About the Team
The Columbia Men’s Lacrosse Club is a competitive team that plays other schools and clubs as a member of the National Club Lacrosse League (NCLL). The NCLL is the largest collegiate club lacrosse league in the nation and is divided into two divisions (Division I and II respectively). The web site is www.ncllax.com and Columbia competes in the New York Metro Division against: Fordham, NYU, Hofstra, Fairfield, Trinity, Sacred Heart, Brown, Yale, Stony Brook, and CCNY.
There are fall ball practices and scrimmages. The spring is the main season and, in addition to having more practices, the team competes against all divisional opponents. Also, the team competes in the Beltway Bash at the University of Maryland, which is the largest club lacrosse tournament in the nation.
Dues are $200 and each player receives: a pair of practice shorts and helmet stickers. The club provides game jerseys for competitions and the option to purchase a reversible, shooting shirt, game shorts along with other apparel.
History
Over the last past couple years, the lacrosse team has made significant achievements. In 2005-06, after coach Steve Pizzi retired, Jim Watson stepped in as coach. Watson, a two-time all-American at Pace University as an undergraduate, along with Freshman team president Julien Barbey led the Lions to a .500 record including wins over divisional rival NYU. 2006-07 would prove to be the most successful season in the team’s history: again under Watson and Barbey, the team amassed a record of 23-1 and was both Beltway Bash champions and NY Metro Division champions. However, the crowning achievement was winning the NCLL national championship over Cortland State at University of Kutztown, PA. The 2007-08 season had high expectations with many returning players. The team was a finalist in the Beltway Bash and defeated NYU at Madison Square Gardens. Columbia lost to eventual national champions Cortland State in the play offs.
