By Tiffanie Young

The setup on the north and south ends of Ted Slavin Field of new 14-foot high safety nets, worth $38,000 was finished last week. Though the nets are specifically for safety purposes during lacrosse games and practices, other teams can use them too, Head of Campus Operations and Construction J.D. De Matte said.

“There was a concern that flying balls would cause problems for track and field and other persons who might be near the field during practice or a game,” Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Mark Haddad said. 

With the protection of the nets, lacrosse players will be able to put more power into their shots without having to worry about hitting passers-by. Since lacrosse became more popular last year, the team could not afford to only play on Sunday or to close the track for a game, De Matte said.

Flying balls are not as prominent a danger in other sports, so the nets and their supporting poles will probably be taken down after the spring sports season, Head of Athletics Audrius Barzdukas said.

The idea for safety nets first came up last fall, Barzdukas said. 
Barzdukas, De Matte and Swimming Head Coach Darlene Bible looked at nets from other schools like Brentwood for inspiration. Construction began Feb. 27 and ended Friday afternoon.