Confronting adversity, MSU lacrosse prepares for nationals

The MSU men’s lacrosse team has been making headlines recently, and it’s not only because of its play on the field. On Monday, April 10, weeks before the lacrosse national tournament on May 9-14, the team’s bus caught fire, destroying team members’ personal items. 

“Items lost were mostly player personal items such as laptops, school textbooks, headphones, iPads, etc.” sophomore Billy Diffley said.

The following day, on Monday, April 11, the team opened a GoFundMe where donations poured in, raising over $70,000 to replace lost items and to help the team raise enough to afford transportation costs.

“The bus fire made us want the win more,” Team Captain Bubba Ullman said. “We not only owe it to ourselves now but to so many other people as well.”

Regardless of its transportation issues, the team went on to play its last regular season game in Sheridan, Wyoming, on Saturday, April 16.

“We did have to take personal vehicles as we don't have a bus anymore, which was less than ideal considering the weather we had to drive through coming over the pass on the way home,” Ullman said.

Despite the unfortunate incident, the team still lined the field and prepared for the next match.

 “Going into the game, the mindset for the team is to stay focused and play our game. We’ve got a lot of talent on our team and we know if we play as a team, we can really dominate,” sophomore Jason Starks said.

And dominate they did, defeating division rival Wyoming, 23-9.

Reflecting on the various accomplishments of the season, one win stood out over the rest.

“Our biggest accomplishment this year was taking down the Griz at home,” Starks said. “Everyone played as hard as they could and it was amazing how much energy there was between the home crowd and the players. It was definitely one of the most fun games I’ve played.” 

While defeating the Griz is always an accomplishment, the team has bigger goals set for their season.

“First goal to accomplish, win our conference, the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference. After that is to go on and win a national championship,” Diffley said. “A long-term goal we have always focused on since our team started in 2003, is growing the program and the sport.”

“Being a club sport athlete is something not many people know what it is like,” sophomore Ethan Zwickey said “The first thing that sets us apart is why we play. Our players have to pay their own way, to play on the team, meaning they play because of their love of the game. Our team is competitive on a national level and we plan to prove that this year with a trip to the national tournament.”

The team is preparing for its final regular season game on Friday, April 22, and the national tournament.

“Although this is my fourth year at MSU, it's only my second season of lacrosse, the team has given me amazing lifelong memories and experiences and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Can't wait to go show the world how good MSU men's lacrosse is.” Ullman said.