By Joseph D’Andrea
The Adelphi men’s lacrosse team was among the dozens of other NCAA champion teams from across the country invited to the White House as part of College Athlete Day on July 22.
NCAA Sports Day began in 2023 and celebrates the achievements of every NCAA national champion in the U.S. Division I, II and III teams were welcomed by the White House and remarks were given by Vice President Kamala Harris to the hundreds of athletes situated on the White House lawn.
This past spring’s victory by Adelphi’s men’s lacrosse team was their first national championship win since 2001 and their eighth overall NCAA Division II win, defeating North Carolina’s Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears.
The team nominated their captain, Jack Hipchen ’24, to stand on the stage next to Vice President Harris.
“Being a kid from the Midwest, I knew I always wanted to come out and play lacrosse on the East Coast and Coach [Gordon] Purdie and the staff gave me that opportunity,” he said. “Being our team representative was a huge honor as only one player could be on stage and I tried my best to represent the program well.”
Hipchen and the majority of the team who were able to make the trip down to Washington, D.C., made the most out of their day in the nation’s capital. Before gathering with the rest of the country’s national champions, they began the day with some sightseeing. The team was also treated to a tour of the White House’s main floor and basement, getting a look at all of the building’s history.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be up on stage with all these other athletes who accomplished their lifelong goal of winning a national championship,” Hipchen said. “It was great to be with everyone again and think back on the day that we will never forget.”
A recent graduate, Hipchen plans to continue to play lacrosse in men’s leagues whenever he can. He is currently working as a trauma sales associate for Stryker, a medical technologies company.
The team’s head coach, Purdie ‘88, helped oversee and organize the team’s visit after receiving the invitation. “The Vice President spoke to us about the importance of being the best, winning and climbing the mountain and getting to the top,” he said. “Nothing can ever take that away from us.”
Purdie, who is also AU’s assistant athletic director, continued, “It wasn't one person who made this happen. It was a complete team event. We would never have gotten there without everybody's help. Our business manager and athletic director went — we were one team. There was no one more important than anyone else.”
The coach and the rest of his team are excited for the next season to begin, with a number of newcomers joining after about 15 seniors graduated this past semester, coming together with the roughly 35 players who will continue from last season.
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