Spartans Earn NCAA Bid

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's lacrosse program has earned its seventh bid to the NCAA Division II men's lacrosse tournament. The Spartans have earned the fifth seed in the south region. 

The Spartans will travel to Hickory, North Carolina for their first game on Friday, as they will face off against the University of Mount Olive Trojans. Faceoff is set for 4:00 p.m. The winner of that game will face off against the top seed and host school Lenoir-Rhyne. 

UT finished the 2021 regular season with a record of 9-0, capping off back-to-back seasons where they went undefeated in regular-season play. Tampa will enter the tournament as the sixth-best scoring offense in the country, as they are averaging 16.44 goals per game. 

Ben French is leading the scoring for UT, as the grad student has 31 goals on the season. Jack Wood has been the catalyst for the Spartans as he leads the team with 47 total points, scoring 24 goals and dishing out 23 assists. On defense, Blake Ulmer has been key between the pipes, as the Spartans have allowed the sixth-fewest goals per game at 6.89. Ulmer also ranks second in the nation with a .626 save percentage. 

The Spartans and the Trojans have met once previously as Tampa was able to claim a 15-6 win at home last season.