Cal Poly Lacrosse

The Cal Poly Men’s Lacrosse Team has been a part of campus since 1980. Over the past thirty years, we have maintained a well respected lacrosse program with a tradition of success both on and off of the field. During the past ten years we have developed into a nationally recognized team.

We compete in the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL), which is part of the national Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA), formally known as the US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates (USLIA). Out of more than 200 colleges and universities that compete in the MCLA, we have finished ranked in the Top 25 for ten straight seasons, including Top 10 finishes and trips to the National Championships in 2002 - 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2010.

Like nearly every college lacrosse team on the West Coast, Cal Poly Lacrosse is not a varsity sport and is not administered through the Athletic Department. Our program is operated by the Recreational Sports program, and the coaches and players carry out most of the logistics associated with running the team. Rec Sports contributes a small portion of the team’s annual budget, but the team covers the vast amount of expenses, conducting fundraising efforts and collecting player dues in order to cover their traveling expenses, league dues, referees fees, equipment costs, etc. Besides lower funding levels, the main drawback to being a club team on campus is that players do not have priority registration for classes, and must do their best to schedule classes around afternoon and evening practice times.

Education certainly takes priority over lacrosse at Cal Poly, but most players are able to avoid class and practice conflicts without too much difficulty. Despite technically being a “club team”, and the extra bureaucratic work that goes along with that designation, Cal Poly Lacrosse operates like a varsity team and expects its players to show the commitment and dedication necessary to compete with the top MCLA teams in the nation. In addition, like all teams that compete in the MCLA, players on the Cal Poly squad must meet basic academic eligibility requirements in order to remain a team member in good standing.

The main part of our season is from January through mid-May. We also play a Fall Ball schedule, which lasts only about seven weeks, and consists of three to four practices per week, and a trip to at least one fall tournament. Fall Ball is a little less regimented than the regular season, and allows individuals to work on their fundamentals and become familiar with our offensive and defensive systems. The fall season ends with our annual Alumni Game on the weekend before Thanksgiving, when all of our past players come back into town to relive the glory days of their past. The Alumni Game is also our biggest fundraiser of the season, and our past players play a major role in financing the activities of the current team.

The regular season kicks into gear as soon as Winter Quarter begins in early January. We practice at least four times a week during the regular season, with our first game usually occurring in early February. Regular season games occur on nearly every weekend from February through April, and the playoffs will often take us into May, where the season wraps up with the MCLA National Championship Tournament.

Joining the Cal Poly Lacrosse team is a major commitment and requires tremendous dedication, but despite all of our hard work and effort, we never forget to enjoy ourselves along the way. In fact, Cal Poly lacrosse players enjoy one of the best student-athlete opportunities available: an excellent academic institution, a highly competitive lacrosse team, team camaraderie both on and off the field, and enough free time to truly enjoy the college experience.