because it is the cool thing to do. That went away five or six years ago."

Now that the Romano and the lacrosse team have exceeded expectations by earning a national ranking less than two years into their varsity existence, the onus now shifts to Locker.

Although it is a member of the USILA - and eligible for its rankings and postseason honors - Notre Dame de Namur is still a member of the NAIA, and ineligible for the NCAA tournament. While the Argos are most likely still a couple of years away from realistically vying for a tourney bid, the school is working to ensure the option is available when that time comes.

"We still have to work some things out as a university," said Romano. "Overall, we're trying to tie some things in to move to NCAA. Sometimes I think it will happen overnight and sometimes I think it will take some time."

"We're in the process of assessing which DII conference is the best for us," said Locker. "We'll make a decision on that soon. We are looking at the NCAA provisional year as early as next fall. We are definitely moving institutionally. I'll look at all of our programs and see what the best fit is. I don't think we were worried about tournament selection a year ago. To put ourselves in consideration within two years is great and we're accelerating the process because we see the possibility."

The news just gets better for NDNU, as the Argos moved into a tie for ninth place in the latest USILA poll, heightening an already successful second season. For now, the players are basking in the glow that comes with arrival on the national scene.

But with the lightning quick growth of Notre Dame de Namur so far, you get the feeling a tenth-place spot in the national poll will be a thing of the past. It just might be single digits for these guys from here on out.