The Tarleton State University Lacrosse Club officially began competing on Jan. 24, equipped with 24 Texans eager to make an early proclamation of their dedication to the sport.

Due to the program not being an affiliate of the NCAA, the club is ineligible for monetary allocations designated to intercollegiate programs that compensate for standard fees such as officials, equipment and travel expenses. Hard work abundantly paid off on Jan. 24 during Tarleton’s inaugural game against Abilene Christian University in front of a lucrative crowd of 400 fans present to witness Tarleton’s 11-6 victory. 

“Abilene is an old club that has been in the league for a while,” said Kyle Michelson, Tarleton LAX’s founder and captain. “So, their good history is one reason this is a big win aside from it being our club’s first game ever.”

Regarding the turnout, Michelson said that in addition to winning, “being able to schedule a big opponent like Abilene Christian and having a big crowd show up means a lot. After all the hard work, for there to be a turnout of that many students at our first game is awesome.”

“We had a great crowd at the first home game,” said Recreational Sports Director Robert Nimmo. “And even the next morning, which was a Sunday morning, we had at least another 100 students watching.”

Nimmo also mentioned that Tarleton President Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio had heard from at least five potential students who were interested in attending Tarleton because of the presence of a lacrosse team.

LAX faced their second opponent in the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa University and fell just shy of victory in the 9-7 contest.

Prior to catching fire with Tarleton fans, the sport of lacrosse has been the most rapidly adopted sport by NCAA institutions for male and female athletics. Tarleton LAX seeks their second win of the season on the road Feb. 8 against the University of North Texas. The team will play their final home game of the season on Feb. 15 at the intramural fields at 11 a.m. against Texas Tech University.