By Nick Van Heest
The weather may still be wintry, but the Taylor men's lacrosse program can't wait to kick off the spring season.
"I'm so excited, I can't sleep," said head coach Cheyenne West. "The team views the sport as more than just a club sport played for fun and is ready to do big things."
The Trojans, who finished 6-3 (2-2) last season, play in the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association and are a member of the Division II West Conference, also home to No. 2 Grand Valley State University and No. 10 Indiana Tech.
"We play in the hardest conference in the country," West said. "We're looking to play the best, we're looking to be the best."
The Trojans aren't daunted by their conference, and they believe they belong in it.
"Grand Valley State was the national runner up last season, and after watching them play, we have begun to realize that skillwise they aren't better than us," said senior goalkeeper John Radcliff.
The team believes West's hiring in August 2012 was a vital step toward competing with the best.
"With a coach to help us prepare for the games and coach us during them, we should be able to surprise a lot of teams this season," Radcliff said.
Senior attacker Chris Baker and junior attacker Sam Wright return after contributing 18 goals apiece last season. Senior midfielder Kevin Seifert is back after co-leading the team with 16 assists, while senior long stick midfielder Will Gemmel returns after scooping up 86 ground balls in 2012. Radcliff is back after making 128 saves last season.
In addition to its veterans, the team added 11 new members to its ranks who hope to contribute significantly.
"Coach West promotes a level of commitment and discipline to our sport that we as players have never truly had before his arrival," said junior defender Chad Mitchell.
"With Coach West, Taylor lacrosse is going to see a huge transformation," concluded sophomore midfielder Scott Collins.
West ('10), a former Taylor lacrosse player, is quick to give God the glory for the program's improvements.
"The Lord has blessed this program immensely," West said. "When I played here, having a fulltime head coach wasn't even part of our wildest dreams."
Although lacrosse has grown in popularity in recent years, the NAIA, which boasts 21 varsity teams, is still far away from the 50 teams needed for lacrosse to become an official NAIA sport. However, only one more program is needed before the NAIA will host a lacrosse national championship.
West isn't worried about the future of NAIA lacrosse. He said he is focusing on advancing the program as much as he can.
The Trojans' play at Butler on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The team's first home game is on March 16 against Liberty University, and West highly encourages Taylor students to give the sport a chance.
"Lacrosse is the fastest sport on two feet," West said. "It's violent and high scoring, two things people tend to enjoy about sports."
In addition to being exciting to watch, West hopes students will attend lacrosse games because of the players.
"There are 25 guys on this team who are not only passionate about lacrosse, but are part of this community. That's what we do here at Taylor. We support our community."
