Bailee Lyons: How many years have you been at Witt?
Jay Owen: This will be season 11. I was an athlete at Salisbury University, I started coaching right after graduation, but I always had a full-time job, so I was a part time coach. I did that from 1998 to 2009. I started applying for full time jobs shortly after that.
BL: How do you think you fit into Witt athletics?
JO: I currently am helping as the assistant athletic director, so I do a lot of administration work, I think like any team it is recruiting student athletes so making sure our roster Is healthy and bringing students to Wittenberg.
BL: How did the season go?
JO: We made some progress. I do not think anyone was happy with where it was. We are ready to take the next step. We only had one senior, so we were young last year. We had many ups and downs as one team does but we grew, and it has paid off so far this year.
BL: What is your end goal this season?
JO: Make the conference tournament. We have a competitive lacrosse conference, so it is not an easy task.
BL: What was the team like this past season?
JO: They like to compete, they like the weight room, they like practice. They’re goofy kids.
BL: What does practice look like?
JO: We start with positional stuff and then warm up, then dynamic stretching, we like to do a competition drill from the start. The guys like that to switch and get their mind going for practice. We do skill stuff with small groups and work on smaller parts of the game then we get larger.
BL: Is what you have been working on in practice translated into what happens on the field?
JO: Yes, for sure. I do not know if they always see it but they all just want to play, and they do not always want to do the smaller stuff but that is where the hard work comes in and pays off.
BL: What’s your favorite part of team?
JO: I really enjoy our guys. They make it fun to come to work every day, practice every day, and like to compete so that is fun.
BL: Outside of The Steemer, what is your favorite part or building on campus?
JO: My wife and I will have lunch in the CDR, so that is the next place you will find me.
BL: What’s your favorite CDR meal?
JO: Chicken tenders, mac and cheese, no ice cream. I usually check out the cookies or the cake.
BL: What’s your favorite part about Springfield?
JO: The cost of living. It is reasonable to live here so we are fortunate to live here, and we could not live anywhere else based off our salaries. Another thing is all our kids’ activities are close so that makes our job running here and there easy.
BL: Any final advice?
JO: If you fail to plan, plan to fail. There are enough hours in the day so be organized and plan what you need to do.
