Michigan Men's Lacrosse: 2025 Spain Trip
Daily Travel Blog
The University of Michigan men's lacrosse team will embark on an international trip to Spain from June 2-8 with stops in Barcelona and Madrid. The week-long tour will allow the team to immerse itself in the local culture with walking tours, authentic Spanish meals and a day of international lacrosse at CF Nuevo Tomillar Stadium. Follow the Wolverines on social media and with a daily travel log on MGoBlue.com.
DAY 6: The final day in Spain began at the Polideportivo La Dehesa, where the Wolverines strapped on their gear one last time alongside the Spanish National Team. The two sides spent the morning out on the field competing in mini games, drills and two full games as the Spain side prepared for its 2025 World Lacrosse Championships in August.
The two sides played head-to-head matchups, but even more exciting was when the squads mixed for some live games that featured players from U-M and Spain competing alongside each other. The Wolverines also ran a camp with the Bilbao Lacrosse team featuring many members from Spain’s women’s national team on the adjacent field. With the Bilbao team, the Michigan student-athletes provided coaching points and ran drills to help grow the game of lacrosse internationally.
Finally, all the athletes gathered on the main field to exchange gear, shirts, gloves, sticks and even helmets before sharing a meal at a local restaurant.
The Michigan men’s lacrosse Spain trip wrapped up later that evening with a farewell dinner at the Asador Donostiarra, capped by some heartfelt speeches and thank-yous from the graduating senior class.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip that I’m very grateful our program had the opportunity to experience together. Thank you to our amazing donors, tour guides, and support staff behind the scenes who helped carry out such a wonderful trip. Immersing ourselves in the Spanish culture and growing closer as a team on and off the field is an opportunity we do not take for granted.Coach Conry
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DAY 5: It was time to soak in all that Madrid had to offer on the fifth day of the trip, kicking off Friday with a hybrid bus/walking tour of the capital city. Notable stops included the Parque Infantil Montaña de Principe Pío offering panoramic views of the city as well as the Plaza Mayor and Royal Palace.
The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the city in small groups while hunting for souvenirs. By 6 p.m., the travel party was on the way to Colmenar Viejo for an immersive tour of the Cerro Longo Ganaderia, a bull ranch in the Spanish countryside.
The Wolverines were greeted with cows that approached the bus as it traversed the hills entering the ranch. After enjoying some snacks and the wonderful views, it was up to the fields where the travel party got up close and personal with bulls being trained for fights in Madrid.
Attention then turned to the bull ring, where the incredible recordatores performed impressive flips and sidesteps over and around charging bulls, narrowly escaping the piercing horns by mere inches. Afterward, the travel party enjoyed a gaucho barbeque dinner.
Today was an awesome experience of something we've never seen before. The boys were juiced during the bull fighting and we're so lucky to be able to enjoy such an incredible evening.Bo Lockwood
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Day 4: An early wakeup call put the travel party on the first train out of Barcelona, and the Wolverines made it to Madrid after taking in two hours’ worth of the sprawling Spanish countryside. The first stop in the capital city was downtown, where the squad scattered to find lunch on their own.
Then, it was off to Las Ventas Bullring for a tour of the largest bullring in Spain. The Wolverines were given access to the chapel where matadors pray before every fight, and the group took a lap at field level before they got a glimpse of the bulls before their fight later that night.
A tour of Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home to Real Madrid FC, was next on the docket before a hearty Italian dinner put the first day in Madrid to rest.
This trip to Spain has been one of the best experiences of my life. There’s no better way to get closer with your teammates than by experiencing new things together. It makes the game we play feel like more than just a sport.Thomas Augustine
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Day 3: A mouth-watering breakfast buffet started off the first full day in Barcelona. The team hopped on a bus for transport to center city, where the travel party competed in an interactive scavenger hunt to help immerse the Wolverines in all the city has to offer.
A pit stop at the Cathederal de Barcelona highlighted the morning tour before the travel party hopped back on the bus en route to Sitges. The charming coastal city just south of Barcelona offered plenty of beaches, with the Wolverines spending the afternoon soaking in the waters of the Balearic Sea.
The squad capped off the final night in Barcelona with an authentic Spanish meal at El Naccional. The tapas-style dinner featured noodle-paella, patas bravas (Spanish potatoes), gazpacho and ham croquettes.
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DAYS 1-2: A late-afternoon departure from the Sports Performance Center in Ann Arbor kicked off the Michigan men’s lacrosse Spain trip on Monday, June 2. The Wolverines officially touched down in Barcelona the next day, immediately visiting Port Vell and the Time Out Market for lunch. The travel party split up to enjoy a wide variety of food options ranging pizza to sushi, or even a sirloin steak.
It was then time for a quick pit stop at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya MNAC, where the Wolverines took in breathtaking views of the sprawling city landscape from the steps of Spain’s finest art museum. The team got acclimated to the local culture by heading to the hotel for a siesta before a welcome dinner at the Salamanca restaurant that capped off the first full day in Spain.
It’s great to get everyone back together after the end of the season. It’s going to be an awesome experience getting to tour around Spain and then getting to play against the Spanish National Team at the end.Dylan Bruno
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