ANDERSON, S.C. – Anderson University's men's lacrosse team has officially announced their 2024 schedule.
"We're very excited to get the 2024 campaign underway," said head coach Albert Mitchell. "This year marks our first recruiting class's senior year, which has been off to a great start in the fall and this preseason. This class has built a really special culture and I'm looking forward to seeing what the on-field product of that is."
Anderson, who boasted a program-best 12-6 record last season, opens the season facing four non-conference opponents: at Young Harris (Feb. 3), versus North Greenville (Feb. 10), versus Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (Feb. 24) and at Rollins (Feb. 24).
"The out of conference slate is a challenging one that includes two conference champions and two conference finalists, which will push us and give us a great measuring stick of where we are at and where we need to improve on come conference play," said Mitchell. "All six [non-conference] games are rematches from 2023, so I'm excited to see how those rivalries will develop."
South Atlantic Conference play kicks off the first week of March with the Trojans traveling to play Lenior-Rhyne, the 2023 National Champions.
The Trojans then enter a four-game homestand, hosting two non-conference opponents—Florida Southern (Mar. 9) and Lander (Mar. 16)—and two SAC foes—Lincoln Memorial (Mar. 13) and Tusculum (Mar. 19).
Anderson concludes the month of March with three consecutive conference matchups on the road: Coker (Mar. 23), Limestone (Mar. 27) and Catawba (Mar. 30).
"The SAC continues to prove itself as the toughest conference in the country with 2 past national champions, and a total of 4 opponents in the final top 20 poll," said Mitchell. "No matter the opponent however, there are no easy games, which we love."
The campaign wraps up with the Trojans hosting Wingate on April 6, before travelling to Mars Hill on April 13. The regular season finale takes place at home versus Newberry on April 17.
Entering their fourth season in program history, the Trojans look to build on the success of the 2023 campaign. Last season, which saw Anderson victories over then-ranked No. 14 Florida Southern and No. 13 Limestone, included 270 goals and 162 assists for the Trojans, both of which are program-bests.
The 2023 season also included impressive individual accolades for the Trojans, with four players earning All-SAC honors and Radyn Badraun (Mission Viejo, Calif.) being named SAC Freshman of the Year. Badraun finished the season with 56 goals and 157 shots, both of which fell in the Top 5 for the South Atlantic Conference in their respective categories. Anderson's Logan Gaddis (Norcross, Ga.) recorded 40 assists on the season (3rd best in SAC) and Hunter Klosterman (Cumming, Ga.) tallied 167 saves on the season (4th best in SAC).
