Max Seeber '22 charges forward with the cheers of the home crowd behind him.(Courtesy of Muhlenberg Athletics)

Last week Muhlenberg Athletic Leadership Team, also known as MALT, hosted DIII Week on campus. Every day from Apr. 4 to Apr. 8, MALT hosted a special activity to celebrate the hard work and dedication student athletes have exhibited throughout the school year. There was a dodgeball tournament and even a Special Olympics All-Sport Camp. On top of the fun athletic competitions there were also informative presentations including one on nutrition and mental health. In addition, the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society Induction Ceremony, for student athletes who have exhibited high performance both on and off the field, took place on Friday, Apr. 8.

On Saturday, Apr. 9, MALT’s final event of DIII Week was the “Pack the Place” competition. The competition was set to take place at the women’s lacrosse, softball and men’s lacrosse games to see which team could get the most fans to come out to their game. Unfortunately, wet field conditions forced the softball game to be canceled, thus removing them from hosting the competition. Despite this, Muhlenberg’s student athletes still went out to the Scotty Wood Stadium to cheer on their fellow Mules.

The rules of the competition were simple: the team that got the most of their student athletes to attend and post an image to Instagram along with hashtag #MulesAreHere would win. The wrestling team won the competition and will receive a prize, to be determined at a later date, for their efforts. Although the wrestling team won the competition, they were not the only team to come away with a positive experience. The men’s and women’s lacrosse teams both benefited from the competition by experiencing a larger crowd than usual resulting in a much more emotional and passionate student section.

One of the captains of the men’s lacrosse team, Max Seeber ‘22, said, “The atmosphere at the game was fantastic. It was great to see, hear and feel the support from our classmates; it definitely pumped us up and we fed off of the energy the crowd brought. The great thing about Muhlenberg and our culture here is the athletes support each other, so it was great to have that kind of support on Saturday.”

Seeber is very appreciative of the support that fans have shown over the course of the whole season, especially since the Centennial Conference did not allow spectators during the 2021 season. “Having fans this year has been awesome. Last year was tough at times not having the energy from the fans and the positive energy and juice they bring. So to have that this year has been a great addition. Additionally, having the support from our families during and after the games is what has helped our team build the culture we have here now. To have our families back in the stands and tailgating with us after has been great.”

For Seeber and the men’s lacrosse team, now is the time for them to put their foot on the gas. “As shocking and heartbreaking as Saturday’s loss was, we still have half of our conference season to go. We have put ourselves in a great position to make the playoffs if we take care of business in the back half of conference play. We would love to be in the spot at the end of our season to host a conference playoff game. Moving forward though, as an older guy on the team, it’s important to keep the boys focused on what’s in front of us and not dwelling on what’s behind us. We have some great opportunities against ranked teams coming up and we couldn’t be more excited for the rest of the season. 

Muhlenberg fans also stuck around to watch the women compete Saturday afternoon as they faced off against Franklin & Marshall. Ariella Lerner ‘22 was very impressed with the support they received throughout the game. “We played the number two ranked team in Division III: Franklin & Marshall. We were all a bit nervous that the Franklin & Marshall game was going to be the ‘Pack the Place’ game. However, with the support of the numerous fans that showed up, students and family members, we only lost 16 to ten. We have come the closest so far this season in scores compared with the other Centennial Conference teams that have played Franklin and Marshall so far. The atmosphere, full of cheering, helped make the game exciting.”  

As the spring season is coming to a close, Lerner hopes the women’s lacrosse team can finish strong. She said, “I whole-heartedly believe that we could win the remainder of our games giving us an awesome record for this season. Each and every individual on the team has been working hard to help get our team to reach their fullest potential. After a bit of a challenging season last year, we have certainly bounced back and upped our game to become a winning team that has certainly shocked the Centennial Conference.”

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