Caldwell University is one of Division II’s newest lacrosse programs.

So new that it is only entering its third season, an idea that excited Valley Central senior Gavin Starr, who recently signed his National Letter of Intent to play men’s lacrosse, starting with the schools’ fourth season in 2023.

“I feel like it would be a good place to be able to grow along with the program over the years there,” said Starr, an attackman on the Vikings’ boys’ lacrosse team.

He’ll play for coach Matt Klank, who led the program since its inaugural season in 2020,

“I really liked the size of the school there, and I felt it would be a good fit for me,” Starr said. “(Coach Klank) is a really good guy, and a really good coach, and he’s building a good program.”

Even though the season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cougars came back strong in 2021, earning their first conference victory, finishing with a 3-3 conference record and hosting their first postseason contest.

Lacrosse has become a bit of a way of life in his family. His brother, Aidan, played and Gavin has been playing for seven years now.

He was drawn in by the speed of the game.

“There’s no point where the ball isn’t moving,” Starr said. “There’s always something going on and something that you should do, to think, and play ahead. It’s a really, quick game.”

Even quicker is the play in front of the goal, where he does most of his work, as an attackman is a key point of the offensive attack.

“Obviously, it’s fun to be able to score goals, but playing attack it is good getting assists, too and to be able to see my other teammates score, and just help the teams in ways that might not be on the scoreboard, but have an impact on the game,” Starr said.

Star plays his scholastic lacrosse at Valley Central, even though he lost his sophomore season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Vikings returned to action and reached the Section 9 Class A championship game, where they fell to the Warwick Wildcats.

He’s hoping for a different outcome this year, and he can head into the spring season without having to worry about where he’s going to play next year.

“It feels good to be able to focus on the game and have the decision made,” Starr said. “I’m able to be set in stone with coach Clank and I’ll be able to focus on the season.”

The pandemic delayed his recruitment process having lost what would have been his first season on varsity, but he didn’t lose any tournament play with the New Jersey Riot, the travel team he plays with. He played in the summer, fall and winter, even though school lacrosse didn’t happen.

The Riot also had a recruiting director, Bryan Armstrong, who helped him reach out to the coaches and showed him the path to take to get recruited and was able to get him in front of college coaches.

The Riot has taught him a lot of what to expect when he gets to Caldwell next season. He’s looking forward to the challenge.

“I’m looking forward to how quick-paced the game is,” Starr said. “I feel like it’s fun to play at a high level with other athletes that are really talented. I’m looking forward to just how quick the ball moves. It’s going to be fun.”