To hoist a trophy is always the goal of any athlete, and a large part of what drives countless hours of training, toil, and study of the art of their sport. Many women have come to Biola to pursue this dream on the golf course, and they have achieved it greatly. Not once, not twice, but three times in the span of the last four years. Biola’s Women’s Golf Team won their third Pacific West Conference Women’s Golf Championship in 2025. This achievement is made all the more meaningful in light of the unique adversity the team has had to overcome off the course. 

JAN. 31, 2025

On Jan. 31, Biola University Athletics announced the decision to discontinue their women’s golf program after the 2024-2025 season. The university greatly stressed that this decision was difficult to make and not at all due to the success or talent of the team or its coaches. The announcement cited rising costs as the main variable in the decision, but the news remained a shock to athletes, coaches, and the greater student body as the program has consistently been highly successful and consistent PacWest champions. 

Coach Jane Carr expressed her sadness and disappointment in this announcement, saying “To have the program arbitrarily cut and labeled as “unsustainable” was unexpected and disheartening. We sustain what we value.” 

The women’s golf team has consistently represented Eagle Athletics exceptionally, and has continued it in the 2024/25 athletics season, with victories in both the fall and spring semesters. 

ONE LAST RUN

Difficult circumstances can certainly affect the performance of an athlete on the field and knowing that your program is cut despite excellent performance would be more than enough reason for any person to struggle. But these women have faced the added circumstances with championship pedigree and mentality, and are again showing why they are amongst the best that Biola Athletics has ever had. 

In route to the aforementioned Pacific West Conference Women’s Golf Championship victory, the team set a PacWest record for lowest score on an 18 hole course with a -4, and threatened Cal Baptist’s three round record of +11, only missing it by 5 strokes. 

Team Captain Rachel Shaw summed up the team’s mentality, saying “We have a really special team and we want to break even more records. We’re going out with full force and a bit of extra fire and giving it our all because we have nothing to lose. We have a legitimate chance of making it to nationals and no Biola women’s golf team has ever made it to the national stage.” 

A BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY

“It has been a privilege being a coach at Biola. The program started in 2007 and I came on as an assistant in 2010, then as Head Coach in 2014. From an NAIA team just starting out to a NCAA Division 2 nationally ranked team (ranked 30 in the nation), we really built something special,” Carr said.”Winning twice during the regular season this year culminating in a third conference championship win last week just shows the heart of this team. We have had so much support from people outside Biola who respect and admire our team culture, the success we have had, and the program we have built.”

Coach Jane Carr has seen it all in her time as a Biola coach. She helped build the program from the ground up, but she certainly didn’t plan on seeing it end like this. The women’s golf team is operating at the highest level, and its athletes are putting Biola on the national pedestal with excellence and class with every single hole of every match they compete in. 

The class and excellence hasn’t stayed on the course either, as this small team of only 10 athletes was the second-highest fundraiser in Biola’s Athletics Week of Giving, raising $52,000 as a group.

Regardless of the closing circumstances, this program has clearly been a beautiful blessing to all of the athletes and coaches that had the privilege and pleasure of partaking in it. They are working hard to close out yet another record-breaking season with an unprecedented national run. Who knows how far these Eagles could fly before the season ends and could have flown in seasons to come.