The American International College Men’s Lacrosse program was established in 1992, and has yet to go .500 in a season. As a matter of fact, the most wins in a single season have been two.

Throughout the years there have been a total of eight different coaches, all of which have lead the team to losing seasons. Despite the past, there might be a turnaround coming for the young program.

Shannon Sligo had been the head coach of AIC’s lacrosse team since 2008. Since assuming the role as head coach, the team has brought in a total of four wins.

Coming off of consecutive losing seasons you would think the team would be deteriorated.

But that’s not the case.

A new spark has been brought to the program after ex-head coach Sligo decided to resign, and assistant coach Timothy Robbins stepped up as head coach.

Robbins is a young, lacrosse smart, determined individual. The energy brought to the team by Robbins has given the team a new life and desire to become a program to be reckoned with. With new drills, workouts, and plays, the program is taking a step in the right direction to become a better program.

Robbins is no stranger when it comes to both strapping up the lacrosse helmet, and watching the future of lacrosse strap up theirs. During his collegiate years at Springfield College, Robbins was named captain his senior year due to his exceptional performances. Robbins helped his team to four-straight top-10 national rankings along with NCAA Tournament appearances in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Robbins was also a member of the East vs. West All-Star game in 2005.

After running out of eligibility, Robbins turned towards coaching so he could utilize his knowledge of the game he loves. He is credited as the founder and head coach of 518 Lacrosse club.

Robbins’ success came when he was an assistant coach for Bucknell University during 2007 and 2008, where he coached the No. 1 ranked goalie in the NCAA in save percentage and GAA. Robbins has also coached at Rutgers, Siena, the College of Saint Rose, and Springfield College.

The Jackets are in the NE-10 conference, which is division II. Teams like Merrimack, Adelphi, and Le Moyne college are some of the best programs in all of division II. Of the 12 teams that make the NCAA tournament, four are from the NE-10. This goes to show how hard of a schedule AIC’s team is faced with each year.

Each year the Yellow Jackets bring in exceptionally talented lacrosse players. Multiple players who have worn the Yellow Jacket uniform have made the All-Rookie team. The All-Rookie team consists of what would be considered the best freshman lacrosse players in the NE-10 conference. When determining for the All-Rookie team, all of the NE-10 conference coaches meet to seek out what players have rose from the rest, and debate on who should be named the best of the best.

The Yellow Jackets tend to scoop up some of the most talented freshman in the game. The 2019 class of lacrosse freshman –  which consists of 8 true freshmen, one transfer student, and one redshirt freshman – is considered to be the best class with lacrosse ability since the program started.

AIC Freshman Andrew Brown said he is feeling good about the team this year.

“I think they are preparing us to do a better job competing in our conference,” Brown said.

The 2019 class is exceptional but what many people do not know is that the 2020 freshman class has even more talented young men, and the recruitment is not stopping there.

The talent of each individual on the Yellow Jackets team is there without a doubt. What it comes down to is finding the right system that will take each player’s individual talent, and mesh it into one organized colony of Yellow Jackets, the biggest problem Interim Head Coach Timothy Robbins will face while getting this team ready for the spring.