They pray together, play hard, and push each other to grow as athletes and as men of faith. Still, the Biola men’s lacrosse team often flies under the radar on campus, hardly getting the recognition they deserve.
BEHIND THE SCENES
The coaching staff devotes countless hours to the team purely out of passion and love for the players and culture that is created, volunteering their time without compensation. Head coach Aaron Klett works very hard to make sure everyone who wants to play has the opportunity to do so. While club dues can be a barrier for some, Coach Klett goes out of his way to secure donations and equipment, making sure financial challenges don’t keep students from joining and experiencing the community the team offers.
Outside of their spring season in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA), Coach Klett works hard to schedule scrimmages between other schools.
In addition to coaches, the team has two captains who were on the team last year, junior communication sciences and disorders major Victor Garcia and sophomore kinesiology major Joshua Taflinger. Their responsibilities are not only calling plays, but they also are leaders both on and off the field, holding other players accountable and being the example of the discipline that it takes to keep the program alive.
An example of that discipline can be seen in the time commitment of being at practice from 8PM to 10PM, often going late, from Monday to Thursday throughout both the Fall and Spring semesters.
Unlike the Biola NCAA Division II programs, the lacrosse team does not receive athletic funding. They get a small amount of club support, however most of their funding comes from donations and contributions from the coaching staff.
CULTURE BEYOND COMPETITION
The team’s discipline is built with practice and conditioning, but their bond is built with so much more. Their faith-based culture is what sets them apart, as the team runs a group bible study, prays before every practice and closes every game with prayer. The coach and captains work hard to create a bond outside of practice when they can, such as having team and group dinners after every game.
“The first time I went to practice, we prayed before we officially started, [which] just showed me that they were interested in what our lives were about, not just if we came to practice,” Garcia said.
WHAT MOST DON’T SEE
The team strives to be known as a Christian team and a brotherhood, working hard for their actions to reflect God. They want to be more than just a sports team and demonstrate their love of Christ both on and off the field. The goal of the coaches and captains is to create an atmosphere of men who can call on each other in times of need.
The Lacrosse team puts in so much work yet sometimes is overlooked because they are a club team. One question that has been raised is why they aren’t an official Biola athletics team, they have remained a club team and many wonder why. Biola considers many factors such as cost, facilities and conference alignment when deciding which teams to support. For now lacrosse functions outside that system, they rely on their tight knit culture and alumni support to continue.
Though they wish they were more known through campus, Garcia believes that it is great place to find community.
“I think just [as] a freshman it’s so hard finding a community unless you look for it, so having a team full of people who push you and want to be better is just the best,” said Garcia.
The team plays its games on Al Barbour Field when their spring season starts or during their fall scrimmages. They draw spectators, though the size of the crowd depends on the opponent, and the team hopes attendance will continue to grow.
One of the best things about joining this community is that you don’t need experience or gear, you can just show up to one of the practices at Al Barbour Field from Monday to Thursday with practice starting at 8PM to 10PM. They can be found on instagram at @biolalacrosse.
