Franciscan Magazine
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Baron Athletics
Athletics Overview–Autumn 2024
Athletics Overview–Autumn 2024
The latest in Baron sports.
Autumn 2024
Falling in Love With Lacrosse
“Lacrosse to me is like therapy.” This may seem like an odd way to describe an extremely active sport, but for sophomore business major Joseph James, lacrosse guides him into a state of focus and calm.
“When I get to the field at night, every other thought dissipates. It’s only lacrosse. I believe the Lord helps me relieve stress through the game and gives me peace,” he says.
Hailing from Herndon, Virginia, Joseph got his start in lacrosse at the ripe young age of 7. He found his regular teammates in his brothers and his neighbors.
“I quickly fell in love with the game, and some of my favorite lacrosse memories were out in my front yard playing with my six brothers,” he shares.
Joseph’s talent for lacrosse didn’t just come from having fun but working hard to make sure he could keep up with his older brothers.
“I could not slack off because my younger brothers would catch up.”
As he grew in his sport, Joseph found a role model in his father. A former football player for the U.S. Naval Academy, Joseph’s dad raised his sons in the virtues of sportsmanship and faith.
“He taught us how to act as Catholic men on and off the field,” Joseph says.
When the time came for him to choose a college, Joseph chose Franciscan University for its commitment to faith formation and its community. Surprisingly, lacrosse wasn’t a deciding criterion for him at the time.
“Toward the end of high school lacrosse, I did not want to play college lacrosse at the D-I level and possibly not at all,” he says. “I felt burnt out after playing for so many years.”
However, it seemed the sport that brought him so much joy and peace was drawing Joseph back in.
“The summer before freshman year, I decided to reach out to Coach Pete Rosaschi, and it was the best decision I could have made,” he explains. “Playing lacrosse at Franciscan helped me fall back in love with the game, and I am so grateful for the memories and friendships I have made so far.”
This decision bore tremendous and impressive fruits for Joseph and his entire team. As a freshman, Joseph led the nation in points per game and was named All-American by USA Lacrosse. To top it off, he scored the second most points in a season by a freshman in NCAA history and was namedPAC Newcomer of the Year, ECAC Rookie of the Year, and First Team All-PAC.
“I could not have achieved any of these without the help of God, my teammates, and coaches,” he declares. “Coach Pete, Coach Austin Nasset, and Coach Conner Smith did a tremendous job in developing our team and leading us to our best record in school history.”
And, of course, Joseph thanks God and his Franciscan fam- ily for helping him to achieve these goals.
“The people here at Franciscan cultivate an amazing environment that has allowed me to succeed athletically, academically, and spiritually. I have also learned to put the Lord first in everything, and it will work out.”
The Virtue of Perseverance
“There is a lot of overlap between faith and running,” says Lauren Dosch.
The native of Grand Forks, North Dakota, and PAC Newcomer of the Year in cross country shares how she finds the virtue of perseverance in running and her faith.
“In running, you’re not always going to have the best race, and in faith, you’re not always going to fully trust God,” she explains. “But per- severing gets you toward the end—to good things and the blessings.”
Lauren’s own life was blessed by the huge support of her parents. Her father is a football coach for the outside line-backers at the University of North Dakota, and both her father and mother strongly encouraged Lauren and her brother to get involved in sports at a young age.
“I’ve always loved to run,” says Lauren. “Once I got old enough, it just seemed very natural to do track and cross country.
“My parents always were our biggest teachers of the faith and always encouraged us to keep God as the main focus.”
The Catholic education she received in grade school helped solidify the faith her parents handed down to her.
“School ironed out the details of the foundation that my parents laid,” says Lauren.
As she raced her way through grade school and high school, it seemed that nothing was going to slow Lauren down. So, Franciscan University of Steubenville was the perfect cross-section of her two loves: running and faith.
“I picked Franciscan because of my faith and because I wanted to go somewhere I would grow in my faith,” Lauren says. “Franciscan is so welcoming, and I’ve found my best friends here.”
After visiting with coaches, it was clear that running was still a passion she could pursue along with her English major.
“I wanted to do it for as long as possible, so it was an easy choice to continue running in college.”
And run she did! In addition to becoming the PAC Newcomer of the Year in cross country (participating in one of the best freshman running seasons in Franciscan history), she also was named First Team All-PAC (President’s Athletic Conference) in the 800 meter in outdoor track and field. She earned that same recognition during the indoor season.
“I put in so much hard work to get where I am today,” she says. “I got to experience these accomplishments with my teammates and coaches, who are my biggest role models and best friends.
“The people who surround you are the people that shape you,” she says. “Before Franciscan, I really underestimated how the people around you impact you. All my friends here push me to be a better person.”
And, of course, Lauren has some heavenly help to thank for her successes as well.
“Before I race, I always pray a victory prayer. Mary as Queen of Victory has become big for me as an athlete.”
Allison Barrick ’15 writes from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
High Fives
• Rugby won the Collegiate Rugby Championship 7’s Bowl Championship just outside Washington, D.C., in April to conclude another successful season.
• Jax Mautone, soccer, and Grace Wallace, volleyball, were named PAC Scholar Athletes of the Year.
• Jen Hickey ’96 and Nick Miller ’22 return to their alma mater to coach volleyball and women’s soccer respectively this fall.
• Head Baseball Coach Rick Carver picked up his 500th win of his career in the Barons’ last game of the season against Penn State Shenango. He holds the third most wins by any active PAC baseball coach, with 448 wins coming at Bethany College before he took over at Franciscan for the 2020 season.
Student-Athlete SPOTLIGHT
Name: Wade Stoehr Hometown: Lewisville, OH
Major: Business Management
Sport: Baseball
Team Position: Third Base/Pitcher
Honors: 2024 Honorable Mention All-PAC; 2024 PAC Academic Honor Roll; 2023-24 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District; 2023 PAC Academic Honor Roll; 2022-23 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District
Quote: “As actor Sylvester Stallone says, ‘Success is usually the culmination of controlling failure.’ I find this to be very fitting as a baseball player because failure is such a large part of the game.”
Career Goal: Work in the field of finance Favorite Bible Character: David
