Monday, April 16, 2012

HU lacrosse a fledgling part of sport's HBCU history

HAMPTON, Virginia - Desmond Purse had resigned himself to his choice.

Wanting to attend Hampton University out of high school in Silver Spring, Maryland, Purse saw no other option but to give up his sport, lacrosse. Hampton didn't have a team, and while he'd drawn looks from other schools, Purse had come to terms with the reality of hanging up his stick.

The ambition of one man and the mission of another changed all that.

On a sunny spring afternoon, Purse and the rest of HU's club lacrosse players ran through drills under the direction of captain Kevin Bennett, laughing and joking and otherwise acting like a team.

"It makes me feel like a student-athlete," said Purse, a sophomore goalie. "You've got to balance school, you've got to balance lacrosse and extracurriculars and community service. I didn't think I was going to get a chance to have that opportunity. I thought I was just going to go to school and excel in my academics and do other things outside of school, but the fact that I'm able to play a sport that I love again … "

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