In just two weekends of preseason action, the Ohio State men’s lacrosse team has done more than most teams do all season.
Coach Nick Meyers has jump started preseason play with a “Thumbs Up,” two weekends full of fundraising for athletic scholarship funds near and dear to the Buckeyes’ hearts.
The Buckeyes scrimmaged Johns Hopkins in a friendly rivalry game on Oct. 10 at Upper Arlington High School. Johns Hopkins is the top team in the country, and the game served as a reminder that the Buckeyes have a lot of work ahead of them.
More than $5,000 was raised for The Michael Robert Breschi Memorial Scholarship Fund, which is the largest memorial scholarship endowment in the Ohio State Department of Athletics. The scholarship commemorates the life of Michael Breschi, the son of former Ohio State lacrosse coach Joe Breschi.
Michael passed away in an accident in March 2004 when he was just three years old. In the ten years Breschi coached men’s lacrosse, he shattered the record for most career wins with 81.
The 2009 recipient, defenseman Scott Foreman, accepted this honor at the team banquet. Foreman was second team All-Conference in 2008.
The Lindner Memorial Athletic Scholarship golf outing took place last weekend. The scholarship was created in honor of former Buckeye lacrosse player Dan Lindner’s wife, two young sons, and mother-in-law, who died in a car accident in 2006.
“Every decade of our lacrosse program was represented at the outing. It was great for the team to see the tradition our program has created,” Meyers said.
The Lindner Memorial Scholarship honor was given to junior midfielder Michael Pires. A British Columbia native, Pires has stepped into the leadership role the team has needed.
On Saturday, the Buckeyes hosted an alumni lacrosse game in the Horseshoe. The team played with recent graduates for about an hour, while older alumni surrounded the field.
The weekend concluded with the annual team banquet. In addition to the Michael Breschi and Linder Memorial honors, awards were announced for the most valuable players, unsung heroes, most improved and players who performed exemplary service for OSU.
The banquet recognized the accomplishments of the 2009 team and solidified the goals of the 2010 season.
The focus of the offseason will be strength training and teaching the team the fundamentals.
“The guys have been hammering away and the energy level at this point is great,” Meyers said. “We are going to work on an individual level and focus on studying game films.” The Buckeyes have a close-knit team, but Meyers would like to see the group get tighter. “We are working on our core values and maintaining what makes our program so special,” Meyers said.
Regular practice will begin in January, giving the team just six weeks before they face Duke in the first game of regular season play.
