Kevin Kulak never envisioned this program becoming the success it is today.
From “beer league buddies” to a top five program in Division I of the National College Lacrosse League, Kulak said the program has come a long way since he was club president.
To show how far the program has come since it was founded in 2010, the club team held its first annual alumni game at Geasey Field on Sunday.
The team, which was founded in 2010, welcomed back more than 20 former players to compete against this year’s team on Sunday.
The current players remained ahead for the first half, finishing the second quarter 5-2. The team defeated its alumni 11-6. The alumni players jokingly complained they were “already tired” during their pre-game warm-ups.
Sunday was the first time the team played on Geasey Field after it was closed during Spring 2018 to replace the turf.
Kulak, a 2014 finance alumnus, said the club was initially founded as a way to, “break a sweat and spend more time with friends.” As the program continued to grow, Kulak entered the club into the NCLL.
“Lots of good players wanted to try out,” Kulak said. “We wanted to take it more seriously and get some results to show how good we really were.”
The team won the NCLL Division II Championship in 2015, going undefeated throughout the entire season and finishing the season 21-0. The Owls defeated Binghamton University in the championship to win their first national title just one year after entering the NCLL.
Ryan Brennan, a senior legal studies major and the club’s president, said Sunday’s game was important because he wanted to, “connect with the alumni to let them know what the program has done in their absence.”
Coach Chris Berkelbach said the club has worked to put together an alumni game for the past “couple years.”
The teams played aggressively, attempting to check each other on Sunday. Despite this, the players cheered each other on and chatted after the game.
The team was ranked fourth in the NCLL Division I poll in 2018. This was the highest ranking in the program’s history.
In that same season, the Owls went 13-3, breaking several school records.
The list of accomplishments include most wins in a season, most road wins with 12 and six wins against ranked opponents.
The team hosted their own playoff game and reached the elite eight to end the season.
The team’s 2019 schedule has yet to be announced.
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