As with many other places in California, the seaside community of Santa Barbara is a popular destination. After all, there’s no shortage of beautiful vistas, with the Pacific Ocean on one side and the picturesque Santa Ynez Mountains on the other. Warm temperatures and abundant sunshine also do nothing to detract from Santa Barbara’s allure, especially in mid-February.
But make no mistake, the importance of Santa Barbara for teams that compete as members of the Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Associates (WCLA) is the competition on the lacrosse field. Nearly 60 Division I and II teams descend this week on this town which dubs itself the American Riviera, focused mainly on a strong showing to kickstart their 2017 campaigns and generate momentum for the season ahead.
The 29th-annual Santa Barbara Shootout, which begins Friday and continues through Sunday, has a bit of a new look this year. Formerly hosted by UC Santa Barbara, the event moves off campus in 2017 to the ERG Polo Fields, a multi-field complex located just south of town. Paul Ramsey, the former UCSB coach, is the tournament director.
“The school didn’t want to continue with the event, but since so many teams count on it in order to get cross-country matchups, I felt like I should try to still put it on,” Ramsey said. “It’s about providing opportunities for WCLA teams to play meaningful games.”
Most teams will play three or four games during the weekend, although some try to squeeze in a fifth contest to help justify the travel expenses and to capitalize on the strong field assembled.
“It’s an expensive weekend for us, so we want to play the best competition we can get,” said Adam Weinstein, coach for defending nation champion Georgia. “You have many of the best teams from across the country out there.”
“It’s extremely important to play well at Shootout and get our season off to a good start,” UCLA coach Paige Lin said.
Twelve of the 16 teams that qualified for last year’s WCLA National Championship are among the 33 Division I teams participating this week, including seven of the eight quarterfinalists. In addition to Georgia, the list includes national runner-up Minnesota, and semifinalists Colorado and Colorado State.
“We always select a challenging schedule against some highly ranked teams to push us to play at our highest level,” said Baylee Miller, club president and one of the top returnees for Minnesota. “The Shootout gives us the opportunity to see what the other teams look like, and what areas our team needs to focus on. We can't wait to get back out on the field.”
For many teams, the Shootout is also the first chance to expose their newcomers to collegiate lacrosse. Even at the club level, the game looks and feels different than it was in high school, and often requires a period of adjustment.
“It’s a good thing for our freshmen to see that club lacrosse is a big thing and taken seriously,” Michigan coach David McKinnon said. “It’s a fun and competitive trip that helps to remind them of why they want to keep playing the game after high school.”
“It's the first exposure to the club scene for our freshmen,” Lin said. “Will we be able to execute the things we have been working on?”
With first team All-American and 2016 national player of the year Gretchen Kiep returning on midfield and second team All-American Katie Koller back on attack, UCLA is likely to be a strong contender to return to the postseason. The Bruins are among the teams to already have meaningful games played. Their 4-0 start, which includes an impressive 12-0 win over UCSB, has garnered some attention.
“UCLA is pretty legit,” Weinstein said.
Several other national contenders have also opened the 2017 campaign impressively. Texas is 6-0 with five blow-out wins. Georgia brings a 3-0 record to the West Coast, having outscored its three opponents 52-6.
“We’re trying not to get too excited, but we have looked pretty good in the early going,” Weinstein said. “As champs, we know that we have a big bullseye on our back this year, but we’re possibly stronger than last year with better depth.”
Georgia returns four starters on defense, including a pair of first team All-Americans in defender Emily Tower and goalie Caroline Youngs.
Michigan is equally well-stocked at the defensive end, with senior All-American Grace Collins returning in goal after spending her junior year studying in Italy. All-American defenders Sarah Fried and Elena Ramos also return for the Wolverines.
“I guess having three All-Americans back there really can’t hurt,” McKinnon said.
Cal Poly, Colorado State and Pittsburgh are among the other teams mentioned by coaches as potential championship contenders.
Some of the marquee intersectional matchups on this weekend’s schedule include Michigan vs. Cal Poly, Colorado State vs. Minnesota, UCLA vs. Texas, Colorado vs. Pittsburgh, UCLA vs. Michigan and Georgia vs. Texas. The results from these games will heavily influence the first national poll of the season, due to be released Feb. 22, and could have significant seeding implications for the 2017 postseason tournament.
“There’s no doubt that the outcome of a game in mid-February could determine whether you are playing in May,” Ramsey said.
Five of last year’s 12 Division II championship qualifiers also are attending the Shootout, including defending champion Denver and runner-up Utah. In fact, a rematch of the 2016 Division II championship game between these teams is one of the highlights on Friday’s schedule.
“We are looking forward to playing Utah again,” said Kelley Dingens, Denver’s All-American defender. “It’s a fun rivalry and they are always great games.”
With five returning All-Americans on the 2017 roster, Denver may be the preseason favorite to repeat as the Division II national champion. Utah, Grand Canyon and Loyola (Md.) are among the other top contenders.
“We are excited about being the defending champs, but we are going into the season with a clean slate,” Dingens said.
The WCLA features 80 Division I teams and 155 Division II teams that compete under the US Lacrosse umbrella. The 2017 season will conclude with the national championships in Salt Lake City, May 10-13.