Do you consider yourself a fan of UND sports? Many avid UND sports fans think that once our collegiate sports end they have to wait until next season. But there is more action to be had.  UND also hosts a variety of club sports teams, such as club lacrosse.

The club lacrosse team is composed of new and returning players. Some kids have never even picked up a lacrosse stick and they are trying it out for the first time, making it one of their first new experiences outside of their comfort zone here at UND.

Zach Petron is the senior president of the lacrosse team and he has been a part of the UND lacrosse team for the past three years. He played for the University of Minnesota-Duluth, who also play in the MCLA, for one year before transferring to UND to continue his education as well as his lacrosse career.

“Anyone is welcome to come play for the UND lacrosse team,” Petron said.  “We welcome all talents no matter if someone has been playing for their entire life, or just wants to pick up a stick and see what the game is all about.”

The club had their first informational meeting for the fall portion of the season August 28 at the Memorial Union.

“We had a really good turnout and I was excited to see the numbers of guys that are interested in playing, ” Petron said. “Numbers have been a huge factor of UND’s success in the past few years. Last year was a lower than normal number of players that were able to compete for the team.”

Player dues and time commitments seem to be two of the main reasons that turn people away from joining and sticking with the team throughout the year. Petron has high hopes for their new recruits for the year.

“It seemed like we had a lot of highly interested guys come to the meeting and I think that a large portion of them will stick around,” Petron said. “We have some really sweet apparel that we’re getting with our player dues this year, and solid fundraising opportunities to make our player dues as low as possible. We want to see everyone get as much enjoyment out of this experience as possible.”

The team traveled to five different cities last year. They took their talents to Aberdeen, Brookings, Northfield, Menomonie, and Madison, Wis. They have high hopes of being able to go to even more tournaments on the weekends this upcoming year.

Petron reiterated that the traveling weekends are one of the main reasons that most players love to play for this club. Traveling and spending time with friends make playing a sport and putting time and effort into it all worth it in the end.

Nick Erickson is a staff writer for Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]