Tigers To Compete In Ireland During Offseason Training Trip

Springfield, Ohio – After two successful years at the helm of Wittenberg men’s lacrosse, Head Coach Jay Owen has decided the time is right for his team’s first international training trip. 

Owen will lead 15 Tiger student-athletes on a nine-day trip through Ireland, starting with a trans-Atlantic flight on Wednesday, June 3. He hopes that the combination of cultural and playing opportunities will bring his team closer together while serving as a springboard for an even better 2016 season. 

“I am thrilled to start what I hope becomes a Wittenberg men’s lacrosse tradition of providing international playing and cultural experiences for our student-athletes,” said Owen, who has an overall record of 19-11 since taking the reins at Wittenberg prior to the 2014 season. “This trip promises to be a great opportunity for our student-athletes to supplement the academic experience while finding new and important ways to bond as teammates.” 

The Tigers will spend time in four different Irish cities – Dublin, Cork, Killarney and Galway. While there, the student-athletes, coaches and family members on the trip will visit numerous historical and cultural landmarks, eat at local restaurants, experience local customs and music, and tour the famed countryside and shorelines of Ireland. 

Just as importantly, the Tigers have multiple playing opportunities while in Ireland, including a three-team tournament in Dublin against local college and club teams, and a single game in the same city the day before returning to the United States. Owen hopes the playing opportunities will have a positive impact on the Tigers’ 2016 season, which kicks off with a home date against Otterbein on Saturday, Feb. 27, on the newly installed artificial turf at Edwards-Maurer Field. 

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn a new culture and compete in a foreign land,” Owen said. “This playing experience will only be enhanced by the global perspective our players will gain from visiting such famed sites as the Ring of Kerry, the Muckross House & Gardens, the Rock of Cashel, the Round Tower, the Cliffs of Moher, the National Theater and the Custom House.” 

Wittenberg is coming off a 2015 season that included records of 9-6 overall and 6-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Owen has 15 returning letterwinners participating in the international excursion, part of a total of 27 letterwinners expected back in the fold in 2016. 

Owen and his team have raised money for the trip by hosting youth camps. Most of the costs associated with the trip are paid by the student-athletes and their families.

Written By: Ryan Maurer