The 2019 fall semester has been one of growth, learning, and success for the Club Sports Program and our teams. This past semester we divided our club sports program into two categories- competitive and recreational, accepted 6 new clubs, hired 6 new student employees, and had Athletic Trainers staff our home competitions.
As for our clubs, each team had a unique fall semester, many of which were full of prosperity. Here is a recap of the highlights of each team’s last few months:
Competitive Clubs:
Women’s Basketball: This fall, with 12 members on their team, the women’s basketball team hosted a three-team round robin tournament at Butler. It took place on November 10th and it was a successful tournament for the club.
Climbing: The team has experienced a lot of success this fall. With 40 climbers, they participated in two USA climbing sanctioned competitions, one in Chicago and the other in Glendale Heights. The team really grew as individual climbers and as a group, doing a great job representing Butler.
Curling: The 27-person curling squad participates in weekly Friday-night matches at Fuel Tank in Fishers, Indiana. The team competed against themselves in some scrimmages and also against other local teams. Overall, they had a successful season.
Crew: Butler’s crew team participated in several regattas that took place at the Indianapolis Rowing Center. They rowed against a few local universities in Indianapolis, such as IUPUI.
Equestrian: The team has participated in two competitive horse shows, having successful outcomes at both events. All riders placed in the competition in October at St. Mary of the Woods, gaining points towards regionals and nationals.
Esports: Esports is a new and upcoming sport that has become a competitive sport across the nation! Butler has multiple Club Esports teams such as Call of Duty, Counter-Strike, and Rainbow Six. Our Butler Esports teams have had a lot of success this first semester and they are excited to continue competing moving forward!
Golf: The golf team competed in two tournaments, finishing 1st in the NCCGA Regional Tournament #2 at Blackthorn Golf Club. Individually, Josh Mullenix placed 2nd overall. While they weren’t as successful in their first tournament, they had 20 players attend who learned and grew from the experience!
Hockey: The hockey team was very active this semester, playing the most games out of all the club teams! After competing in 14 games, they had some great success, but also some losses. They are looking forward to starting up again this next semester!
Men’s Lacrosse: This semester was a rebuilding season for the men’s lacrosse team. They competed in 4 events and scrimmaged the women’s lacrosse team. While their outcomes were not what they were looking for, they are hopeful and excited for the spring season.
Women’s Lacrosse: The team traveled to West Virginia to participate in a tournament and also hosted a tournament in the fall semester. They scrimmaged the men’s lacrosse team as well. They hosted 4 teams in November and had a very successful weekend. They are looking forward to what the spring season has in store!
Ski and Snowboarding: The team is excited for winter to arrive so that they can go to their first event of the season! They will be going on their first trip January 25th!
Men’s Soccer: The team had their best season in over 7 years, with a record of 5-2-3. They also tied for 3rd for most shutouts with 6 out of an entire conference of 50 teams! This season was extremely successful for our men’s soccer team and we are so proud of their hard work!
Women’s Soccer: The women’s team hosted many games this semester at the IM and Varsity fields. They also did lots of traveling in the fall, going to Chicago and Ohio for games as well. The team has a roster of 21 people. Since fall is their main season, the team will be training during the spring semester.
Swimming: The swim team traveled to Purdue University and to Cincinnati for fall swim meets. They also attended the College Club Swimming Regional Championship at IUPUI in November.
Tennis: With 22 members, the tennis team has attended many matches throughout the semester and represented Butler very well at two tournaments they attended. They won the Silver Bracket at the University of Toledo Clay Court Invitational and the Indiana St. Tennis Tournament!
Ultimate: The ultimate frisbee team had a pretty great first semester, with a record of 8-1, going 5-0 at the IWU invitational and 3-1 at the Butler Fall invite. Beyond that, they are still trying to practice when there isn’t snow on the ground. They are looking forward to the spring season and are hoping to continue their success!
Men’s Volleyball: With a 14-person roster, the team has an ‘A’ team and a ‘B’ team, both of which attend tournaments. They hosted a tournament in September and attended an away one at Bradley University. The team finished the fall season with a 6-2-2 record. Overall, it was a very strong start to the season for men’s volleyball. They showed great grit and determination throughout every match they played this semester.
Women’s Volleyball: The women’s volleyball team is made up of 19 members, which are split between the ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams. Both teams attended two away tournaments in the fall at Indiana University and Western Michigan University. Overall, they had a prosperous season!
Recreational Clubs:
Bass Fishing: Their first semester as an approved club sport, Bass Fishing is starting to build their club and become competitive. They competed in one tournament coming in 91st out of 131 teams with a total weight of 1lb 5oz.
Beach Volleyball: Their first semester as an approved club sport, Beach volleyball focused on building their roster and playing friendly matches at Holt Park.
CHAARG: A club that has existed as a student organization for several years made the transition to club sports this past semester. They held several events all over Indiana visiting different workout facilities, including Cyclebar, Shred-415, Broad Ripple FitClub, and The Barre Code.
Dance: The Dance club wasted no time getting their club together for their first semester as an approved club sport. They held several dance practices for varying types of dance and held two dance showcases to show off their hard work to the Butler community.
Run: Run club made the transition to club sports this past semester and has been focused on building up their membership as they look to enter races this upcoming spring.
The Club Sports Program would like to thank our Club Sports officers, Club Sports Supervisor staff, and our Club Sports undergraduate assistants for their hard work this past semester. We look forward to continue to grow and support our Club Sports Program.
