OSKALOOSA, Iowa — As the William Penn men's lacrosse team gets ready for the NAIA National Invitational to compete for a red banner, they know very well the challenge that awaits them.
"We've always had people doubting us, people saying that we weren't as good as we really were," said junior long-stick midfielder Max Standage. "People you know, trying to discredit the things that we've done. A lot of those teams are in our way as we're matched up in the tournament."
This team has overcome quite a few challenges already, the main one being building the program in the midst of a pandemic.
"We really earned it," said head coach Luke Christiansen. "We earned it during a period of adversity, right? You know, starting a program during a pandemic and still being successful. There are other programs that started at the same time with as good or better resources that folded. So, seeing that has been extremely gratifying to be able to have that success through all those things."
Since forming just a handful of years ago, this has been the Statesmen's best season by far. They captured their first ever conference title and are making their first appearance in the NAIA National Invitational with a record of 16-2.
This success has been years in the making. The team is eager to silence the doubters and prove that they belong as one of the top lacrosse programs in the nation.
"We're really looking to prove those people wrong and establish ourselves as who we think we are," said Standage.
The tournament will be held in Savannah, Georgia from May 8-11. William Penn is the no. 5 seed and will face the no. 4 seed Cumberlands in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, May 8 at 11:00 a.m.