From being a youthful visitor to the leader of a highly successful water polo program, senior history major Luke Franklin’s Biola journey is one that speaks volumes about Biola’s culture and athletic prowess. Franklin has not only benefited from these aspects of Biola but has also done his part to continue to help them grow.
EARLY INTEREST
Luke Franklin’s first Biola experience came at a young age when he attended a Christ in Youth camp in middle school hosted by Biola.
“I loved every minute of those camps and they forever put Biola on my radar,” Franklin said.
A lot can happen between middle school and college applications. For Franklin, the big change in his life through high school was water polo.
“Fast forwarding to the college search of my junior year in high school, I had thrown myself deep into water polo in high school and had shown enough potential to play in college,” Franklin said. “Truth of the matter is, I didn’t consider Biola despite my love for it in the past because they didn’t have a polo team.”
But as God has worked in the lives of many thousands of students to bring them to Biola, he worked to get Franklin to this university.
“To my surprise, my best friend Mitchell Carpenter shared with me the announcement that Biola was starting an inaugural water polo program in 2021, the year I was gonna be a freshman,” Franklin said. “It was at this moment I genuinely felt a rush of excitement come over me because I knew this was God’s direct handiwork and obviously opened the door for me to play here at Biola.”
So, in his great plan, God steered Franklin to Biola, where he had the opportunity to be a cornerstone of the newly planted men’s water polo team.
FROM DAY ONE
After arriving at Biola in 2021, Franklin embraced his place not only as a member of the freshman class but as a member of the inaugural water polo team. He looks back on that time as a special opportunity.
“Being a part of the inaugural team was the most memorable experience I have ever had and will ever have. To build something from the ground up is a privilege I’m not sure will cross my path again,” Franklin said.
Over the four years, Franklin got to be a part of this group, he saw a team grow from a fledgling program getting their feet wet in year one to a nationally respected program that competes with the best. He not only treasures these memories but points to his teammates and coaches as what made it all possible.
“From the rough dog fight of the first season trying to get our name out there and show people we were a force to be reckoned with, to playing against UCLA in the NCAA tournament, there has been tremendous exponential growth,” Franklin said. “The success was obviously a blast and all credit to the grit of my teammates and the stewardship of Rick Nordell.”
But, as amazing as the success of the team was, in Franklin’s eyes, it couldn’t compare to his true joys of being at Biola.
THE TRUE BIOLA EXPERIENCE
Luke Franklin said that the main takeaway from his time at Biola was the special community.
“The family I created here with the team,” Franklin said. “The guys who were up early in the morning every morning committing themselves to the same grind, same goal and same passion. … It’s hard to ignore the fact that you become accustomed to certain people when you spend every day with them, just to go on to the next thing when it comes time to graduate.”
Nothing has been more formative for Franklin over his four years at this university than his bond with those he has spent these years with.
“Biola has given me the opportunity to establish roots in a wonderful Christ-centered community over the past 4 years,” Franklin said. “And I know that when I leave in May, I will be taking much more than just a degree.”
