The men's lacrosse spent months training for its last season as a club sport.
The Tigers are excited for new head coach Carl Haas and the new season before transitioning into a varsity sport.
"Having practice three times a week, everybody actually showing up, it's been a pretty new experience for us," said junior mid-fielder Jack Glerum.
Next year, the Tigers will join and compete in the North Coast Athletic Conference, with teams like Denison University and Ohio Wesleyan University, who are both receiving votes for NCAA top 25 honors. The Tigers are excited to have the opportunity to face high caliber teams as such a young program.
"The competition will be stiff, but the guys are excited to be actual NCAA athletes," Glerum said. "We are also hoping that we get sick jerseys."
But with good-looking jerseys comes a new practice structure. The normal week for these club lacrosse players will entail meeting two or three times a week for a laid-back practice.
But in the 2012-13 season, the team will have as frequent and intense practices as any other varsity sport and these athletes will be one step closer to becoming competitive in the NCAC.
"Within a year or two, our swag will be off the charts," said junior mid-fielder Greg Lambert.
DePauw's team is comprised of athletes from across the country, with hotbeds in Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Indianapolis and the New England area. It's an eclectic group with players who have played since grade school and some who are trying the sport for the first time.
When freshman attackman Pierce Ellinwood came to DePauw from New Hampshire, he had no expectation of lacrosse becoming a varsity sport in the foreseeable future, but he said he is impressed with the new head coach and how he has handled the team.
"Coach Haas has made the team more legitimate by managing practices and encouraging higher participation," Ellinwood said.
Haas played lacrosse at the collegiate level at Virginia Military Institute and previously was an assistant coach at Saint College in Latrobe, Penn.
He has already instituted a more regular practice schedule and is seeking new recruits for the 2012-13 season.
"We do have recruits for next year with some soft verbal commitments," Haas said. "I'm hoping to have a class of ten for this first group and then grow from there."
Getting more experienced bodies on the field may be one of the bigger challenges for Haas and the rest of lacrosse program before it begins varsity play. The team still has no permanent field, locker room or space for equipment storage, but Haas is not panicking.
"We'll figure it out," Haas said. "The biggest challenge, at least initially, is to get players here to DePauw. I believe the academic reputation has made it a very attractive place and knowing that we are part of a very good league in Div. III for lacrosse will also help."
The team understands the challenge, but is excited about the chance to compete at the next level.
"It will take time," Haas said, "But I'm confident great things are in our future."