This year Hampton University has added Men’s lacrosse and Women’s soccer. Since 1981 there has not been another Division I men’s lacrosse team at a Historically Black College/ University. Hampton Lacrosse team is jumping from club to Division I in a year, which has raised some eyebrows but Hampton University’s Athletic Director Eugene Marshall explained it perfectly to Lacrosse magazine in November. “Our president has a motto of ‘ Dream no small dreams.’ Why settle for Division III or Division II when you can go right to Division I?”
A lot of people try to direct attention towards the soccer team and the bumps in the road they had this year and say similar things will happen to the lacrosse team. When talking to players they believe their season will be different. Hampton University will become the 70th lacrosse team in Division I tomorrow when they play their first game against Robert Wesleyan at 12:30 p.m. and the players have been waiting on February 13th for a very long time. When conversing with Senior Jeremy Triplett I wanted to know his expectations this year. He told me one of his goals for the team was not only to build a culture, but also “to just go have fun and enjoy the experiences of playing Division I lacrosse.” That is a very important key for any team who hopes to also be successful . You have to continue to be competitive, while also enjoying playing sport that you love.
Building a solid base is important to this team, but a lot of these players have played together for awhile in Club and expect success. Gregory Jackson expectations for the season are high, “we have been playing together for a while now and we build that chemistry that we need and we’ll have a successful season.
With potential opponents like VMI, Mercer, Lehigh, Theil and UNC Greensboro Club it will be a very interesting season for Hampton University Lacrosse. Lacrosse will not only bring diversity, but excitement as well. Hampton University is running wild with excitement as SportsCenter will be here to host a two hour live show! Tomorrow will be an incredible day for Hampton University and it could not have come in a better month.
-Cam Carter
