The ISU Lacrosse Club’s 40-man roster boasts four players from Iowa. But that’s not shocking to anyone who understands lacrosse in the state.

Iowa lacrosse is only in its infant stages, but it is also the fastest growing sport in the state, which is good news for the ISU lacrosse club heading into its 23rd season as a competitive group. It is arguably the most talented team in years. 

“People are now coming to Iowa State with an intention to play lacrosse and take the club somewhere,” said Jason Parnell, junior and club president. “Lacrosse in Iowa has become a sport that kids are eager to jump into.”

Lacrosse in Iowa is nowhere near as big as football, baseball or wrestling, but it is the premier up and coming sport. Lacrosse is a varsity-sanctioned sport at a few select universities in Iowa, and high schools are quickly adopting the sport.

The club has made the jump to a higher division in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association as a result of the talent increase that has invaded the ISU campus. The team will compete in the Upper Midwest Conference this upcoming season and expects to compete for a conference title after a down year in 2014.

“Last season, we tried growing our club and with that came a rough season,” Parnell said. “But with growing comes succeeding, and we believe we will succeed this season.”

Youth lacrosse in Iowa put lacrosse on the map. Freshmen Jake Dowd and Matt Earney recently won the Nebraska State Championship as members of the West Des Moines Lacrosse Club.

“Winning the championship has helped mentally prepare me for the jump from high school lacrosse to college lacrosse,” Earney said. “College players are a lot bigger and a lot faster.”

When Dowd first started playing lacrosse six years ago, Iowa only had two teams: Ankeny and West Des Moines. Now, Ames has a team and in the next five to ten years, Dowd and Earney predict that most high schools will field a team in Iowa.

Due to the lack of youth lacrosse in Iowa, high schools have to compete in the Nebraska High School Lacrosse Association. Every other weekend, the Iowa clubs travel to Omaha, Neb., and in the following weekend, the Nebraska teams come to Iowa.

“Lacrosse is slowly growing in Iowa,” Earney said. “More clubs keep popping up as lacrosse continues to move westward from the East Coast.”

The ISU Lacrosse Club often travels to these local high school tournaments to do unofficial recruiting. It also holds youth clinics to help pass on its knowledge to the younger kids that want to play the game.

“Knowing what it is like to be the absolute worst team and also knowing what it is like to be the absolute best team will be a key factor in how I can contribute to our team,” Dowd said.

Dowd is no stranger to highs and lows in lacrosse, and as the ISU team is in the midst of a growing game, he hasn’t seen the last of the roller coaster ride.

He knows the process of what it takes to build up a team, and it won’t happen over night.

“Lacrosse needs to be put in the Olympics and then it will truly take off,” Dowd said. “And it will truly take off in Iowa once an all-Iowa High School lacrosse league is formed.”