TAMPA, Fla. — This is a big week for the University of Tampa Lacrosse Team.
For the first time in the school’s history the Spartans are headed to the Division Two National Championship Game.
What You Need To Know
- The University of Tampa Lacrosse Team are headed to the Division Two National Championship game for the first time in school history
- The Spartans head into Sunday’s game, undefeated and ranked as the number one, division two team in the country
- The hype around the program has been growing on and off the field
“It really hit me when we were running out to the field seeing all the alumni saying, ‘you guys did it, you guys were the ones!'” said UT senior midfielder Christopher Ciesla.
UT junior midfielder Daniel Fitpatrick also shares the excitement with his fellow teammates. “It’s a little surreal, it’s hard to even get a comprehension of it, but it’s awesome,” he said.
Tampa heads into Sunday’s game, undefeated and ranked as the number one, division two team in the country. A big reason for that is in part of first year head coach JB Clarke, who was hired last summer after 11 seasons and three national championships at Limestone University.
“He completely flipped around the culture we have here,” Ciesla said. “There’s a lot more accountability and it’s really bred this culture where it’s just intense teamwork.”
“In the past for Tampa was a lot of like single players that dominated, but this team has no superstars. We all add our own different attributes that add to the game that just put the puzzles together and make us special,” Fitzpatrick said.
Clarke notes that the teamwork the UT lacrosse team puts in helps them with their success.
“You’re taking a lot of guys that were the best players in their high schools programs, they were all-americans and you’re asking some of them to play roles and facilitate for others and these guys without hesitation have been doing that,” he said.
The hype around the program has been growing on and off the field, thanks to senior Mark Whitaker, who started his own production company his freshman year focusing on the team and the sport that he loves.
“Everybody loves it,” Whitaker said. “I honestly walk around campus and people are calling me ‘Maverick,’ it’s a really funny but weird dynamic. The players within twenty-four hours of playing the game are asking me when the video is coming out.”
As practices on campus wrap up this week, the thoughts and focus of the team turn to Sunday’s game and the opportunity to do something that has never been done before.
“It’s something we kind of always talk about every year, and to now actually have the opportunity to go to the national championship game, and just win one more game to get that trophy, it would just mean the world to us.” said Colin White, UT 5th year attack.
