Harding lacrosse began in 2002 with a few guys who “couldn’t imagine not playing,” as graduate student Tim McCartney tells it, but campus interest has since declined.
“It’s been named before the fastest growing sport on two feet,” McCartney said. “The fact that it’s kind of sluggishly crawling at Harding is kind of sad.”
Nevertheless, a small group of guys have kept it going. McCartney commended the freshmen members’ dedication to practices. He made sure to make the point that it would also take more skill and experience to keep the club going.
Senior Gunner Locklin, who has been involved with lacrosse for two years, helped train newcomers last semester.
“Harding lacrosse has had great success in the past,” Locklin said. “We hope to generate enough interest to field a team and bring the program new life.”
McCartney said his years of playing lacrosse for Harding gave him experiences he would never take back, and said he was eager for the current team to have similar experiences.
“To the guys that stayed with us and practiced last semester, they’re getting a lot better,” McCartney said. “I would love to actually see them play in a game, but I don’t see it happening this year.”
Brian McGlenn, a sophomore and recent addition to the lacrosse team, said he thinks keeping the current group energized and encouraged will provide the foundation the team needs to build Harding lacrosse back up in the future.
“Every person’s a resource; every person has something to contribute,” McGlenn said. “So when every person leaves, it’s devastating; when every person comes, it’s great. It’s very, very helpful to our mission.”
Harding men’s lacrosse won the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference Championship three times – 2005, 2007 and 2008.
