On Jan. 31, Biola University Athletics announced the decision to discontinue their women’s golf program after the 2024-2025 season. The department made it abundantly clear that this decision was difficult to make and not at all due to the success or talent of the team or coaches, citing rising costs as the main variable in the decision. The news was a shock to athletes and coaches, as they were a highly successful program and defending PacWest champions.
A WORD FROM THE CAPTAIN
The team was not prepared for this news, as the bombshell dropped, not only following a highly successful fall season, but two days before their first tournament of the spring.
The team all agreed that “the news was devastating, and we couldn’t sleep. The news was dropped Thursday and we had to leave for the first tournament of the season Saturday.”
Team Captain Rachel Shaw is graduating this year from Biola and feels deeply for her younger teammates.
“I have been here for four years. I wouldn’t be at Biola if not for the golf program,” Shaw said. “I’m forever grateful for the impact my coaches and teammates have had on my life and walk with Christ. I could’ve gone anywhere. It’s heartbreaking that my teammates won’t all get to experience the same.”
NOT AS EXPECTED
Claire Shubin is a graduate student in her sixth year playing collegiate golf. She played her previous five years at Dominican University of California, and in her time at Dominican, Biola always stood out to her.
“Biola had a reputation as a winning team, but they also had a different kind of bond than the other teams I saw,” Shubin said.
The success on the course was certainly a draw in Shubin’s transfer, but the bond of the team and the reputation of the school’s values were also important to her. Her high regard for the school made this decision and how it was handled even more of a surprise.
“I thought they’d want to do the program better than this,” said Shubin “I was planning on assistant coaching at Dominican, and I’m surprised they weren’t canceled before Biola. Dominican is standing, but Biola isn’t.”
A LESS CERTAIN FUTURE
The discontinuation of this team has a unique impact on the young members of this group. This year’s team roster includes a freshman, three sophomores and one junior, all of which are facing a future at Biola that does not include one of the primary reasons they came to the school.
Junior cinema and media arts student Abigail Morris faces one less year of the sport she loves, stating, “ I am thoroughly disappointed with how a university that prides itself on upholding true Christian values treats its student-athletes, who have given them nothing but their best. I chose Biola because I believed that things would be different here. Instead, I feel like it’s just like anywhere else. I am deeply saddened that my collegiate career is being cut short, my heart goes out to all of the girls that were just getting started, but now have to uproot their lives and transfer to a different university.”
Sophomore business student Hailey Hays is one of the students facing difficult transfer decisions. She highlighted the stark realities of her time at Biola coming to an abrupt halt.
“There’s no place like Biola. It’s hard to look for somewhere when we know we won’t get the same experience elsewhere. We all love it here. We love being able to play golf and also grow spiritually,” said Hays.
The team also expressed happiness about the effort they’ve put into their time at Biola but disappointment about the ending, as there are so many amazing things that many of them won’t be able to fulfill in the ways they had anticipated.
A SPECIAL TEAM
This program has been cut on the back of winning two PacWest Titles in the last three seasons. This stellar performance has them ranked 11th in the region and 42nd in the nation.
Furthermore, this small team of only 10 athletes was the second-highest fundraiser in Biola’s Athletics Week of Giving. This great team is also led by a two-time PacWest Women’s Golf Coach of the Year, Jane Carr.
The team heaped praise on their coach, expressing immense gratitude for her leadership and guidance.
“Coach Carr has been here for 15 years, and she was also blindsided. She wanted to leave a legacy behind and now that legacy won’t be the same. She is fighting for us. She would’ve fought for us if she had been involved in the decision. Having a golfer’s perspective would’ve made a lot more sense. It felt like they weren’t looking for a solution and had already made a decision,” the team stated.
The girls have been shell-shocked, and their futures twisted by a decision they were not given any chance to prepare for. This was a team that represented Biola well in every way they could. They left an impact not only on the trophy case but on one another. The legacy of the Eagle’s golf team will live on even as they go separate ways and on different colors.
The team hasn’t given up all hope yet though. Their coach is fighting for them and the team started a petition on Feb. 12 and it has continued to garner signatures. The love and community is more evident in this team than ever before. But they are not out of it yet.
