Stature rising for club sport
Men's lacrosse, other club sports vying for more AS funding
By Jeremy Herb
February 16, 2006
Santa Clara men's lacrosse begins its season Saturday looking to improve both its 10-7 record from last season and how it functions as a club sport.
The squad has only eight upperclassmen on its 32-man roster and lost four of its top six scorers from last season. While Coach Gary Podesta said his team's 12 freshmen are talented, he admitted it will take time for the Broncos to gain experience.
"There won't be immediate results because we've got a lot of freshmen coming in," senior defenseman Stephen Batey said. "Getting them acclimated is going to be difficult."
Podesta said that he was able to recruit 14 players this year and 18 in 2005, despite receiving no funding from the Athletic Department because lacrosse is a club sport rather than a varsity sport.
The difference between the two is varsity sports are part of the NCAA and their athletes can receive financial aid. Club sports are under the direction of Campus Recreation rather than the Athletic Department.
The problem, according to Lacrosse Team President Peter Schmidt, is that whenever the team needs funds, they must go through both recreation and Associated Students, and both require different paperwork.
For rest of article: http://www.thesantaclara.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/02/16/43f42c37a4fcb
