Whittier College Reinstating Lacrosse?
In November 2022, the College released a statement announcing the cancellation of the football, men’s lacrosse, and men’s and women’s golf programs. Former President Linda Oubre and the school board made this decision with the intent to refocus the College’s resources toward health and wellness. This announcement was met with immediate backlash; many student athletes were blindsided and upset with the administration’s decision. In total, 120 athletes were affected, many of whom transferred out of Whittier at the end of the year. Most affected athletes were warned just days prior to the announcement, if at all. Students felt the reasoning behind this decision was lackluster and poorly assessed. Junior and former lacrosse player Gabe Cascade commented, “I was heartbroken by the announcement. Looking back, maybe the funding wasn’t there, but still, a whole community was disrupted.” It was originally stated that a three-year study was conducted before reaching this conclusion, but it was later revealed that no such study took place. There was merely an ongoing conversation regarding the College’s athletic funding. Jon Damm, a Whittier lacrosse alumni (class of ’95), said “My first reaction was shock. It came out of nowhere. Then, I was sad more than anything.” This decision was one of many failed attempts by Oubre to re-brand the College.
The primary reason for cutting these sports was the costs incurred. In addition to budget cuts, football and lacrosse were cut due to the relatively high risk of traumatic brain injury associated. Whittier’s men’s lacrosse team was the only NCAA DIII program on the West Coast, meaning they had to travel exceptional distances for games. Additionally, the College mentioned the decline in popularity of collegiate football as another reason for its cancellation. This reasoning cannot apply to men’s lacrosse, however, as it is the fastest growing sport in the NCAA, with a 60% increase over 15 years and the addition of 237 teams in DIII alone. Whittier College’s lacrosse program was particularly successful. The men won ten championships between its founding in 1980 and 1999, and recently made it to the national semi-finals in 2018. Due to its growing popularity and accolades, the decision to abolish the team was a shock.
President Linda Oubre resigned in May 2023 and was replaced by alumni Kristine Dillon, who established $145,000 as the baseline to bring the program back. If the necessary funds are met, Whittier will apply to play in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) with hopes to return to the NCAA down the road. More specifically, Whittier would compete against other schools in the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL). Recently, a petition was added to the Whittier College website to reinstate the men’s lacrosse team by raising this $145,000. Alumni Jon Damm and Joe McCarthey are leading this initiative.
McCarthey, who graduated from Whittier in 1997, grew concerned for the state of athletics at Whittier after the events of November 2022. The answers provided by the board didn’t add up. As part of an athletics task force last summer, McCarthey assessed the impact of men’s lacrosse on Whittier College. In the few decades since its establishment, “Whittier lacrosse became a nation-wide brand.” In addition to statistical success, the lacrosse program actually had a positive financial impact on the College. McCarthey assessed tuition paid compared to the cost of the program, and found that each player represented a net positive $20K. The departure of 40 players — the result of cutting the program last year — therefore lost the school $800K in net value. The biggest cost of the program comes from travel expenses, but competing against nearby schools in the WCLL would significantly reduce these costs. McCarthey reached out to Damm, his former teammate, and the two brainstormed solutions. Both men hold a love for lacrosse and the Whittier community.
McCarthey and Damm got the green light to fundraise publicly in late February, and have been doing so since early March. In little over a month, they have raised about half of the funds they need. If the baseline value is met, the College will begin by hiring a lacrosse coach, who will spend all of next year recruiting. This means the first year of the program will be net negative for the college, but alumni are prepared to cover the costs while a team is formed.
Former players seem excited about the initiative, even if they won’t be around to play on the team. Cascade noted, “Bringing any of those programs back would improve social life on campus,” referring to the football, lacrosse, and golf teams. Despite community support, this initiative is an uphill battle: if the program is reinstated, a whole team would need to be found and recruited to a program that was just cut. Who would commit to a program with such fresh wounds? McCarthey has a solution for this too. “The accolades speak for themselves,” he exclaimed. There are few teams at Whittier, if any, who achieved the same level of national recognition in so few years. “The College made a mistake,” McCarthey added, “and they’re working to correct that.”
The reinstatement of lacrosse would provide a benchmark for revival at Whittier and show students that the new administration was dedicated to meeting the students’ desires rather than their own. As a student athlete myself, the decision to cut three teams on campus made me angry at the administration and afraid for my own sport. While the statement assured that no other sports on campus would be cut, I had little faith that the board would be true to their word. This year, things behind-the-scenes appear to be running more smoothly, but I’m still skeptical of what the future holds. Financially, the College is still perched precariously on a mountain of debt and raised tuition for the upcoming year, in yet another controversial decision. Going forward, Damm “can’t imagine something like this happening again. I think campus life will become as vibrant as it once was.” He envisions a Whittier College that will not only bring back lacrosse, but the other cut teams as well.
Joe McCarthey and Jon Damm would like to thank Christine Dillon for her support of the initiative and accomplishments during her first year as president. If you’d like to donate to reinstate men’s lacrosse at Whittier, you can do so here.
Photo Courtesy of Nune Papikyan / Quaker Campus
