On March 17, the Augustana men’s lacrosse program elected to suspend the remainder of their season, citing a small roster size and health and safety concerns following injury concerns plaguing the roster.
In his seventeenth season as the Director of Athletics at Augustana, Mike Zapolski faced a difficult task. He and first-year head coach Darry Thornton were forced to navigate a depleted roster as early as the beginning of the academic year. With a roster of below twenty athletes in a sport that requires ten players on the field, it was clear from very early on that it would be far from easy to make it through the season without hiccups.
“As we started the academic year, we knew that we had a small number, but we felt it would be something that was manageable,” Zapolski said. “But, as the fall went on, some of the players decided they no longer wanted to participate, so that number got smaller. We were able to build those numbers back up as we headed into January, but those numbers began to dwindle back down. Then, when we did start playing, we had some players get hurt, and at that point, it was just the reality of where things were from a roster standpoint.”
Despite their best efforts, it was decided that the best course of action would be to suspend the remainder of the season. In doing so this early, it allows their opponents a chance to schedule games in place of their matchup against Augustana. Despite the suspension, the team will continue to practice throughout the academic year as they prepare to make some noise next season, hopefully with a revamped roster.
What should not be lost regarding the suspension of the season is the determination showcased by those still on the team. Considering a roster that holds no active seniors this season, the men’s lacrosse program will lose no members to graduation and will have a chance to run a new and improved team for the 2026 spring season.
“Considering how everything has played out, whether you look at coach Thornton or the young men that are still on the team, they’ve done everything right, yet they’re the ones bearing the consequences of things that have happened over the course of a period of time,” Zapolski said. “They’ve battled through adversity knowing that the cards are stacked against them, but they’ve pushed through, and they deserve immense credit for that.”
The Observer reached out to the head coach of the men’s lacrosse team, but they were unavailable for comment.
