The Journal

Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jamie Ford Webster alumunus Justin Cutter ,'05 business administraion, heads a lacrosse program that starts players at a younger age. He also coaches lacrosse at Vianney High School.

Justin Cutter might be one of the greatest athletes and coaches to ever graduate from Webster University. However, if you look through the record books you won't find his name anywhere. Cutter never actually played or coached a game as a Webster Gorlok.


Cutter, 26, began playing lacrosse at age 12. He played four years of high school lacrosse at St. John Vianney High School in Kirkwood. Despite success as an attacker and back-up goalie, no university recruited Cutter.


"I had five coaches in the four years I played high school lacrosse," Cutter said. "When you have that many different coaches, they don't have the time to get familiar with who you are and to stick around and really push you and show you opportunities."


Lacrosse teams have 10 players each and use netted sticks to pass, catch and shoot a rubber ball. Three members play the attack position, three other players are midfielders and the last three players are defensemen. The final position is the goaltender.


Though lacrosse is considered to be one of the fastest rising sports in North America, it has only just begun to find its niche in the St. Louis area. Lacrosse's slow development in St. Louis made Cutter a victim of an unfortunate circumstance.


With no offers to play lacrosse, Cutter enrolled in St. Louis Community College - Meramec for a semester in 2000. A year later, Cutter attended the University of Hawaii.


After a semester in Hawaii, Cutter returned to St. Louis and worked as the assistant coach of Vianney's junior varsity lacrosse team while he saved money. In fall 2002 he came to Webster, where he was a business administration and a minor in management.


"I loved the teachers at Webster," Cutter said. "They're very practical. Most of them are in the field they teach in and have worked in the field for a while."


One person who made a lasting impression on Cutter was Karen Freeman, coordinator of academic advising and student development.


"Karen Freeman pretty much sold me on Webster," Cutter said. "She got me right into the core classes for business. It was wonderful."

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