What is the right way?
It starts with finding players to fill out the program. At Elon, Hexter initially worried about how he would add enough quality players. It was one of the tasks that seemed daunting when he considered how to start his program from scratch.
“Recruiting is getting earlier and earlier. I thought we were way behind, and I thought that would be a huge challenge for me,” Hexter said. “It turned out it was a really good lesson, because there are so many good athletes that are still out there. In my opinion, I have the best goalie in the country in Rachel Ramirez, and people just don’t know it.
“I have great athletes on this team that were just overlooked because of the early recruiting process. It turned out what I thought would be a challenge really was not at all."
Still, getting those first players to come to campus can be a challenge, especially in less traditional lacrosse areas.
“The toughest thing we have in terms of recruiting was, in the beginning, getting people to understand where the University of Colorado was, especially as we recruit all over but from the East Coast,” Elliott said. “We had to let them know that the University of Colorado had a lacrosse program, that the university athletically and academically has so much to offer. And it’s not snowy and cold here. It’s actually usually pretty sunny and warm. We’re battling up against a lack of information in the beginning, but I think the girls that chose to come to the University of Colorado and play in our program really believed in the program and believed in the vision and they probably have a little chip on their shoulders the same way my staff does. We have something to prove and we’re going to keep working every day.”
Fisher experienced some of the same issues at Monmouth.
“Our biggest challenge was getting guys to come here and see this place,” he said. “Once they did, it sold itself with the support and resources. Everything they were putting together for men’s lacrosse and athletics across the campus really has Monmouth on the rise. It’s been great to be part of an institution on the rise over the last five years.”
It has become easier for Fisher to get recruits and look at a higher caliber of player after the Hawks program started to establish that it can compete against good teams.
“Recruiting momentum is a funny thing,” Fisher said. “Winning helps. In 48 hours since our first game of our 2017 season, we’ve heard from a lot of guys.”
Winning has gotten easier in year four because these teams finally have deep senior classes. There are 22 seniors at Monmouth, some of which went through a leadership seminar this fall to prepare for this season.
“It’s not that the expectations are different, there’s just a belief and a confidence,” Fisher said. “Those seniors at Villanova this past weekend were awesome and a big part of our success. Watching them grow has been one of the more fun things about building a program, and watching their games take off.”
Colorado has had one senior in program history, a walk-on from its club team, Sarah Lautman, who graduated last year.
“This is the first year that most of our starting players are back, and they’re back in the same role they were last year, which really helps us with that chemistry and understanding what everyone is trying to do on the field and what we’re trying to do as a team overall,” Elliott said. “When you have seniors, and a class where this is truly it for them, it’s the end of the road, it’s always different. Everyone plays with a little more sense of urgency. They understand that there is no next year. In years past, building the program, it’s always been like, ‘What can we do this year? But we’ll get better next year.’ [Now] the sense of urgency is there, and with that comes the sense of belief.”
Without a large upperclass influence when programs begin, it takes time to build confidence. Hexter loves that Elon now has a culture that combines a joy for competing as fiercely as possible.
“It hasn’t always been like that,” said Hexter, a former Duke assistant. “You can’t just create something like that overnight. We’ve got a good fun group of kids who have eventually bought into what we’re doing. We have a lot of fun at practice. It’s competitive, but it’s fun. It’s truly giving each other their best and enjoying the competition. It’s taken a few years to build up that culture, but it’s been a blast.”
At Elon, there’s another significant change that has helped the program. They added Beth Ellis Roberts to the staff to go with Brittany Dipper and Hexter. It’s the first time that the program has been fully staffed, and it shows a greater commitment by the school.
“They’ve made a big impact,” Hexter said. “That is something that’s really important to me.”