FGCU lacrosse heads to national championships; fundraising for the trip

ESTERO, Fla.- The FGCU men’s club lacrosse team is headed to the national championship!

The team won the conference, giving them an automatic bid to the tournament. Before they net another win, however, they need to come up with the funding for the expensive trip.

The men look to fly to California in just two weeks for the national championship.

“They put in a lot of time and work so that time and work has paid off,” said offensive coordinator Sean O’Brien.

Practicing at least six hours a week, the guys have earned a bid to the national tournament.

“For us to win a conference championship in the first four years of the program was a huge accomplishment,” said senior goalie, Sean Blatcher.

The only problem is they’re a club team, meaning they don’t get as much funding as official NCAA teams.

“All different spots clubs on campus get some money but that’s not enough to travel across the country to compete with the top level teams,” O’Brien said.

With 34 guys on the squad, it will cost roughly $40,000 for the trip.

“I’ve never played in a competition that big,” said freshman attack, Nick Griffin, “so it’ll be all new for me. I expect to see the greatest club lacrosse there is and I’m expecting FGCU to perform,” he said.

So far, they have raised half of what they need. They’re hoping they can scoop up some more cash by raffling off a three-day vacation package to the Florida Keys.

With a 12-2 record, the Eagles know they can bring it. They just want the chance to face off against the other top club teams in the country.

For more information on the raffle, click here.