ACU lacrosse is preparing for their upcoming season despite their lack of a home field or the funds for typical regulation equipment.

ACU’s club lacrosse team is a 4-year-old, student-based organization that gives students the opportunity to play lacrosse even though it has not yet been recognized as an official sport at ACU. The team recruits their players by going to different freshman events at the beginning of each year as well as posting advertisements on myACU and in Chapel.

“By spreading the word about our organization, we can improve knowledge about lacrosse at ACU as well as West Texas,” said Ross Spears, sophomore psychology major from Abilene.

Spears said the team intends to have new forms of advertisement prior to next season. They plan to have T-shirts and posters throughout the campus, as well as around Abilene. The team has new students in leadership roles including new coach, and former ACU hockey coach, Jonathan Spencer.

The team plans to go to different lacrosse expos during the summer to advertise to students and lacrosse fans. They will also advise students with interests and potential in lacrosse to look into joining the team.

“I am excited to see what the lacrosse team has in store,” said Bethany LeBeau, sophomore social work major from Arlington and fan of the team. “They work really hard and need more support from the students.”

As the team continues practicing for their upcoming season, Spears said they will remain focused on working hard and preparing for conference games.

“[Our toughest games will be] either Saint Gregory University or Oklahoma State University,” Spears said. “Both of these teams are placed in the Top 3 in our conference.”

The majority of teams in conference play have funding provided by the school, whereas ACU lacrosse gets most of their funding from the Students’ Association. SA provides the team with enough money to cover their necessary dues and fees, but not enough to cover complete costs of new regulation helmets.

The ACU lacrosse team intentionally scheduled the majority of their games away, due to the lack of a home field as construction continues on the intramural fields on campus.

You can access information about the lacrosse team on Facebook (ACU Club Lacrosse), Instagram (@aculacrosse) and Twitter (@lacrosseACU), or e-mail the team at aculacrosse2015@gmail.com.

by Ashley Alfred