USU club Lacrosse team to host Fall Brawl Friday and Saturday
Organized as a club team at Utah State University since 1974, the USU lacrosse club will host one of its biggest tournaments in recent memory on Friday and Saturday at the HPER fields.
USU will host the fifth annual Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Lacrosse League (RMILL) Fall Brawl, with play beginning on Friday at 3:30 p.m. Play will continue on Saturday at 10 a.m., with the championship game being contested at 4 p.m.
Not only will the Fall Brawl feature some of the top club teams in the country including Brigham Young University and Colorado State University, it will also give fans the chance to learn more about the sport, participate in activities and purchase lacrosse apparel and equipment.
In addition to the tournament, the club will also give fans the chance to compete in a longest pass, fastest shot and shot accuracy contest. In the fastest shot contest, fans can see how fast they can fling the ball via a radar gun.
All activities and contests are free to the public.
“The games are free to the public,” said Jonathan Atwood, club vice president. “All fans that participate will also get free lacrosse stickers.”
Lacrosse equipment will be sold by the Salt Lake City based company North American Lacrosse – a sponsor of USU lacrosse.
As for the tournament itself, USU, BYU, CSU, Fort Lewis College, Utah Valley State College, Boise State University, the University of Utah and the Salt Lake City club team Tenacious D will be in action.
All seven collegiate teams are members of the RMILL – a league that is one of the top-notch club conferences in the country, Atwood said. In fact, the past three United States Lacrosse Intercollegiate Association national champions have come from the RMILL, with CSU placing first in 1999 and 2001 and BYU capturing the title in 2000.
“Our conference is one of the best if not the best conference in the nation,” he said.
The Aggies will quickly learn what it’s like to play the best when they take the field against the Rams in their opening match on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
When asked whether CSU or BYU was the team to beat, club President Paul Larkin said, “It’s definitely a toss up. That would be awesome lacrosse [if they were to meet in the championship game].”
CSU and BYU, along with Fort Lewis College are Division I members of the RMILL, as opposed to the other schools in the tournament, who are Division II members.
The main differences between the two divisions are mainly financial and organizational, Larkin said. Teams like CSU and BYU have a bigger financial backing, thus attracting more talented players, Atwood said.
Both Atwood, Larkin and club member Braden Jenkins are confident the Aggies can improve on last season’s 7-10 record. With 15 returning players from last year’s squad and several talented newcomers, the team is primed for a breakout season, Atwood said.
“There’s a lot of skill on the team,” Jenkins said. “They [the newcomers] mesh well personality wise, I think. There are a couple of new guys who have really picked it [the game] up and are completely gung ho about it.”
When asked what would be the strength of the team, both Atwood and Larkin said great teamwork and cohesion as well as an experienced first line.
“Our first lines are pretty well matched,” Atwood said.
“I think our willingness to give the ball to other players and get them involved [is a strength of the team],” Larkin said.
One of the biggest things the team did to foster unity among team members was hold a fall retreat at what the team calls Uncle Paul’s Cabin, Larkin said.
“We held it [the fall retreat] to help make us good friends and give us a chance to get to know get other,” Larkin said.
Another reason Larkin said he feels the team will be much improved is the addition of head coach Jeremy Miller. Perhaps more than anything, Miller has been instrumental in organizing practices, Larkin said.
“He has helped us a bunch with organizing practice and keeping us in good [physical] condition,” he said.
Both Larkin and Atwood said they hope the Fall Brawl will help spur interest of the sport in Cache Valley.
Atwood said Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in the United States and has grown from 16 high school teams in the state in 1999 to 23 last year.