Most high school athletes don’t get the chance to play their sport in college. They leave behind the sport that has been part of their lives for years to focus on their education at their favorite college. A small group get to accomplish both, without having to deal with the time crunch a college sport requires.
“Getting to play this sport at the school I love is a dream come true for me,” said senior defenseman, Blake Wintersteen. “For many guys, lacrosse is a way to continue playing the sport they’ve grown up with, while not having the responsibility of being a full-time varsity athlete.”
This past season the Alabama club lacrosse team finished with a 6-7 record, defeating SEC schools like Tennessee, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. The team also dropped two big games to rival schools in LSU and Auburn.
Right now, the team is conditioning to hit the ground running this spring, as it practices three days a week for two hours at a time.
“The freshman guys have been pretty surprising. We’re growing closer and taking big steps this fall,” junior Michael Ginsberg said.
The team started fall practice on Aug. 23, and so far the fall’s theme has been a strong offense, but difficulty doing the little things. As the new players continue to get acclimated, the team has a sense that things will begin to fall into place from every standpoint.
The team lost five seniors from last season, one of which is Jake Griffith, who scored 20 goals last season. That was the second most on the team. Even with the loss of Griffith and several other key seniors, captain Thomas Lengel is very confident in this team’s potential.
“Bringing in a crop of fresh faces is never a bad thing. I feel like we are a lot further ahead than we were last year,” Lengel said.
The Crimson Tide brings back senior Blake Wintersteen, sophomore Justin Alexandre and senior Dylan Rupert, all of which were honorable mentions at their positions last season.
Lengel is a midfielder from Wilmington, Delaware and will lead the Crimson Tide through the rest of this fall and into a promising spring season.
On Friday, Oct. 20, the team will be hosting its annual alumni game, featuring players from many teams dating all the way back to 1985. This event showcases the young talent in the program, along will the all-stars of the past.
The game will be followed by an alumni tailgate the following day prior to Alabama’s football game with the Tennessee Volunteers.
