Courtesy of WashU Women’s Club Lacrosse.

WashU Women’s Club Lacrosse team (WULAX), whose record for the fall of 2024 was 2-4-1, will be joining a formal lacrosse league for spring 2025. 

In the past, WULAX had to cold-email schools to schedule games. This can be particularly difficult as lacrosse is not a popular sport in the Midwest. 

Joining the Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Associate’s (WCLA) Division II Central Plains Women’s Lacrosse League (CPWLL) will make games easier to schedule and more frequent, while also giving WashU a chance to qualify for the WCLA Division II National Championship. WCLA comprises some of the best non-varsity college lacrosse teams in the nation and requires teams to play a minimum of eight games a semester to enroll in the tournament.

The other schools in the league are the University of Missouri, Drury University, Creighton University, University of Arkansas, University of Nebraska, University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and Missouri State University. 

Despite not having a coach, WashU’s executive team is still able to foster growth and development in its players.

“Some teams would lead you by the wayside … but we’re really big about incorporating people of all different skill sets,” sophomore Maria Loss, the team’s league coordinator, said.

The team practices from 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday. The team usually meets at the Clocktower on the South 40 and then runs the mile to the south campus field. Skill levels range from undergraduate and graduate students who have never heard of or played lacrosse before to women who could have chosen to play for a college varsity team. For those who do not own any lacrosse equipment, the team has extra for people to use for free. 

The first three-quarters of practice consists of offensive and defensive drills. Practices conclude with 7-on-7 scrimmages with substitutes. 

“[WULAX] is a community of such amazing, smart, driven, athletic girls,” Loss said. “Because it’s student-led, it offers a really open community … everyone has a voice on the team.”

Before this year, WashU typically only played teams within 20 minutes of the University. However, during the 2024 fall semester, the team was able to attend a tournament in Nashville, where they played the women’s club lacrosse teams of James Madison University, Indiana University, and The University of Alabama. Despite getting swept, playing more competitive teams with more formal coaching staff has increased the intensity among players.   

One of WashU’s main values is showing up for the team. No matter who the team is playing or an individual’s skill level, as long as one shows up and works hard, they will be played in games.  

Growing up playing sports, junior Talia Orbach, captain and game coordinator, knew she wanted to join a sports team at WashU. Since Orbach had only played lacrosse for one year in high school, she worried she would not be a good enough player to join the team. Little did she know that women’s club lacrosse does not make cuts and would introduce her to some of her closest friends. 

“I really love the energy of the team because there’s a time and a place to have light-hearted fun, but then [there is] also a time when locking in is really good for the team,” Orbach said. 

Even during the winter off-season, the team remains a tight-knit community and participates in activities together, such as log rolling or ice cream runs. The team is trying to organize indoor practices to continue developing its lacrosse skills but is having difficulty securing the space to do so due to this year’s low funding from Student Union. 

Senior and co-president Anna Clyne believes that these winter practices and activities will help to keep the momentum that the team established in the fall, which is particularly important considering WashU’s increased legitimacy as a member of CPWLL.

“Joining the league is a big step forward,” Clyne said. “I’m so excited to be able to be there as it’s starting.”