The DU men’s lacrosse club is not all that different from the DU varsity team. Well, at least, as far as competition is concerned.
The club allows students to play organized lacrosse games against teams they normally would not be on the same field with. But since DU has a varsity team, the club team cannot officially be part of the club level United States Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates. However, the club still plays many of its games against USLIA opponents.
Six years ago, Eric Genova, a former varsity player for DU, started the club. He wanted the players to have a chance to play at the collegiate level, and interest in the club has grown ever since. This year about 50 students tried out for the team.
The club does not have official cuts, but President Kevin Fixler said the problem of who to keep usually fixes itself.
“A lot of guys basically cut themselves by not showing up to practice,” he said. “We have to tell some of the guys that do show up that we don’t have room for them, but we don’t have a cut list or anything,” he added.
In-state opponents include CU-Boulder, Colorado State University, the University of Northern Colorado and the Colorado School of Mines.
This year, DU also played the University of Utah and Utah Valley State College. All of the teams except for DU are members of the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference. The club also plays against local adult teams from Denver. Most of the games are held at the newly erected Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium, but the club travels sometimes as well.
This spring the players took rental cars to Utah for a few games. They played against two USLIA teams and also a men’s club team, winning two. Their only loss came to Utah, who is ranked No. 14 in the USLIA.
Trips like these are what Fixler relishes about the club. He said with club sports, it’s not as easy to build team camaraderie as it is playing for a varsity college team or a high school team. It’s more of a recreational activity and the commitment level is not as high. Taking trips with the club though, reminds Fixler of his days playing high school lacrosse.
“With a trip like that, it brings you back to the days of being on an actual team,” Fixler said. “It’s a really great bonding experience because the only guys you’re with are the ones in the club.”
Some of the players have played lacrosse for most of their lives, but others in the club did not play lacrosse before high school. Vice President Dan Callahan is one of the more recent followers of the game.
“When I was in eighth grade, my older sister had a friend who got me interested,” he said. “I’ve been playing ever since.”
Callahan played soccer and football at his high school in Oregon, but says what he enjoys most about lacrosse is its likeness to basketball.
“Basketball is my favorite sport, and in lacrosse I can be creative while at the same time blending in skill with some finesse,” he said.
The team practices twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays, and sometimes on weekends.
The games are in the fall and spring, and the club concluded its spring season last Saturday with a game against CU in Boulder. The Pioneers dropped the game to the Buffaloes 18-3.
