ABOUT WEBBER LACROSSE
2022 Season
In just the second season of lacrosse at Webber, the Warriors finished the year with an 11-6 record and made the AAC Conference tournament for the 2nd year in a row.
AAC Playoffs
Ranked #10 in the Nation
Webber received votes in the pre-season poll and then was ranked in the top 10 every week of the 2022 season, achieving a ranking of #7 in April. Webber was 11-0 vs. teams outside the top 8 and had three top 15 wins.
NAIA National Coaches Poll
AAC Offensive Player of the Year
Sophomore Chase Jackson was named AAC Offensive Player of the Year after leading the Nation in both points and assists.
#31 Chase Jackson, Lutz FL
National Recruiting
Webber draws from a national recruiting base with players from Canada and the US.
#47 Dave Becker, Lynbrook NY
Saxton's Game
Saxton Dunlap would be in the class of 2024 at Webber. He passed away in the summer before his freshman year. His #2 jersey will never be worn at Webber and every year we honor his memory with Saxton's Gift of Life Day by wearing a special jersey with Saxon's last name on every player. After every goal, the Warriors hold up two fingers as we remember the lessons Saxton has taught us
#2 In memory of Saxton Dunlap
Travel
In 2022 Webber flew to three locations for games: Indiana, Michigan and North Carolina.
Team at SWA check-in at DTW
Film Session on the Road
Warriors relaxing while watching that day's game vs. Aquinas College. The second year program played The NAIA final four team to a tough 9-8 2OT decision.
Hotel Film Session in Indiana
Gearheads
Webber players are geared up from head to toe with our Under Armor and Warrior swag. We have seven different uniform combinations including two sets of home white jerseys, porthole road green and, this year, our Saxton's Game florescent green jerseys which the boys get to keep!
Florescent Green Alternate Uniform
Holiday in paradise
Warrior annual holiday party and gift exchange has a bit of a different look to it than most of your winter themed holiday parties.
The boys enjoying their gifts
Strength & Conditioning Program
Warriors train with their full-time strenght coach in a program that features performance development and injury prevention.
Webber Weight Room & Fitness Center
NCAA Transfers
Webber's roster features transfers from NCAA DII & DIII programs like Tampa, Wingate and Mars Hill as well as NAIA transfers from Reinhardt, Aquinas and Keiser.
Tampa Transfer Jordan Elam
NJCAA Transfers
Webber Lacrosse offers automatic transfer scholarships for NJCAA or 'JUCO' players.
Webber alternate uniform - Flo Green
OH CANADA!
Webber offers competitive scholarship opportunities for Canadian players. In 2022 the roster had players from Ontario all the way out to Saskatchewan!
#88 Alex Kew is the all-time goal leader
Senior Day
The final home game is always 'Senior Day' where we honor our seniors and their families in a pre-game ceremony.
Senior Day Celebration
Multi-Sport Athletes
Webber has a robust athletic program with 22 sports. Players like Chase Jackson (QB) and Jonny Schrager (SS) play both football and lacrosse for the Warriors.
#8 Dual Sport Athlete Jonny Schrager
Graduation Day
Being a second year program our graduating classes have been small but make no mistake, these bright young men look to have a BIG future in their selected profession.
Class of 2022
Decorated Staff
Webber is led by Head Coach Chris Burdick. Coach has led teams to 11 NCAA Tournaments, 3 NCAA Final Four appearances, and an MLL Championship.
Halftime in Indy vs. Siena Heights
NAIA RANKED #2 IN SAVE PCT
Wingate transfer Alex Cordero ended the 2022 season 2nd in The NAIA in save pct. at 62% including a 20 save performance against National semifinalist Reinhardt.
#50 Alex Cordero
Super Sophs
Webber's Sophomore class, the first in the program, is deep in talent. With Jackson and Blake Nelson named all-conference and Houston Finlayson who scored 30 goals in 2022.
#6 Houston Finlayson, Swift Current SK
We eat well on the road!
Team meals are part of the great experience when we travel. Our motto is 'travel light' which means that we have as much fun as possible when we travel. We want our players to enjoy their time with their teammates!
Team Dinner in Indy
One Goal
Webber lost four games by just one goal in 2022 and had an average margin of defeat by just 1.3 goals. All of the Warrior's losses were to teams that played in The NAIA championships.
Webber 13 - Lawrence Tech 10
Top National Schedule
In 2022, Webber played 9 teams ranked in the top 15 with wins over #9 Ranked Siena Heights (14-7), #14 Ranked Madonna (14-8), #15 Lawrence Tech (13-10).
Nine games vs. the top 15
ABOUT WEBBER
Webber International University (Babson Park, FL) Lacrosse is a fully funded, NAIA Division I program. Webber offers athletic and merit scholarships, full time coaches, athletic trainers and strength coaches. Has budgets for equipment and travel that rival many NCAA programs. We are sponsored by Under Armor Uniforms and Warrior Equipment. In addition, students can take advantage of regional scholarships and Federal Aid using their FASFA, EASE, Florida Prepay, and Florida Bright Futures grant programs.
RANKED #10
In 2022, the Warriors posted an 11-6 record and finished the season as the #10 Ranked team in The NAIA national coaches poll. Attackman Chase Jackson was named AAC Offensive Player of the Year while leading the nation in points.
YEAR AT A GLANCE
FALL BALL: The fall segment, Webber will play teams from our area and do some intersquad scrimmages like the annual Green vs. White Scrimmage. In the fall, the team will Practice 3-4 times per week while also engaged in a our athletic strength & conditioning program led by our full-time strength coach.
SPRING SEASON: In the spring of 2022, Webber played the most games of any team in The NAIA, finishing with an 11-6 record and a #10 national ranking. Team travel is a huge part of the experience with 3 flights in 2022 being the most in the nation. The Warriors qualified for their second consecutive AAC playoff appearance.
Webber played in the highly competitive Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) and which boasts the current national champion as well as three of the four top teams in the country.
Students are expected to excel in their area of study at Webber. Webber offers both academic advising and support for students. This includes monitored study as well as a tutor and writing center. The Warrior Lacrosse Team had a 3.2 team GPA in the fall of 2021. For more about the university go to www.webber.edu.
WHAT IS THE NAIA?
Did you know that NFL Great Walter Payton played for an NAIA school? So did Michael Pippin and Dennis Rodman! The NAIA has been around for years and years. However, lacrosse is new to the the association, with 2015 being the first year of sponsorship.
One common question that most young athletes ask when considering College Sports is what are the differences in the divisions?
It is a massively misunderstood part of the process, but it is understandable why people are confused.
In most of the world Division 1 is better than Division 2…naturally.
This is not how it works in College Sports!
Each university offering college sports must apply for affiliation to a college sports division, the major ones being:
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NCAA D1 (4 year Schools) Athletic Scholarship - YES
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NCAA D2 (4 year Schools) Athletic Scholarship - YES
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NCAA D3 (4 year Schools) Athletic Scholarship - NO
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NAIA (4 year Schools) Athletic Scholarship - YES
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NJCAA (2 year Schools) Athletic Scholarship - YES
There is a lot of criteria considered when a university decides on what division it will compete in, like finances, location, and preference.
One major factor:
How many sports does the university offer?
· Typically NCAA Division 1 teams have many sports and a larger American Football or Basketball Team
· Universities with fewer teams or lack of American Football may opt for NCAA Division 2 or NAIA.
Whatever division the university decides to compete in normally ALL the other sports follow and compete in that division. Being in NCAA Division 1 does not automatically make the program better.
· Just because a soccer team competes in NCAA Division 1, it does not automatically make them better than all NCAA Division 2 & 3 and NAIA programs.
· Many of the best college golf teams are in NCAA Division 2 or NAIA
· The top NAIA Tennis programs can have stronger players than a low-level NCAA
Division 1
It is true that the elite NCAA Division 1 teams, due to the popularity of the sports programs lead by American Football and Basketball, tend to attract the top American sporting talents to their schools, which often means that the other sports at those schools are strong too.
But unless you are Olympic level- or youth international level athlete, who usually are recruited by the top 30-40 NCAA Division 1 teams, you must remember that there are many other factors than just the division to consider when evaluating a school.
SCHOLARSHIPS
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), are two separate governing bodies of college athletics. The NCAA is the governing body for around 1200 schools. It consists of three divisions (Division I, II, and III) and oversees 23 sports. Divisions I and II both offer athletic scholarships, with over 126,000 student-athletes receiving partial or full athletic scholarships. However, Division III student-athletes can only receive academic or non-athletic scholarships – no athletic scholarships are allowed. Each year, the NCAA hands out about $1 billion in athletic scholarships, with the rest coming from the individual school.
Conversely, the NAIA consists of 300 schools and 13 sports. The NAIA is a smaller association than the NCAA, with just over 60,000 students. It includes two divisions (Division I and II) and Division I in the NAIA is comparable to Division II in the NCAA. Over 90% of schools in the NAIA offer scholarships and NAIA athletes receive an average of $7,000 of financial aid. However, it is impossible to say how many athletes receive scholarships because the NAIA does not have a central database like the NCAA.
The amount and type of scholarship you receive will depend on, among other things, which association your school is affiliated with and which division within that association your school plays in. Generally speaking, eligibility requirements and scholarship rules for the NCAA are stricter than those of the NAIA. For athletes pursuing a college scholarship, being familiar with these requirements is very important.
When looking for an athletic scholarship, remember that there are options in both the NCAA and NAIA. Being educated and knowledgeable on these two associations will help you in your search to find the best college for you.
SOURCE: BIRMINGHAM UNITED SOCCER
