With the MCLA program on the way out with Michigan’s addition of varsity lacrosse, there’s still a place on campus for club ball.
When John Paul pulls on his block-M polo this spring, it won’t be to take on an MCLA opponent. Instead, he’ll be leading the inaugural varsity lacrosse team at the University of Michigan against the likes of Ohio State, Denver, and Notre Dame. The Wolverines’ run in the MCLA has come to an end, and Michigan will no longer have a presence in the country’s top collegiate club league.
However, that doesn’t mean there is no club lacrosse on campus. Last year, a group of students started a second club team, in the Great Lake Lacrosse League, and the tradition of Michigan club lacrosse will continue, just under a different banner. The GLLL is a true club league, unlike the MCLA, many of whose members strive to reach a “virtual varsity” experience. Nick Zoroya, also coach at Skyline High School, has been hired to lead the squad this spring.
“We are not run like the MCLA team was, we are not a virtual varsity, we are 30 guys on campus who love the game and want to continue playing,” says Zoroya, “The major difference between the MCLA and the GLLL, is that the MCLA is a virtual varsity league, whereas the GLLL is filled with clubs who have some sort of NCAA lacrosse on campus.”
Though the Wolverines won’t be competing in the country’s top club league, they’re hoping to continue the Michigan tradition of lacrosse success at the club level. There’s some work to do, with the team coming off a seventh-place finish at last year’s tournament. However, with a roster composed of local players (from schools like Ann Arbor Huron and Birmingham Brother Rice) as well as East Coast products from hotbeds like New York and Maryland, Zoroya believes the team can reach the summit.
“During my first season the goal is to win the GLLL. Anything less than a GLLL championship would be a disappointment for us.”