The Pointer UW-Stevens Point Student Newspaper
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men’s and women’s club lacrosse teams are practicing twice a week and working hard to prepare for upcoming games.
The men’s lacrosse team practices all year long for their short four-week season which ends just as the spring semester comes to a close. The club team is a part of the Great Lakes Lacrosse League and competes against other campus teams, such as the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Luke Statz, senior midfielder, admits that though the lacrosse season is short the team members remain committed and enjoy practice. According to Statz the current men’s lacrosse team will face-off against the team’s alumni on homecoming weekend.
“The reason they do it for homecoming is because the alumni who want to celebrate homecoming come back and play us,” Statz said.
Statz admits that there are a number of team members that have never played lacrosse in high school.
Eric Pulkinen, senior attacker, has been a member of the team since he was a freshman. Pulkinen hopes that the team, like last year, will be able to win conference.
Pulkinen said everyone on the team helps coach each other since they do not have a coach.
“We take the new people really slow for the first few practices, but usually people pick it up pretty quickly,” Pulkinen said.
The women’s team is not a part of a league, and as a result, has to contact other universities in order to set up games.
Olivia Stroinski, sophomore defender, is the president of the women’s lacrosse team.
“You have to pay a fee to join a league and once you join you have a set schedule. It’s more commitment,” Stroinski said.
Stroinski said that the team does not have any games currently set up, but the team is hoping to play a couple of games in the spring and fall.
“The majority of us have not had lacrosse experience before, it’s rare that we get a new person that played in high school. The officers and returners take on the responsibility to teach them the ropes,” Stroinski said.
She is hoping that this year the returning team members will be able to bond well with the new ones. The team has only been practicing for a week, but she believes they will have 15 to 20 players on their team this season.
“Ever since the beginning of high school I have wanted to play lacrosse, so when I found out that Point had a lacrosse team I was very excited,” Stroinski said.
Caroline Chalk
Reporter
cchal845@uwsp.edu
