BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University men's lacrosse team and head coach Tony Tatro have introduced a new tradition called "The Yellow Jacket," which highlights alumni who have elevated the program both on and off the field. The first three inductees are Jacob Totten, Josiah Greve, and Nick Nanosky.

The Yellow Jacket is a yellow varsity jacket that features the names of these alumni on the back.

On gamedays, one player will be selected to wear The Jacket and lead the team out of the locker room. The player who wears The Jacket best exemplified "Berea Grit" in the days of practice leading up to the game. 

Each year, one graduating senior will be selected to have their name placed on the back of The Jacket. In addition, for the first four years, one player from the first eight years of the men's lacrosse program (2013-2021) will be selected to have their name on the back of The Jacket.

"The Yellow Jacket is way to celebrate our story and honor our history through the alumni who overcame adversity day-in and day-out. It is a commemoration of the young men who elevated the culture of our program and left it in a better place than they found it. The names on the back of The Jacket set the standard for every current and future young man who wears the Brown and Gold. Having your name on the back of The Jacket should be the goal of every student-athlete in our program. With the understanding that the every-day pursuit to simply wear The Jacket on game days, to lead our program on the field, to represent our past and future, will mold you into a better human being, family member and teammate." -Coach Tatro

When asked about The Yellow Jacket, Coach Tatro said, "The Yellow Jacket is special because each player varies in their impact to the program. Being a great leader isn't about being the best player, its about elevating your teammates every single day. The alumni who have their names on the back of The Jacket did just that, and their stories, as well as the stories of future Yellow Jackets, need to live on and inspire our program."

Totten was the first selected member of the Yellow Jacket. From his no-excuses attitude to his victories in the face of adversity, Jacob was a transformational player for the program. His story is the inspiration behind The Yellow Jacket.

Greve collected many accolades as a Yellow Jacket. Highlighted in becoming the fist All-American in program history. It was his early leadership position and work ethic, however, that made a massive impact on the program in its younger years.

Nanosky was the most recent graduate selected for The Yellow Jacket. Nick's leadership propelled the team to the OAC Regular Season Title during the 2021 COVID pandemic. As a leader, Nick emphasized trust, family, and a no-excuses mentality.

To find out more about the impact, each of these players made, click here.