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MN Lax Hub editor Nelson named 'US Lacrosse Man of the Year'

By Tim Kolehmainen, 06/21/10, 8:57AM CDT

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Minnesota Lacrosse Hub editor Loren Nelson, left, receives the U.S. Lacrosse Man of the Year award from Minnesota State High School Boys Lacrosse Coaches Association president Greg Visich on June 13. Photo by Helen Nelson

Explosive often seems a required adjective when describing the growth of lacrosse. It also works when attached to the rise of the new Minnesota Lacrosse Hub, the premier site showcasing high school lacrosse in the state.

State lacrosse coaches recently recognized that connection when they named Hub managing editor Loren Nelson the U.S. Lacrosse Man of the Year at the Laxtravaganza, the Minnesota Lacrosse Association All-Star Senior Showcase, held June 13 at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield.

According to Greg Visich, president of the Minnesota State High School Boys Lacrosse Coaches Association (MSHSBLCA) and last year’s Man of the Year honoree, the award is presented to “a person who has done something truly significant to promote, develop or aid lacrosse at the secondary school level in the area.”

Nelson and the team at TST Media certainly fit the bill.

TST, which also operates the Minnesota Hockey Hub for Minnesota State High School League boys’ hockey, wished to expand its coverage into a spring sport this past year and felt its previous connections with lacrosse made a full-service high school lacrosse site a natural fit. Its partnership with lacrosse began several years ago when it hosted the Minnesota Boys Scholastic Lacrosse Association (MBSLA) on its website platform. Adding the MSHSL sponsored programs suddenly made the Hub the ultimate site for state high school lacrosse players and fans.

With Nelson and TST’s attention came the company’s full range of coverage: spotlight games, question and answer sessions with top players, feature stories, a complete statistical package and outstanding photography.

“The exposure in a professional format brought us further legitimacy in a local sports world void of lacrosse coverage,” Visich said. “We move yet closer to ‘mainstream’ athletics.”

Even so, Nelson was surprised to be recognized as a vital part of Minnesota lacrosse after just one year of coverage.

“I was shocked,” admitted Nelson of his Man of the Year honor. “We have a great relationship with the coaches. They’ve been really receptive to what we’ve been doing, but to vote for me for Man of the Year, like I said, I was shocked. They really like what we’re doing and to get this award was certainly a nice stamp of approval.”

Nelson, a decorated sports journalist for 20 years, grew up in International Falls in northern Minnesota, tucked up against the Canadian border in the heart of hockey country. He admitted to having limited exposure to lacrosse growing up. But he picked up an appreciation for the sport during his three-year tenure as sports editor of a newspaper in San Diego – one of the hotbeds of high school lacrosse in the country. 

Nelson also had some great in-house resources at TST, including sales rep Dustin Clark, who coaches the Eden Prairie club team and was a star player with the Eagles and the University of St. Thomas. The entire team at TST contributed to the explosive growth of the website, which now boasts over one million page views this season.

“The coaches recognize that the more coverage, the more recognition, the more photos and stories that are done on their sport is only going to help their sport grow,” Nelson said. “They love lacrosse and want to see it played by as many people as they can. They want to share that passion.”

The Full Nelson

  • 'Here I am'

  • By MN Lax Hub staff 06/13/2013, 11:45pm CDT
  • Eden Prairie sophomore Sean Patterson announces his arrival in semifinal win over White Bear Lake
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  • Brooks and run

  • By MN Lax Hub staff 06/11/2013, 9:00pm CDT
  • Brooks Armitage back in top form as No. 1-ranked Eden Prairie roars past Rochester Mayo
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  • No stopping Mac attack

  • By MN Lax Hub staff 06/04/2013, 12:15pm CDT
  • Eastview's Ryan McNamara scores stunning 12 goals in section championship win over Eagan
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  • Perfect, yet flawed

  • By MN Lax Hub staff 05/23/2013, 12:00pm CDT
  • No. 1 Eden Prairie completes unbeaten regular season with error-filled win over defending champ Eastview
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  • Mood swings

  • By MN Lax Hub staff 05/09/2013, 11:00am CDT
  • Rivalry between No. 2-ranked Eastview and No. 3 Eagan takes an unexpected turn
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  • Red Knights on rebound

  • By Loren Nelson, MN Lax Hub editor 04/25/2013, 3:30pm CDT
  • Robbie Lance scores five goals as No. 9-ranked Benilde-St. Margaret's outlasts Mahtomedi
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  • Eagles debut in style

  • By MN Lax Hub staff 04/16/2013, 11:45pm CDT
  • No. 2-ranked Eden Prairie roars past No. 3 Benilde-St. Margaret's in season opener
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  • Plowing forward

  • By Loren Nelson, MN Lax Hub editor 04/14/2013, 11:45pm CDT
  • 2013 season underway, barely, despite wintry conditions
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