For head coach Brea Burbidge and the UVU lacrosse team, the 2016 season feels different than previous ones. According to Burbidge, the team is young as it is made up of 20 freshmen, two seniors and a few juniors. Despite that youth, the Wolverines have had some success due to recruiting.
“We worked really hard on our recruiting,” Burbidge said. “We went after kids who were undecided, from fall ball, from other universities and other teams. We went after talent hard. We got a lot of great talent.”
Senior Fred Davis understands that the previous season was full of challenges. The Wolverines finished with a record of 4-9 and they are looking to turn things around this season.
“Our goal is to obviously win the national championship,” Davis said. “But we’d love to make it to nationals.”
“In order to make it to nationals, we have to perform well, and we have to beat several teams like Utah State and the University of Utah. Those are all in our conference.”
Davis also believes that they have to beat 8th-ranked Colorado State or 4th-ranked BYU in order to make it to nationals.
The Wolverines know they have a long road ahead with an upcoming key matchup against BYU on April 21. The Wolverines have never defeated the Cougars in lacrosse but it is a match that UVU is excited for.
The BYU match is personal for Sophomore Brian Quick, who used to play for BYU and still has several friends who play for the team.
“I’m looking forward to that,” Quick said. “I get to play the team I used to play for with this all-new team.”
With each passing season the team undergoes changes to its roster. This has made it difficult for the Wolverines to maintain their level of play. Junior goaltender Sean Rowley, winner of the MCLA Division I Commanding Performance award Feb. 9, believes that the key factors in the ever-changing roster is due in-part because of UVU’s open enrolment policy and also the costs that each player must pay in order to play.
“It’s an expensive sport,” Rowley said. “We don’t get any help from the school.”
He went on to say that it’s hard to afford as a college student.
“Spring fees are $1,250 for just the season, and then equipment fees are $375. The fall fees are little bit less, somewhere around $800.”
Although the Wolverines face financial and scholarship limitations, the team is currently ranked 22nd in the MCLA D-I polls. They upset then-No. 1 ranked Grand Canyon to start the season and also have wins over Montana, UNLV and Utah.
The Wolverines are out to prove that you don’t need big name recruits or a ton of money in order to be successful. The element of good recruiting, team leadership and solid coaching along with hard work all pays off in the end.
