The Dominican University of California men's lacrosse program has come a long way since seniors Kory Engle, Cam Evangelho, Tai Sing Hee, Jim Little, Kyle Mitchell, Pat Platon, and Ryan Williams entered as freshmen. The seniors will play their last home game on the Dominican campus on Friday, April 19 on Kennelly Field in the brand-new John F. Allen Athletics Complex.

The Penguins will celebrate Senior Day at 4:00 p.m. by taking a five-game winning streak, the longest in nine years of the program, versus NCAA Div. III Whittier College. Hee and his classmates will be recognized for their career contributions and for being pillars of a lacrosse program they helped turned around.

"Our seniors were freshmen during our first NCAA season and, as much as any other class we've had, they can appreciate the growth of our program these past several years," says Head Coach Ned Webster. "Several of them were starters their freshman and sophomore years and won some big games. I know it's been difficult for some of them to see their roles reduced, but one thing that's never wavered is their dedication to the program. This class is full of hard workers who care about Penguin lacrosse."

"I definitely feel like we played a significant role in building this team," says Hee, a defender. "I'd liked to end on a winning note and protect our home turf."

The Dominican experience has been an age of discovery for Hee. He admits he was raw and not very focused when he arrived as a freshman from Novato High School.

"The discipline I learned in lacrosse may have transferred over into school," Hee says. "Once I found a major [Biological Sciences] that really interested me, I was more motivated to learn about it and enjoy it."

Hee today is a member of the Tri Beta Honor Society and the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society. He is a two-time member of the Western Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-Academic team and this summer is prepared to present at research conferences a unique oceanography project that he and Evangelho have been working on for years. They took existing data on nutrient levels from San Francisco Bay to the Farallones islands and used software to develop contours to visualize a plume of nutrient distribution up the coastline.

Hee is moving forward with his life having found the answers to the questions he asked himself when he arrived at Dominican. On the field, he is a naturally physical player who has become more analytical about the game and how he can best help his team win.

"From his first practice freshman year, Tai immediately boosted our athleticism at the defensive end," Webster says. "As far as play-making ability, he's been extremely valuable for us in that category."

Hee thrives for tough competition and close games. Hence, it's no surprise that he says the highlight of his Dominican lacrosse career came earlier this month when the Penguins rallied for an 8-7 double overtime win over defending WILA champion Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colo.

"That was awesome. That was one of the most of the enjoyable games I've ever played," Hee says. "It was excruciating, but those are the kind of games you play for."

That thrilling victory put the Penguins in position to clinch the 2013 WILA title last week, which they did with a 20-6 win over Adams State University. Dominican now has won 11 of its last 17 lacrosse games with two remaining this season: Senior Day on Friday, April 19 and the annual Battle For The Bay with rival Notre Dame de Namur on Friday, April 27 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco.

Hee and his fellow classmates are zeroing in on those two games. They have not allowed themselves to relish their lacrosse careers at Dominican and all that they have accomplished.

"There hasn't been much discussion beyond the next game. We're just focused on it like any other game," Hee says. "We still need to focus on finishing the season. We don't have time to reflect on things like Senior Day and our careers here yet."

There is still work to be done.