When the first players on Mercer’s inaugural men’s lacrosse team began practicing last spring, there was a lot to be done to build towards becoming an established college program.
There was no proper field, essential equipment such as helmets, sticks, jerseys, and even balls had not arrived, and there was still the task of recruiting both players and coaching staff left up to newly hired head coach Rob Siris.
They didn’t have a locker room until one was fashioned out of unused storage space in the PE building over the summer. The players adapted to the conditions and could be seen practicing behind the PE building throughout the spring semester and into the summer and now early fall.
Today, a substantial amount of progress has been made towards establishing a new team on Mercer’s campus. Official practices began in early September, and several scrimmages were played throughout October.
“[Practices are] going well. They’re very up tempo. They look better than most community colleges I would say. For our first year it’s looking good,” said midfielder Brady Moore.
He continued, “Everyone is excited to come to practice every day, and that is a big thing.”
Kieran Murphy, a fellow team member, said “I think that [practices] are pretty fun, to be honest. They’re better than any high school practice that I have been a part of.”
The team’s Head Coach, Rob Siris, formerly led the nearby Hopewell Valley Central High School Men’s lacrosse team and currently serves as the U.S. Lacrosse Central Jersey Chairman, according to his profile on the Mercer Athletics website.
Mercer Athletic Director John Simone said, “[Siris] has had great contacts in the county, so it was easy for him to get calls. I think we have every high school in the county represented on the team…He definitely has a good reach in the area.”
Siris said, “Social media has been very helpful, and I think that once the word had gotten out there, [people know] we have a great athletic program. It’s a great option academically. It’s very affordable….I think that Mercer has sold itself, and the numbers speak for that.”
In fact, Siris said that his expectations for the first season’s roster size have already been exceeded. The goal was to get 30 players for the first season and that number has been surpassed.
The team’s coaching staff has also grown over the past months with the hiring of Nick Shriver as an Assistant Coach and the team’s Offensive Coordinator, as well as Matt Serfass as another Assistant Coach and their Defensive Coordinator.
Siris said of Shriver and Serfass, “We tried to find guys who are local, had good experience, and connected well with the guys. They are a good fit.”
While the official first season of intercollegiate play will begin for Mercer men’s lacrosse in the spring of 2019, the team is scheduled to face off with established teams such as Delaware Valley University, Felician University, Delaware Tech, and Wilmington University in scrimmages throughout the month of October.
