MAY 30, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH

Welcome to D3 Lacrosse, devoted to NCAA Division III men’s and women’s lacrosse

FEATURE
A Conversation with S.L. Price

I’ve heard you say you spent seven years researching and reporting this book. What did you learn that you did not expect going into the project?

I’ll start off by saying that, as a reportorial rule, if the book/article/piece ends up being exactly as you expected at the outset, then you’re not doing your job. I wasn’t steeped in lacrosse lore starting out, and tried to interview everyone possible to make up for my lack of knowledge. 370 interviews later, I learned so much that I – and many in the sport – didn’t know: Lars Tiffany’s deep family connection to the buffalo and the Onondaga; Miles and Kyle Harrison’s quiet, full-circle redemption at Johns Hopkins; Selena Lasota’s character; Willie Scroggs’ incredible backstory; the untold roots of Scott Marr’s devotion to the Haudenosaunee; the sport’s unique relationship with the military; the long and continuing struggle of black and minority players in a traditionally white game. The sport is so rich and deep, the process was like going to grad school. Learning WAS the project.  

Your book covers all aspects of lacrosse - Olympics, World Championships, Box, Sixes, Field, College, etc. In some ways, NCAA Division III lacrosse is far removed from the national spotlight. What can fans and athletes of DIII lacrosse take from your book?

Well, it’s a deep dive into the game’s overall culture, positive and negative, so even if there’s not a ton of DIII-specific storytelling, anyone familiar with the game will find plenty to relate to. My most immediate takeaway, in examining the Tufts connection to Greece’s national team, is understanding how much DIII schools factor in the international game, as a prime gateway for players not quite good enough for Team USA to explore their heritage and grow the game via playing for Ireland, Italy, Mexico and the other 80-plus nations that are now part of World Lacrosse.

You write about the growth of women’s lacrosse, and that is certainly true in DIII where roughly 40 more programs exist for women than men. Besides Title IX, why did you think the women’s game grew so quickly at the collegiate level?

Mainly because no sport more quickly rewards a raw, great athlete than lacrosse. It was stunning to me to find (at least in the past, less so now in this age of sports specialization) how Johns Hopkins used to convert non-lacrosse players like Joe Carlton (a basketball player who had never played lacrosse, and became JHU’s first black player in the 1960s) into starters on national championship teams. Once college soccer – perhaps the earliest beneficiary of Title IX – became too competitive for the casual player, I believe your great all-around athlete moved to lacrosse as a way to keep playing, upgrade their high school resume, and gain admission to a good school – and they gave a relatively new game instant credibility. Lacrosse also tracked the general explosion in women’s sports. But in the end, you can’t underestimate how much college administrators love the size of women’s lacrosse rosters. Lacrosse remains of the few quick ways to help balance out football’s gargantuan presence, and address the Title IX imperative.  

I have listened to multiple podcasts with you about the book. I know you majored in journalism at North Carolina, but did not cover the Tar Heel lacrosse teams, nor did you play lacrosse. If you had played the sport growing up, what position would you have played?

Did not major in journalism – I majored in English – but I did work on the school paper. I was a decent hack/playground basketball player, and that basic footwork translates pretty quickly to hack defense. I seriously doubt that I’d ever have developed the stick skills to grow into anything but that. 

Listen to S.L. Price’s podcast with Inside Lacrosse’s Terry Foy.

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