National Champions Set To Visit State House... Again!

This is becoming a bit of a habit for the Limestone College Men’s Lacrosse team.

After winning back-to-back NCAA Division II National Championships, the Limestone Men’s Lacrosse squad has been invited back to the South Carolina State House in Columbia. The Saints will be recognized on the floors of the Senate and the House of Representatives on Thursday, January 28.

Limestone won the 2015 National Title on May 24 by knocking off Le Moyne College 9-6 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA.

The Saints defeated LIU Post 12-6 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD, on May 25, 2014, to capture the first of their two consecutive championships. After capturing that title, they made their initial trip to the State House in January of 2015.

“It is a special honor for us to be invited back to the State House,” said Limestone head coach J.B. Clarke. “We’re proud of how our young men represented the College, Cherokee County, and the state of South Carolina on the national stage for the second straight year. We appreciate so much the invitation to go back down to Columbia.”

The Limestone players and coaches will take a private tour of the capitol building, have a team photo taken on the steps of the State House, and will then be recognized in the Senate chambers before moving over to be honored by the House of Representatives. If her schedule permits, as they did last year the Saints will also meet with Gov. Nikki Haley.

Sen. Harvey Peeler’s office is coordinating the visit by the national champs, and he will host the Saints on the floor of the Senate. Rep. Dennis Moss, Rep. Steve Moss, and Rep. Eddie Tallon will host the Limestone contingent in the House. The local politicians will also enjoy a catered lunch with the group from Limestone to conclude the trip.

“Just like the year before in Baltimore, our players walked out onto the field in Philadelphia proudly holding both the South Carolina and American flags,” Clarke noted. “And our fans were waving the Palmetto State flag all over the city of Philadelphia. It was tremendous national exposure for our school and our state. In those two national championship appearances we were fortunate to play in front of 22,000 and 20,000 fans, respectively. Many of those were cheering loud and proud for Limestone.”

The Saints’ bus will leave Columbia on Jan. 28 and head straight to Chapel Hill, NC, to face the University of North Carolina in a 7 p.m. exhibition game.

(Accompanying photo from the 2015 visit to the S.C. State House.)