Lacrosse makes national final, comes up short to St. Thomas

The UVU lacrosse team ended its spring season and playing year with the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association national finals held in Denver May 11-15.

The team played four games throughout the finals and stood out nationally as the number two team within Division II.
The Wolverines began their finals with a game against Briarcliffe College, which they beat 10-9.

“We were an underrated team all year and came ready to play,” said head coach Kevin Perkins.

The team was confident throughout the whole game and, despite Briarcliffe’s four oxygen tanks on the sidelines, the opposing team could not keep up with UVU.

“Not only were we a better team, we were well conditioned beyond them,” Perkins said. He recognized midfielder Chris Lanham as a key player in the game.

Next, UVU played St. Johns University and remained victorious throughout with a final score of 9-8. Defensive midfield played phenomenally, lead by Clark Harris and Kyle Harper.

“They really set the tone and played a stellar defense,” Perkins said.

Following their second win, UVU moved on to the semifinals in which they opposed rival team Westminster College and prevailed with a score of 9-7. This qualified the Wolverines for the national championship game on May 15 against the University of St. Thomas.

The team played an excellent game against St. Thomas, but was unable to maintain a lead and lost in a final score of 12-9. According to team captain and second team attack and All-American Cam Peterson, St. Thomas had an advantage in that they had played in that venue previously and their high seeding allowed for an easier road to the finals.

Also named in Division II All-American were first team attack Chad Frost, second team defense Ryan Cantwell, defensive midfield Clark Harris. Honorable mentions were given to midfield Tyler Spendlove and defense Skyler Bentley.