Sam Gilbert
Special to Mustang News
Cal Poly’s historic year in sports hasn’t been limited to the school’s Division I NCAA programs, as the club sports level saw several championship-caliber squads.
After earning its fifth Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL) title in a 16-5 win over California in early May, the Cal Poly men’s club lacrosse team advanced to the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) National Championship Tournament to play UC Santa Barbara on May 12, but lost to the Gauchos in the first round.
The team most recently made it to the MCLA National Championship Tournament in 2012.
“Some of our proudest accomplishments throughout this past season were our team winning league in Nevada and then making it to the national tournament,” junior defender Luke Willon said. “Unfortunately, we lost, but it was a great experience.”
Willon said a big part of their success was communication, while senior defender Sebastian Zorn said senior leadership, consistency and strength were factors in the team’s tournament run this past season.
“We had a lot of talent,” Zorn said. “There was a lot of experience on the team and we all had a lot of fun.”
The Mustangs have bred success in recent years, as they’ve been ranked in the top 25 for the past 10 years and have advanced to the national championship tournament nine times in the last two decades, according to the team’s official website. Zorn said beating Cal and winning the WCLL this season was huge for the program.
“Going back to what we’ve been doing in the past and winning was pretty cool,” Zorn said.
Senior attackman Dylan Gonsalves scored two goals and notched two assists against Stanford in the WCLL semifinal matchup against Stanford as he scored eight goals throughout the championship weekend to earn WCLL Tournament MVP honors.
Zorn and Willon said there was a bond between the teammates that supported communication on the field this season.
“I have probably the best friends that I’ve made in college on the lacrosse team,” Willon said. “Next year is going to be my last year, so I’m excited to play on the team for one more year with my best friends.”
In order to improve next year, Willon said he’ll play throughout the offseason.
“That’s how you become a championship team,” Willon said. “If we keep playing and working hard when we’re not being watched, then I think it will be a lot better,” Willon said.