Barstool Sports, Others React to Viral UAlbany Men’s Lacrosse Tradition

The 2024 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament is less than one week away, and the UAlbany Great Danes men's lacrosse team is still alive in pursuit of a berth in the postseason.

The Danes beat Merrimack by a score of 18-7 in the semifinals of the America East Tournament on Thursday night. They'll face Vermont in the finals on Saturday at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium, with a championship win and an NCAA tournament berth on the line.

Before they take the field on Saturday afternoon, however, they'll gather together in the locker room, and do this:

This tradition, singing "Alive" by Pearl Jam before running onto the turf, was profiled in an incredible article written by Matt Kinnear of Inside Lacrosse, and the video shown above has since gone viral among lacrosse fans on X.

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Here were some of our favorite reactions to the video:

The story even got picked up by Barstool Sports:

To briefly summarize the origins of this tradition, per Inside Lacrosse, the song has been played before every game since Feb. 17, 2013. Coach Marr tasked then-senior Will Fuller with finding new music to play in the locker room, and it was Fuller who introduced this Pearl Jam classic to the Danes' pregame routine.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Matt Kinnear's profile on the tradition:

"It’s the symbol of the constant in Marr’s coaching life — music, specifically Pearl Jam — and how there’s a soundtrack to all the ups and downs, good and bad moments along the way."

"It’s also for...10-year-old JP Honsinger. JP loves lacrosse and the Thompsons, and when he was diagnosed with Niemann-Pick Type C Disease, a rare degenerative disease that is sometimes compared to childhood Alzheimer's. The team became his sanctuary." -Inside Lacrosse

READ MORE: Premier Lacrosse League Bestows Honor to Albany Fans

This video is a tip-of-the-cap to the incredible culture that Scott Marr and his staff have built over his 24 seasons leading the UAlbany program. We're lucky enough to speak with Coach Marr and players periodically on The Drive, and with every conversation we have, that feeling of family and togetherness begins to show itself.

This culture has manifested into nine America East Tournament titles, 10 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and six NCAA Tournament victories in Marr's tenure, and the Great Danes seem poised to add to those totals in 2024.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a song to listen to...