While most fans of Illinois athletics think of the sanctioned, Division I sports when first learning about sports at Illinois, club athletics is a world hidden from those who don’t have an immediate connection to it.

These students have created communities, made resources available and had fun, all while maintaining the same high standards of academics and athletics like their fellow classmates and athletes. 

Although commitment varies from group to group, the foundation in family environments has kept students competing in the Division I club level for decades.

There are 38 registered club sports with the university, and for Illinois women’s lacrosse, there are daily challenges to running the team.

“We don’t have an official coach so a lot of the coordination goes through the executive board,” said senior midfielder Ashley Muñoz, who serves as the president of the team. “It’s a lot of communication with the University, Campus Recreation, Student Org Resource Fee (SORF). Just a lot of alleys we’ve got to go through to make sure that everything is pretty seamless.”

Their coach, Ashley Muñoz’s father, Francis Muñoz, was head coach for the women’s lacrosse program in Belleville West High School. He retired after the program gained sanctioned sport status within the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Francis Muñoz travels three hours from the St. Louis suburbs to help the team in any way possible.

“I thought I was going to hang my hat and my lacrosse stick and just watch (Ashley Muñoz) play, but it ended up not being the case,” said Francis Muñoz. “One of the things that I have tried to do as a national US Lacrosse coach is continue to grow the game.”

‘Grow the game,’ has become a major tagline for the sport of lacrosse. Data from 2019 shows that in the state of Illinois, lacrosse participation increased by 649% over the previous five years.

It is each athlete’s love for the sport and desire to continue playing during college that drives excitement for a group like the women’s club lacrosse team.

“On quad day, I went straight for the lacrosse tent and signed up,” senior defenseman Peyton Heinze said.

“I thought I’d give it up in college but then I saw people playing and I was drawn back in,” said Ashley Muñoz.

The environment that Ashley Muñoz and the rest of the team have created has proven to be diverse, connecting with people all around campus, with different levels of experience and familiarity with the sport.

“It’s extremely welcoming, people of all lacrosse backgrounds can come and play, anyone can walk-on and be accepted,” Ashley Muñoz said. “It’s a really comfortable environment. These girls are like family to me, leaving them is really sad to me.”

Adding structure was an emphasis of importance for Muñoz, who joined the team when there was very little commitment and retention. The team meets two to three times a week for practice and participates in play days with other schools throughout the year.

“It’s come a long way since my sophomore year,” senior midfielder Marie Hubbard said. “We’ve built a great team culture, everyone wants to be here and play lacrosse, we’re here to have fun.”

The team represents a variety of years, majors, ethnicities and career tracks across the University, all meeting on a 110-yard by 60-yard field to play a game that they love.

While Ashley and other seniors prepare to leave the university, they leave a program at a new stage in its existence for future Illini looking for a home within the university.

“They are a sisterhood of lacrosse players,” said Francis Muñoz. “Building that bond and that legacy, just having fun is important for the rest of the year.”

@JonathanAlday7

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