VIENNA - For several years, Ohio Valley University approached men's lacrosse as a club sport.
That all changes beginning with Saturday's season-opener at Thiel College (Pa.) when the Fighting Scots play their first lacrosse match as an NCAA Division II varsity program.
"This first year is about laying the groundwork and getting things established,"OVU coach Carl Anderson said.
Anderson, who is a 2009 OVU graduate, is one of the original members from the Fighting Scots' club team which formed in 2005. At one time, the roster featured 30 players competing in seven to 10 matches during the spring.
Currently, OVU is entering the inaugural varsity season with just 11 eligible players. As a result, the Fighting Scots have only one substitute available each match.
Established programs have as many as 40 players on the roster.
"We will be OK as long as we play our game and slow things down," Anderson said. "We can't get too tired and need to make smart decisions."
OVU has spent the past 2 weeks working out with two-a-day sessions at Parkersburg High School's Stadium Field, which also serves as the site for its home matches.
Joel Sweitzer and Tyler Ross have emerged as two of the top players on OVU's squad. Sweitzer is a freshman from Canton, Ohio, who will start as a defenseman, while Ross is a sophomore from Fairmont, W.Va., and considered the quarterback on the team as the starting goalie.
OVU also features two seniors in Max Ruhl and Jacob Borner. Ruhl hails from Munroe Falls, Ohio, and has three years of experience with the Fighting Scots as a midfielder. Borner arrived at OVU via Australia and joined the basketball program as a freshman before switching gears for men's lacrosse a year and a half ago.
"We have a mix of athletes who have extensive playing experience and one or two that are brand new to the sport," Anderson said.
The Fighting Scots play one exhibition match in the fall and lost to a club team from Morgantown 5-3.
"Lacrosse is a spring sport so the fall helped us get our feet wet and prepare as a team for things to come," Anderson said. "Being a first-year program, we really have to build chemistry from the ground up because none of our players have ever played on the field together.
"We are working on establishing who we are both as players and as a cohesive team."
Even though the team is relatively new, OVU has already received national attention in an article featured on LaCrosse Magazine's website, www.laxmagazine.com, last December.
OVU makes its home debut at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19 against American International College.
