April 28 , 2006

Club sport returns to Marietta College
Lacrosse makes a celebrated arrival to campus once again

By JON MOFFETT
jrm001@marietta.edu

With all the negative publicity that lacrosse is receiving in the news recently, it’s hard to see the sport as anything but disastrous.

By now, everyone is probably aware of the allegations of rape and sexual assault that have been brought to the Duke University Lacrosse Team. Regardless of whether the players are innocent or not, the lacrosse program has been somewhat tarnished by these allegations.

Many schools around the country are looking into their athletic programs more carefully, so that these kinds of things don’t happen anymore. The fact is, lacrosse as a sport has taken a substantial hit. However, through all that mess of negativity, there is a small ray of hope for the sport.

Making its star-studded return to Marietta College, lacrosse is being welcomed back with open arms. Although many people may think that lacrosse is new to campus, they couldn’t be more wrong.

• History •

Lacrosse used to be a varsity-accredited sport at Marietta in 2003. In fact, many students who are on the team now were recruited to be on the varsity team. But a month before the 2003 school year started, the team was cut.

Although the exact reason for the program being cut is unknown, many believe that it had to do with a lack of candidates to coach the sport. According to one source, the former head coach, Steve Diamond, received a job elsewhere after a disappointing season where Marietta failed to reach a record of .500.

Then, instead of going through the tedious process of finding an equally qualified coach, the program was dismissed. Whatever the reason may be, the important thing is that lacrosse is back.

• Current Program •

People have been wondering what that awkward looking goal is doing in the middle of Parson’s Field, and why there’s usually a bunch of what looks to be a mixture of football and baseball players running around. This is because lacrosse fever has swept over the campus. This fever has generated a very positive turnout for the team, which consists of approximately 25 members. The roster, which is mainly dominated by males, consists of athletes from all different grades and sports backgrounds.

Much like the swim club, lacrosse is not an officially recognized varsity sport at Marietta yet. Both the swim and lacrosse teams are “club sports.” That means that although they are not officially recognized by the college, they are permitted to travel and compete against other schools.

Although they have not been recognized, the lacrosse club has high hopes for next year. Starting with the 2006-2007 season, the club will begin competing in the National Collegian Lacrosse League. In the NCLL, the Pioneers will compete against not only other club teams, but also D3 schools from all over the nation.
The team is currently co-ed, but next year, in accordance of the NCLL, the team will be all male. However unfortunate for those women who are currently on the team, this doesn’t necessarily stop them if they would like to remain part of lacrosse. A women’s lacrosse team is being looked into as well. With enough interest and participation, Marietta ideally would have both male and female lacrosse programs.

Glenver McDonnel is the president and captain of the team, as well as the creator of the club. Having been involved with lacrosse programs for more than eight years, McDonnel was just what the team needed to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

“I can see why they [Marietta College] thought it would be easier to just dismiss the program than go through the rigors of finding a new coach,” said McDonnel. “I myself have put in about 30 hours a week in getting the whole thing together. It’s a lot of work.”

• Roster •

Along with McDonnel, Matt Englert has offered to step up and be the coach of the squad. He handles the roster, which consists of: Chris Blauvelt, who bravely volunteered to be the team’s goalkeeper, Vanessa Nicholls, Cory Bush, Matt Nicholson, Bill Dunning, Ashley Nolan, Drew Fish, Dennis Paul, Chuck Flanagan, Joe Ropp, Keegan Haid, Corey Rymer, Colin Halloran, John Slinkard, Scott Kepins, Ben Smith, Kileen Lehman, Steve Spiegel, Nate Lane, Joe Marts, Bill Tuttle, Glen McConnell, Zach Zimmer, and Jessica Negrelli.

• The Season •

The lacrosse club finished its inaugural season on April 22nd, which consisted of seven games. They played Columbus State Community College and Dennison University twice, along with games against Ohio Dominican University, Wright State University, and Ohio Wesleyan University.

The club hopes to further develop the program over this summer in the hopes that the college will eventually recognize them as a varsity sport. The club plans to expand their schedule for next year, and compete.

When asked about his thoughts on the club, McDonnel added “I’m happy to step up and be a part of this. It’s been quite the experience.”