Auburn University gets a lot of recognition for its athletics. Many know the Tigers for their football, swimming, women's basketball, ect. What many don't know is that Auburn's club sports do exceptionally well also. Auburn's club lacrosse team is a prime example of this; few know of the teams successes and talents.

This team is made up of star athletes who, in high school, were recruited by Division 1 school's but opted to enjoy a normal college experience rather than take on the full-time job as an athlete. This talented group of young men work hard during the season but also have time to partake in collegiate activities.

Auburn's goalie, Alex Crawford, played for Ohio Wesleyan University his freshman year then transfered to Auburn. "I thought, coming out of high school, that I wanted to commit to playing seriously in college," said Crawford, "but, after a year I realized I just wanted to play for fun."

Crawford is one of many who have transferred to play on this club team.

The teams' president Evan Hicks is one of those transfers. Hicks was recruited to play Division 1 after leading his team to win multiple state championships in high school. Hicks played midfield for Providence College during his freshman year then transferred to Auburn.

"My experience at Providence was great, but I recognized that being a collegiate athlete was not all that I had hoped for," said Hicks, "Playing here at Auburn is a lot of fun simply because it's a choice, not an obligation."

The team's talent has taken them far this year with a winning streak of 7-0, three of which have been conference games. The undefeated Tigers will take on GA Tech and UGA within the upcoming weeks. Both of these games are important conference games.

Team President Evan Hicks is anticipating the UGA game. "We are all looking forward to this game because we haven't beat Georgia in three years," said Hicks, "We are confident this year that we can break this unfortunate streak."

Vice President Sean Butkus agrees. "We have played well so far this season," said Butkus, "and I expect that to continue."

The team made the Southeastern Lacrosse Championship in 2008 but lost out in the semi-finals against VA Tech. Expected to play again this year, the team has high hopes of going further in the tournament and possibly getting an opportunity to play in the national tournament.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do if we get a bid to this years tournament," said Butkus, "We have a solid team this year and our performances have been stellar so I think we can improve on last years outing."

The Auburn vs. GA Tech game will be held in Auburn on March 29 at 3 pm. The Auburn vs. UGA game will also be a home game and will begin at 4:00 on April 4, 2009. For more information on the team or directions to the field you can visit their website (Auburn Lacrosse).




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