The IU men’s club lacrosse team won its first Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference Championship in Orange County, Calif., last year, and the team is just starting to gain interest around campus.
Even though the team often practices for hours in the middle of the night, it still is not recognized as a varsity program.
Coach Pete Nelson wants to change this categorization.
Nelson, in his second year as head coach, expects success to continue for his “virtual varsity” team and hopes to see his program recognized by the NCAA.
“It’s definitely something I’m passionate about,” Nelson said. A former University of Minnesota-Duluth player and IU assistant coach, Nelson anticipates another winning season with the Hoosiers.
“(Nelson) has been awesome — takes it very seriously,” senior midfielder and captain Alex Eaton said.
Nelson is involved with all the tasks of a varsity coach, “from getting us field time to recruiting, on top of having another job,” Eaton said.
According to their website, although the men’s lacrosse team considers itself a club program “in name only,” there are still drawbacks to not being recognized as a varsity collegiate sport.
“We have been building the past five years,” Nelson said.
The team was 2-12 in Nelson’s first year as an assistant coach. By the 2013 season, his first as head coach, they went 11-4 with a Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference championship in addition to their national championship.
Numbers were small several years ago, but the program has already seen substantial growth. The team graduated just four seniors from last season, and Nelson expects between 42 and 50 players for the spring 2015 roster.
Nelson might not yet have a varsity team, but he still holds his team to high standards of hard work and dedication.
“We design practice in a way that guys cut themselves,” Nelson said. “The guys who really want to be here will work for it.”
The school does provide some funding for the team, but players must pay dues of $2,900 that cover team equipment and meals while traveling.
Fundraising and community service also allow men to be a part of the team, though this doesn’t guarantee playing time.
“You don’t get as much leeway in classes since you’re not official,” Eaton said.
Players are expected to schedule their classes around the spring season, and practices can start as late as 11:30 p.m., four nights a week.
With the Big Ten Conference adding men’s lacrosse as a varsity sport this upcoming season, will IU follow its lead?
“I think it’s going to happen someday,” Nelson said. “It all comes down to money. But the guys could definitely succeed and work at it.”
If Nelson were able to keep most of his club team intact while adopting a varsity program, he said it would be “a win-win for me.”
Other schools, like the University of Michigan, have found success through this method.
“It creates discussion,” Eaton said. “I’m excited that we’re gaining interest here.”
He sees a potential varsity addition as a way to give the men’s program a “clearer future.”
Regardless of whether the IU program becomes a varsity force, “I’d rather see the school and program succeed than have this for my own gain,” Nelson said.
Correction: A previous version of this story said IU won a National Championship instead of a Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference title. The IDS regrets the error.
