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Bronco lacrosse to host weekend tournament
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The Boise State lacrosse club will host its fifth annual Gem
State Lacrosse Invitational starting Friday.
Eight teams from the Northwest will compete in Boise for the
tournament trophy this weekend. There will be two games for each of
the teams competing in the tournament. The two highest seeded teams
will then play for the tournament championship.
Boise State will open the tournament facing off against the
University of Montana on Friday, then follow up with games against
Washington State and Whitman College on Saturday.
Boise State Lacrosse Head Coach Alain Rodrigue said the
Broncos’ toughest competition will be Whitman College.
“There are some better teams in the tournament that we
aren’t scheduled to play, I think Whitman College will
provide the biggest challenge for us this weekend,” Rodrigue
said.
The Boise State team was officially recognized in 1995 as a
collegiate club sport. In 1998 the lacrosse team was invited to the
Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Lacrosse League in Division IV.
By 2001 the Broncos won the Division II championship and were
moved up to Division I for the 2002 season.
Rodrigue said since then it’s been a tough couple of years
for the group.
“We had won the championship in Division II, we were moved
up to Division I, and then 11 of our players left. So last year was
a year of rebuilding, but this year we have a roster of about 40
guys consisting of fresh talent from the high schools,”
Rodrigue said.
The Bronco program has been boosted by the addition of lacrosse
to many of the area schools in the past couple of years. This
creates both an interest and talent for the team. Rodrigue said
this is a time of opportunity for the sport of lacrosse to really
grow in the city of trees and at Boise State.
“We are in an exciting period here in Boise because of the
high schools adding lacrosse to their list of sports. Lacrosse is
growing very rapidly,” Rodrigue said.
Three-year defenseman and Lacrosse Club President Jacob Wilson
says the sport is really exciting and fun to watch.
“I know this has been said before but its true, this is
the fastest game on two feet. It is very fast paced and intense
full-contact game, its non-stop action, lots of fun,” Wilson
said.
The Broncos overall team goal is to do well following last
year’s rebuilding. Wilson said improving Boise State’s
credibility in Division I is a huge first step.
“We are really trying to recover from our rebuilding
period. I think our goal overall is to make a name for ourselves in
Division I,” Wilson said.
Jesse Day
Sports Reporter
The Arbiter