SANDY — The BYU men's lacrosse team will host Denver University and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County today in the 2008 Intermountain Lacrosse Showcase at Alta High School.
The first scrimmage of the round-robin tournament begins at 4 p.m. and will mark the first time that NCAA Division I lacrosse teams have played in Utah.
Both UMBC and Denver bring impressive Division I resumes into the event. UMBC is the reigning American East Conference champions and competed in the 2008 NCAA tournament. Denver also qualified for the NCAA tournament and spent the majority of last season ranked in the Top 25. General admission tickets will be available at the gates for $10.
"This is a big thing for the state of Utah because these two teams coming in were top 16 teams in the NCAA tournament last year," BYU head coach Jason Lamb said. "Their names might not necessarily stand out to everyone, but in the lacrosse community these are two premier teams."
The regular season of lacrosse takes place in the spring, but it is customary for fall camp to be followed up with scrimmages or tournaments against other schools. While BYU's lacrosse program is only at the club level, it has traveled back east for tournaments similar to today's, to play against Division I programs.
The Cougars were the 2007 Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association national champions and finished 2008 with a 16-5 record before falling in the MCLA semifinals.
"It is an opportunity to prove we work hard and know how to play the game," Lamb said. "It is still a game of effort, and I am hoping that we can prove to our players and prove to ourselves that we can play at the highest level."
2008 Intermountain Lacrosse Showcase
Today at Alta High School (11055 S. 1000 East, Sandy)
4 p.m. — UMBC vs. University of Denver
6 p.m. — BYU vs. UMBC
8 p.m. — BYU vs. University of Denver
Tickets $10
E-mail: ethomas@desnews.com