Sports > March 26, 2003

By Jim Gleitman

Sports Editor

You probably didn’t even know they existed. In fact, their lone home game thus far this season attracted a grand total of 12 fans. Yet despite the lack of attention, the women’s club lacrosse team has been resilient in their quest to build a respectable and prominent program. Determined to organize and promote the sport, the team added two coaches this fall, constructed the Carolina Women’s Lacrosse League and is currently attempting to gain a varsity grant from the university.

The club team was founded in 1992 and has enjoyed successful seasons in previous years. After becoming disorganized and inconsistent, the arrival of current seniors A.J. Broderick and Karen Potter rejuvenated a dwindling program. Broderick and Potter were the masterminds behind the CWLL in the fall and the addition of Liz Hoekstra and Lucy Whittle as coaches has greatly improved the team. The most encouraging development, however, has been the recent proposal to elevate the team to varsity status.

A five-member committee consisting of current players is in the beginning stages of making a proposal to the athletic department. According to Athletic Director Ron Wellman, however, the university is in not in need of adding a woman’s sport to fulfill the requirements of Title IX and is therefore not looking to fund an additional woman’s varsity sport. Apparently, the university can avoid Title IX infractions as long as they continue to look at and work towards keeping the balance of funding in check.

“We feel we are in good condition with Title IX,” Wellman said. “There might be one area people could see as problematic, but there are other criteria that put us in good standing with the requirements.”

Despite such obstacles, Broderick and Potter have assembled a club lacrosse program worthy of such consideration. Strong organization and a stable base are essential for a program to be considered for a possible university varsity grant. Additionally, a consistent pool of committed and enthusiastic players needs to be evident. In light of such prerequisites, the team has made considerable strides toward achieving this respectable and profound status with the recent improvements to the program.

The team practices twice a week and allows all who are interested to sign up. There is currently a solid core of 15-20 committed players all showing dedication and desire to improve the state and reputation of the program. This determined group of athletes is being groomed by the leadership of Hoekstra and Whittle.

“The coaches are a lot of fun and very helpful,” junior captain D.J. Lawson said. “They get out there and play with us in practice, making the entire environment both competitive and enjoyable.”

Hoekstra and Whittle are both former lacrosse players and recent college graduates who live in the Winston-Salem area.

They signed on to coach the budding Wake Forest squad in an effort to help the program reach its goals. Their experience and competitive nature has served to raise the bar of excellence among the current players.

“They have really helped this team out a lot,” sophomore captain Katie Fischer said. “Their participation in practice raises our level of play and keeps us organized.”

A National Champion will be crowned this spring, but the newly created CWLL is not developed enough to gain an automatic bid into the tournament. Though a strong season could possibly launch the Deacs into the championship game, realistic goals are focused on the overall development of the program.

“I just love lacrosse,” Broderick said. “Part of the time I wish I was playing at another school where the sport is more prominent, but I am really excited to be able to help build this program and give back to lacrosse.”

In the face of scarce attention and prominence, team members have enjoyed coming together and developing as a whole. The increase in familiarity among the players along with the maturation of skill has been a joy to watch for the experienced members.

“I feel like we are now working as a team,” Lawson said. “This spring there has been better communication and connections among everyone.”

Though a majority of the players have considerable experience in the sport, several members had never even seen a game before. Yet despite this apparent mixture of knowledge and skill, the team has worked hard to become unified. The team’s developing bonds and cohesiveness began with a road trip for a game at the University of Georgia during the fall season.

“I really enjoyed the trip to UGA because it served as a way to get to know the girls and allow us to meet everyone,” Fischer said. “I think is was especially helpful for the freshmen to get introduced to the team and begin to feel at ease.”

The team has started to find their groove and demonstrated their potential with a 13-4 shellacking of Catawba March. 23. After playing UNC and UNCW Mar 29 at UNC, the Deacs will host Catawba and Duke April 6 at 11:00 and 3:00 respectively.

“Duke will be our largest competition and afterwards things could be smooth sailing the rest of the way,” Broderick said. “I just hope this program continues to grow after I leave because a lot of work has gone into putting both this team and sport on the map.”