At 6 p.m. on a Tuesday, many UT students flood home from campus, seeking comfort in their dorms and apartment buildings after long days of tests, projects and presentations.
But on the southwest side of campus, at the Caven Lacrosse and Sports Center, 6 p.m. represents more of a dawn than a dusk, a start rather than an end to the day.
From 6-8 p.m. every spring weekday, the Texas men’s lacrosse program takes the field to train for their Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association games.
The MCLA encapsulates over 183 teams in two divisions across 42 states, with one team in Canada and teams being separated into nine conferences.
While not with NCAA athletics, its level of competition and organization exceeds that of most collegiate club sports leagues.
In fact, at Texas, the word “club” doesn’t satisfactorily describe the lacrosse program being run.
“We’re running this like a college program and we don’t like to use the word club too much around here,” head coach Kyle Hartzell said. “Our goal is to make this an NCAA program.”
Hartzell will soon complete his fourth year as Texas’ head coach, already making undeniable progress toward achieving his goals for the program.
Under his guidance, the team won two consecutive Lone Star Alliance conference championships in 2023 and 2024, accumulating its first-ever MCLA playoff win last year.
“Being one of the oldest guys on the team, I’ve seen how this team has grown immensely, especially with the addition of coach Hartzell,” graduate Tucker George said. “He’s been a driving force.”
Hartzell hopes that with success and the right resources, his team can grow into an NCAA program within the next decade or so.
“To get it to the NCAA level, we need money,” Hartzell said. “We’re raising money right now, and I think that’s anywhere from $30-40 million.”
An effort currently exists to help raise these funds, hoping to reach the target number within 10 years. In addition to the financials, they must become one of the best, if not the best, teams in the MCLA.
After a pivotal 2024 season, this isn’t an unreasonably high goal. Texas is currently 7–3, with the postseason fast approaching.
However, before the postseason, they look to add wins against both SMU and TCU to their record. The first of these battles will take place on Friday, April 11, and double as their senior night and last home game of the season.
The game will take place at the Caven Lacrosse and Sports Center at 7:30 pm, and it is set to be a competitive matchup.
“We’re keeping them like any other game, just the same way that we would focus on preparation,” senior captain Jacob Rollins said. “Luckily, we have the entire year of all the practices and stuff that we’ve done going forward.”
Texas will be approaching the matchup with a mindset of intensity and the hope that a home crowd and the senior celebration will contribute to their advantage.
Each game provides an opportunity for this team to further establish itself in terms of success, culture and commitment.
“We’d like to go as far as we can in the national tournament, and the national championship is always a goal,” Rollins said. “But last year, we won our first game. This year, we’d like to win two or three, hopefully make a difference.”
