John Desko remembers a much easier time for Syracuse lacrosse. He recalls a simpler time when championships for his team were commonplace, and Final Fours were almost guaranteed.

A select few teams have dominated the lacrosse scene historically. The Orange has enjoyed the good fortune of being in that group of powerhouses. Only seven programs have won national titles since 1971 – Syracuse and Johns Hopkins share the record of nine titles – and only 12 teams have even played in the championship game.

For Desko and the Orange, the dominance arose from a numbers game. Lacrosse had a relatively small number of participants at the high school level in comparison to more mainstream sports like basketball and football, so the traditional powers scooped up most of the top talent.

‘There certainly was a day when the pie was this big and the traditional powers sliced up the pie and the crumbs were left over for everyone else,’ Desko said. ‘Now there’s a bigger pie, and our slice isn’t as big as it used to be.’

The pie is much larger because lacrosse is growing at a rapid rate at the high school level. According to a participation survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations, only 597 schools nationwide offered lacrosse programs to their students in 1996-97, and only 27,033 boys played the sport. The most recent survey in 2006-07 indicates the number of boys’ lacrosse players has increased to 71,524 boys, with 991 schools adding the sport.

Meanwhile at the collegiate level, that growth has not translated into an increase in Division I programs. Since 2002, the number of programs at the Division I level has only increased from 51 to 56. That means there are more quality players entering the college ranks than the powerhouses can handle, and other programs are more than happy to bring them aboard.

Virginia coach Dom Starsia has been at the helm of a powerhouse program since 1993. His teams have won three national titles, including an undefeated campaign in 2006 for UVa’s most recent title.

Starsia said the most visible programs like Virginia and Syracuse are still bringing in the top players every year, but the increased depth has allowed other programs to recruit a talented crop of players as well.

‘There are a select few kids that are really good, and then there’s a big pool of kids that are pretty good,’ Starsia said. ‘That pretty good pool has gotten bigger and better, and these other programs are really drawing kids out of there.’

The effect is already being felt at the top, where more mid-majors are knocking off the traditional giants from their perch atop the lacrosse mountain. Massachusetts ended the Orange’s reign of 22 consecutive Final Four appearances in 2005, just one year after SU won its most recent national title. The Minutemen came back the next year and knocked off Cornell, Hofstra and Maryland on their way to the school’s first-ever appearance in the championship game.

Last season it was Delaware that played the role of Cinderella, upsetting No. 2 seed Virginia in the first round on its way to the Final Four.

After the loss, Starsia began to realize firsthand how much deeper the college game has become. He said the underdog teams will probably not start winning championships frequently, but there will be upsets where few ever occurred before.

‘The first-round game used to be, frankly, a little bit of a gimme, but no longer,’ Starsia said. ‘Now that 16-1 game is a dangerous game. That 15-2 game is a dangerous game. Those teams are much, much better than they were a couple years ago.’

Virginia’s winning streak, which lasted 17 games through the entire 2006 season, came to an end on opening day in 2007 at the hands of the Drexel Dragons. The upset set the tone for a season in which Albany and Delaware finished in the top 5 in the final Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.

Drexel coach Chris Bates said watching UMass the year before gave him and his players added confidence going into the season, and Delaware’s success only added to that at the end of the year.

‘Delaware got there last year, and we beat Delaware in the regular season,’ Bates said. ‘So it’s not out of the realm of possibility (that Drexel could go to the Final Four). You have to peak at the right time, and the ball has to bounce the right way, but we feel week in and week out we can beat just about anyone in the country.’

The Dragons missed the tournament last season, but finished ranked 17th in the media poll with an 11-5 record. Bates said the increased parity in lacrosse has added more storylines to the game and made it more fun to watch and be a part of overall.

‘I think it’s good for the growth of the game, as opposed to seeing the same people there every year,’ he said. ‘That’s the beauty of the NCAA basketball tournament because every year someone can make a run. The more you see it in lacrosse, I think the more people will get excited about it.’

Syracuse players echoed Bates’ sentiments that parity is good for the game. Danny Brennan said he has to view every team as a threat now, and that wasn’t the case in the past. He added if all the teams continue to improve, it will push powerhouses like Syracuse to reach another level.

Freshman goalie John Galloway is excited about playing in such a cutthroat environment at the D-I level even if life will be more difficult on the Orange.

‘It makes it a lot harder for us to make the playoffs,’ he said. ‘But it makes it more fun. It makes it more competitive.’

Starsia can joke about the increased parity, but that doesn’t mean he will not happily relinquish his spot at the pinnacle of the sport.

‘Parity is a bad thing,’ he said with a laugh. ‘If it’s going to keep Virginia from getting to the Final Four every year then it’s bad. It’s not good for the emotional well-being of the coaches.

‘We may still win our fair share, but you just can’t take anything for granted now.’

bntahmos@syr.edu

Published on February 12, 2008 at 12:00 pm