Davenport has a new coach this spring, but he’s new in name only. Chris Esquivel is quite familiar with the Panthers, as he was an assistant for both the men’s and women’s Davenport lacrosse programs in the recent past.

With fall ball under his belt, Esquivel agreed to sit in the “5 Questions” hot seat for MCLA.us.

MCLA: You’re returning to Davenport after a couple of years at NCAA Division II CSU-Pueblo. How has the transition back to DU gone? Are there any challenges from going from an assistant to a head coach at the same program? What are the benefits?

CE: The transition back to Davenport has been great. Having that prior relationship with administration has made it feel like I never left. One challenge I initially faced, like most new coaches, was getting the team accustomed to the new way we do things. The team has done a great job growing over the fall and holding each other accountable to our program and player standards. Being a former assistant has allowed me to already have a close relationship with the players. I was fortunate enough to recruit and or coach a majority of players in the program.

MCLA: The Panthers were two goals away from making it to nationals against a team beaten earlier in the season. Do you sense that the team will use that as motivation this year? Is the Michigan State game already circled on the calendar?

CE: This team is very motivated to make it to nationals this year after being so close the previous two years. We realize that to make it to nationals, it starts with how we prepare each day. This senior class has not played in a national tournament and has a done great job this year setting the tone in every practice. We always look forward to our CCLA conference games, so we have all six circled.

MCLA: It appears you have a relatively young team with 17 freshmen and sophomores on a 28-man roster. Will there be some growing pains this year, especially early in the season, or do you expect to hit the ground running?

CE: I think with any young team, you'll encounter some bumps along the way, but I expect us to hit the ground running. This team is very motivated to improve daily and take everything one day at a time. With our focus being on accumulating great practice days we expect to be full speed for our season opener.

MCLA: Who are some of the players who really stood out this fall and you’ll be leaning on this spring to make a difference?

CE: On the offensive side of the ball sophomore attack, Bryan Larocque has been a guy we really count on. Bryan led the team in points last year. Bryan has great finishing ability and the vision to find open teammates. His attack linemates, freshman Paul Schalau and sophomore Jarred Riley, both possess the ability to dodge and finish. The unit has developed great chemistry this fall. Jarred and Bryan grew up playing box lacrosse in Canada together.

In the midfield, junior Devon Benson is a player we will be counting on both sides of the ball. He has the athleticism and stick skills to make a big impact as a two way midfielder for us.

Defensively, senior Ryan Hartnagel and senior Kyle Oswald have really stood out in their new roles in our team defense. Both are very athletic and have great stick work to spark our transition game. Vance Shepard has been the vocal leader of the defense this fall. He was elected captain by his teammates and is healthy after dealing with a knee injury.

Our goalies, senior Logan Poe and sophomore Tate Ferris, have been doing a great job pushing each other all fall.

MCLA: The NAIA will have an invitational tournament this year that occurs just prior to the MCLA National Championships powered by Under Armour. If you qualify for both, will you play in both, or do you have to declare before?

CE: If we qualify for both tournaments we will participate in both. Having the opportunity to compete for a chance to participate in two national tournaments is very special to us.

2016 Davenport Schedule

* - indicates CCLA contest