Greater Sense of Belief Fueling Lindenwood in Second Division I Season

Lindenwood coach Jack Cribbin and his staff got especially creative when developing offseason bonding activities.

The Lions went horseback riding and took cooking classes. Outside of team events, players regularly get together to grab meals or smoothies.

Lindenwood has plenty of talent, but graduate attacker Logann Eldredge feels the Lions’ strong start is tied to more than just skill.

“We really care about each other off the field and that chemistry definitely translates to the field,” Eldredge said. “We’ve all bought in, we all want to win and we all have the same goals.”

Cribbin has always emphasized a strong culture and sense of belief. It’s paying dividends for Lindenwood in its second season in Division I. The Lions, a former Division II powerhouse, went 8-10 upon their move to Division I in 2023. Now they’re 4-1 to start 2024, with their only loss coming against UC-Davis in a 13-12 thriller on Sunday.

What’s changed for the Lions? Cribbin credits a greater sense of belief.

In 2023, the Lions wondered if they belonged, if they could succeed. These feelings came amid a quick move to Division I, first announced in February 2022.

The elevation has been humbling at times, Cribbin said.

“We went from playing our Division II schedule to playing teams in the ACC, the Pac-12, the Big East,” Cribbin said. “It’s a different level of play and speed. At times, we got enamored with what the name on [opponents’] jersey was. We’d always tell the kids, ‘You’re not playing the name on the jersey. You’re playing other 18-23-year-old student-athletes.’”

Cribbin’s players now genuinely believe they can win every game.

Another crucial part of Lindenwood’s success: an upperclassmen-heavy roster. Of the Lions’ 28 players, 14 are seniors or graduate students. Seven of them played for the program when it won the Division II national championship in 2021.

These players have been central to Lindenwood’s early success. Eldredge leads the team with 21 goals and seven assists. Two of the team’s leaders in caused turnovers, Mandy Beck and Kim Ardrey, are graduate students. Senior goalie Haylie Sims has started four of five games, tallying a 49-percent save rate.

Eldredge said it’s hard to replicate the in-game emotions in practice, which the Lions’ upperclassmen are familiar with. Plus, she feels some of the underclassmen who have stepped up have become more confident because of their teammates’ play.

These players’ actions during practice have also set the tone for the team.

“[At practices] you’re going to see a lot of laughter,” Cribbin said. “You’re going to see a lot of smiling. When it’s time to flip the switch and get after it for two hours, we will. But we also make note that there’s bigger things than lacrosse, and it’s meant to be fun.”

The Lions lost for the first time this season when UC Davis rallied for a late-game, comeback victory. Cribbin’s message to his team: nobody can win them all. He feels there’s no quit in his team, and it’s hard to beat a team that doesn’t quit, he said.

Cribbin knows there will be bumps in the road with the transition to Division I. But, in his 19 years at Lindenwood, his team has always been “over-believers” — and they’re not stopping now.

“We want to be a team that competes and wins conference championships, that goes to NCAA tournaments,” Cribbin said. “We believe in ourselves and our locker room. Let’s not put limits on what we can do.”