The Adrian College women's lacrosse team took full advantage of having four ranks of classes at its disposal for the first time this past season.
In just the fourth year of their existence, the Bulldogs won the Midwest Lacrosse Conference regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time in school history.
"Being that it was the fourth year our program was around, it was actually a really, really big deal that our team made the [NCAA] tournament," Adrian junior midfielder and St. Ursula graduate Elizabeth Szymanski said. "We didn't have an automatic bid, so that was really exciting to know that [the selection committee] knew we were a good team and we showed it throughout the season.
"It was just a really exciting experience for all of us, especially for the seniors in their fourth and final year."
The Bulldogs lost to Gettysburg (Pa.), the eventual national champion, in the first round of the NCAA tournament by a final score of 25-10, but they still ended the year with a 16-5 mark and the most wins in school history.
Adrian also led all Division III teams nationally with 18.33 goals per game and 578 points (385 goals, 193 assists).
"We were the first team from the state of Michigan to ever play in an NCAA women's lacrosse tournament, which is pretty historic," Adrian coach John Sung said.
Adrian actually started the year with a 0-3 record after games over spring break in Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia, but Sung said the hard lessons learned during the road trip proved to be the catalyst for the team's success the rest of the way.
"In the middle of the season, we went on a 15-game winning streak and really kind of caught our stride," Sung said. "I think the kids really bought in to what we were doing. We had a high-end group of kids who have been here for a while, and their veteran leadership really started to come out."
Because of Adrian's historic season, Sung was tabbed to start a women's lacrosse program at Winthrop University, a Division I institution in Rock Hill, S.C.
Although the decision to leave was bittersweet, Sung believes he's departing Adrian as the Bulldogs are poised for greater accomplishments in the future.
"Now they're on a whole different stage," Sung said. "It's one thing to be the best in this region, but it's another thing to elevate your game to compete nationally. I think they're pretty close."
Sophomore midfielder and St. Ursula graduate Heather Newblom said although Sung's departure was disappointing, the Bulldogs still are determined to keep the program moving forward.
"Once we made it [to the NCAA tournament], I don't know if we all realized how tough it was going to be," Newblom said. "But I think now that we know what the competition is going to be like and what we have to do to make it back and make it further, we're all going to work as hard as we can to improve in the areas we need to become a better team as a whole."
Contact Zach Silka at: zsilka@theblade.com or 419-724-6084.
First Published June 1, 2011, 4:45 a.m.
