National Champs! Stevenson 16, RIT 14

From near Ground Zero to the pinnacle in nine years.  When I joined the faculty at Stevenson, the lacrosse team, along with most other teams, played on the "front field" on the original Greenspring campus before standing-only "crowds" that could typically be counted in the teens.  Even for a Division III school, the program was small-time.  This past Sunday in Philadelphia, Nicky and I watched the Mustangs win a wild 16-14 game against RIT and claim the school's first national title in any sport.

We were up in the club level at Lincoln Financial Field, rather at a distance from the main clutch of SU supporters.  This was because we'd purchased our tickets early, right after Stevenson beat Salisbury in the semifinals.  It took the school a while to get up to speed and organize mass bus transportation for the 400-odd additional people who came up from Baltimore.  Happily, we were able to mingle with the others at a local watering hole before the game.  We also really liked the club level, which featured padded seats and separate facilities for food and drink and provided an excellent view of the action.

You can watch highlights of the game below.  The full video is available at the NCAA Web site.