NCAA OFFICIAL: Flagler College lacrosse teams embark on inaugural seasons

ST. AUGUSTINE — Men’s head coach Brian Duncan took a huge risk trying to bring a lacrosse program to Flagler College.

If he failed, he could’ve possibly ruined his chance to ever coach again, at least the NCAA level, he said.

Luckily, he did not. The Saints, both men and women, started their inaugural lacrosse season this month thanks to the hard work of Duncan and women’s head coach Grant Kelam.

“It’s a dream realized,” said Duncan, who has coached Flagler’s lacrosse club teams since 2015.

The excitement was palpable in the men’s first game against Embry-Riddle last week.

Duncan was all smiles and almost tearful when looking at his colossal team of 49 athletes warm up.

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Flagler, which features 28 true freshman, fell to the Eagles 14-8. Sophomore Ty Tom led the Saints with four goals, a turnover and a ground ball. Attacker Thomas Pritchard scored a goal, also caused a turnover and collected a ground ball.

Second-year transfer Pritchard said he’s excited to represent Flagler lacrosse this year and play under Duncan, who led Community College of Baltimore County at Essex to a National Junior College Athletic Association title in 2004.

Pritchard and Duncan expect the team to make a run in the NCAA tournament in a few years. For this season, though, the goal is to make it the conference tournament and compete for a title, Duncan said.

Kelam and his team are no less excited about the start of the season on their side and also want to claim a conference championship. The Lady Saints pummeled Webber International Wednesday in their inaugural game, 25-4.

Kelam has experience with starting up new programs. He did so twice at Missouri Baptist University and the University of Mount Olive in North Carolina. He took over a second-year program at Tennessee University as well.

He has never started a program during a pandemic, however. COVID made the recruiting process tough along with the other usual challenges associated with starting a new sports program including planning, training and building new facilities.

Kelam said it feels like “a lifetime ago” when he joined the process of making the team NCAA official — even though he has only been at Flagler for 16 months.

“I’ve definitely sprouted gray hair in my beard since I’ve been here,” Kelam added.

First-year transfer Kate Piscopo left Longwood University in Virginia to join Flagler’s lacrosse team because she heard about the school working toward starting a lacrosse team and the greatness of Kelam, who has amassed a 112-55 record in 10 years of coaching.

It was also an opportunity for Piscopo, a Lake Mary native, to return to Florida, strengthen her beloved sport and go to the next level as a lacrosse player.

Flagler has the resources and right people in place to get the lacrosse programs to an elite level, she said.

“We’re full speed and ready to go,” Piscopo added.

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: College lacrosse: Flagler College ready for inaugural season