While it's not a perfect comparison, the WCLA (Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Associates) and NASCAR do share one thing in common… both organizations launch each new season with their largest event of the year.
For NASCAR, that’s the annual Daytona 500, which brings more eyeballs to the racing circuit than any other event. Similarly, the WCLA launches each February with the Santa Barbara Shootout, which will have more participating teams than any event of the women’s club season.
Almost 40 Division I and II women’s lacrosse teams converge on the seaside community of Santa Barbara this weekend for the unofficial start of the collegiate club season. The WCLA bookends the spring with the USA Lacrosse National Tournament in Wichita, May 7-10.
Defending D-I national champion UCLA, ranked No. 1 in the WCLA’s 2025 preseason poll, is among the top teams competing this weekend. The Bruins play a pair of Top 20 games with matchups against No. 11 Arizona State and No. 12 Virginia Club.
• See the full Division I preseason ranking
“As reigning champions, we're ready to build on last year's success,” said UCLA club president Caroline Irons. “The energy and determination we've seen so far have us so excited for what's to come.”
Irons points to Santa Barbara as the natural launching point for building momentum towards another championship campaign.
“We're thrilled about the opportunity to compete for a chance to return to Wichita,” she said. “The experience of winning there is one we'll never forget, and we're determined to earn our way back to defend our title on the national stage.”
This year’s Santa Barbara Shootout features 13 D-I and D-II squads that either qualified for last year’s national tournament or were ranked in the Top 20 of the final regular season polls. CSU San Marcos, a 2024 national semifinalist and the number one team in the 2025 Division II preseason ranking, is one of six ranked D-II teams competing in Santa Barbara.
