A league of their own: a window into Lehigh’s club sports programs

The 2015-16 club water polo team stands on the bleachers after practice. Club water polo, a co-ed group, is one of 32 club sports teams offered at Lehigh. (Courtesy of Jared Pass)

Lehigh’s varsity teams, known as the Mountain Hawks, feature talent across 23 Division I programs.

But the talent doesn’t stop there.

There are 32 more teams that wear brown and white to compete against other schools. There are 32 more teams that practice and strive for excellence. There are 32 more teams that form a bond through common love of a sport.

Those 32 teams comprise Lehigh’s club sports scene — ranging from typical sports like soccer and lacrosse to less common ones like skiing and equestrian.

Many of the teams feature players who excelled in athletics throughout their high school careers, such as junior Alex Cirella. Cirella was a part of a state championship-winning lacrosse team at Manhasset Senior High School and many of her teammates now play at a Division I level.

When she did not find a lacrosse program that was a match for her and chose to attend Lehigh, she decided she would play club. Cirella has been on both the women’s lacrosse and field hockey club teams since her freshman year and holds the position of vice president for both.

“We’re definitely not going to be beating D1 teams on the club team, but I think everyone’s ability is definitely up there,” Cirella said. “That’s what makes it fun, when everyone’s pretty good.”

In particular, the club field hockey team has been successful in recent years because of the high skill level of its players. When Cirella was a freshman, it was ranked as the No. 1 club team in the nation and has also recently picked up five varsity level players who decided to join the club team when they dropped from Lehigh’s Division I field hockey team.

However, not all club teams roster such experienced players.

Greg Girolamo, a freshman on the club water polo team, had absolutely no experience when he decided to give the sport a shot. He found out about it through the club fair and posts in his class’s Facebook page.

“I knew going into college I wanted to try a new sport . . . water polo seemed like a lot of fun,” Girolamo said. “I went to the first few practices, and then I fell in love with it when I started playing.”

For Girolamo and others, being on a club team is not just about the sport itself. Joining a community of other Lehigh students allowed Girolamo to expand his social horizons. The club water polo team hosts all of its games at Villanova, forcing them to coordinate carpools and spend even more time together.

“What I really like the most about it is that it’s a great way to meet upperclassmen,” Girolamo said. “I wouldn’t have met seniors in any of my classes, and everyone’s so friendly.”

The social aspect of club sports extends to interactions between teams as well. Sophomore Jon Kleinhenz, the vice president of the club men’s soccer team, said his team will sometimes organize times to kick around with the women’s club team.

Even though Kleinhenz’s team is one of the most competitive club teams representing Lehigh, he said it’s still all about having fun. With two rounds of tryouts and about 100 new players trying to join the team each year, the finalized 40-45 player squad becomes a tight-knit community.

“We’re basically like any other group on campus like a fraternity or sorority or your hall or dorm,” Kleinhenz said. “We’ll post in our GroupMe that we have, ‘Anyone want to go watch the game?’ or ‘Anyone want to go to this event together?’”

The comparison of a club team to other social groups on campus also holds true for sophomore Emily Walczyk, a member of the club women’s soccer team. She said while none of the members of her team ended up joining the same sorority as her, they still maintain their friend group.

Walczyk also said one of the best things about being on a club team is that there is no coach. For almost all club teams, the leadership comes from within. To Walczyk, this contributes to a stress-free atmosphere that can still remain competitive.

Cirella, Girolamo and Kleinhenz also said playing on a team without a coach is a positive. The absence of a coach allows the club sports community to exist and operate under the sole influence of students.

“I’ve been playing soccer for 15 years, and I’ve just about had it with coaches. I’ve had some really good ones and some really bad ones . . . it’s nice to have a lot more say,” Walczyk said. “At the end of the day, we’re all students.”