But in spring 2025, the 22-year-old offensive midfielder was fighting to recover after a serious injury to his collarbone. Dobbins was participating in a game near the end of the season when tragedy struck, in this case literally.

“Someone came and blindsided me. I had broken my clavicle, and it broke into three pieces,” Dobbins said. “It was pretty gnarly.”

Tim Puls, the head coach of the CSUSM men’s lacrosse club, said it was the second time that Dobbins had been injured within a year.

“In the fall (2024), he broke his collarbone in one of our fall scrimmages, and he recovered from that,” Puls said. “Then he broke his other collarbone, his left side, in the spring.”

If you’re not that familiar with lacrosse, Puls described it as “hockey on grass and turf. You’ve got some big boys in these leagues, and you’re running around with sticks. It’s pretty physical.”

Despite the physicality and even after two injuries, Dobbins said he wasn’t ready to give up. After all, he has been playing the sport since he was about 4 or 5 years old.

But the path back to the field wasn’t easy. After the second injury, Dobbins was scheduled for surgery to repair his collarbone. The day before the surgery, however, he started having breathing problems and lower back pain.

That’s when doctors discovered blood clots in his lungs. Because of the collarbone injury, blood had begun slowly filling his lungs and becoming clots, which collected in his lower lungs.

“If I had gone in, it’s pretty scary to think about back then, it probably wouldn’t have been good for me,” Dobbins said.

After the surgery, he worked with a physical therapist, learning the basics.

“My rehab was grueling and not fun at all,” he said. “I pretty much had to relearn how to use my arm, how to eat, drink, grabbing cups. It was a process.”

But through it all, he knew he had to get back on the field and rejoin his team.

His coach said Dobbins, as a captain, is “like the heartbeat of our team.”

“He takes this sport very seriously, and he wants to play at the highest level,” said Puls, adding that Dobbins “does a great job of being a leader and helping out the young guys.”

A transfer to CSUSM in 2024, Dobbins previously played at Stevenson University, an NCAA Division III school in Maryland.

Founded in 2010, CSUSM’s lacrosse club competes at Division II level in the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference. Led by Dobbins, who recorded 40 goals and 15 assists, the team went 16-2 this spring, losing in the semifinals of the national playoffs.

It’s this team and family that Dobbins credits for helping him stay positive during his recovery.

“I missed playing with my boys, my best friends,” he said.

Puls, who is also Dobbins’ stepfather, credits the team with helping Dobbins by keeping his spirits up.

“These guys supported him, they were calling and talking to him, guys were coming over to the house checking on him, making sure he was good physically and mentally,” Puls said. “And soon as he was able to move around, he went out with the guys to get some shots and reps in.”

Dobbins, who will be a senior this fall, has a major in wildfire science and the urban interface. He said he wants to win a national championship in lacrosse and then focus on firefighting.

He also said his injuries taught him a valuable lesson.

“Luckily, the body is marvelous," he said. "I learned a lot through the process. The body will never let itself fail.”

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Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The Cougars were led by Shea Morgan, who scored seven goals in the final game of the Division II bracket of the 2025 U.S. Lacrosse Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Associates (WCLA) national championship in Wichita, Kan. 

The event featured top women’s collegiate sport clubs from across the country, including 11 teams in the Division II bracket. CSUSM finished third at nationals last year. 

The national title completed an undefeated season for CSUSM (15-0). 

“At the beginning of this season, we struggled with offensive communication and showing up to game days focused and ready,” women’s coach Jillian Dohrmann said earlier this season. “Late fall, our whole offense met outside of practice and talked about their disconnect, and ever since then we have been excelling and have had great communication and collaboration.”

Five Cougars were named WCLA Division II All-Americans: Morgan (first team), Angela Chantaca (first team), Kali Price (first team), Cierraleone Warfield (first team) and Kamryn Kinsey (second team). Morgan also was named the Attacker of the Year and the WCLA tournament MVP. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

But the best, they hope, is still to come.

The CSUSM men’s team has a record of 11-2 and is ranked eighth nationally among Division II schools in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association. The Cougars have one game left in the regular season, and it’s a big one – Friday, April 18 at home against their top rival, UC San Diego, which is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the MCLA Division II poll.

“We have a lot of transfers that have played at a higher level in the NCAA who have come in and have really helped with the team chemistry,” men’s coach Tim Puls said. “We all have one goal on our team, and that is to win a national championship.”

The CSUSM women have been even better. They are unbeaten at 10-0 and ranked first nationally among D-II schools in the Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association. Their regular season has finished, with the next challenge upcoming in the WCLA regionals, April 12-13 in Santa Cruz.

“At the beginning of this season, we struggled with offensive communication and showing up to game days focused and ready,” women’s coach Jillian Dohrmann said. “Late fall, our whole offense met outside of practice and talked about their disconnect, and ever since then we have been excelling and have had great communication and collaboration.”

The Cougars’ men are led by sophomore midfielder Colin Dobbins, a Carlsbad native who transferred to CSUSM from Stevenson University, a NCAA Division III power. Dobbins paces the team with 52 goals, and none of them were more significant than the six he scored in an upset win over then-No. 1 Air Force last month.

For his efforts, he was named the MCLA Division II Warrior Player of the Week.

“He is the backbone of our offense,” Puls said of Dobbins. “He wants to make his teammates better and makes them work hard day in and day out in practice, and it shows during games. He is our go-to guy, and when we need someone to make a play, we call his number.”

Dobbins has accomplished all of this after recovering from a broken collarbone.

“Having the team’s support really gave me confidence and helped me recover faster and stronger,” Dobbins said.

For the women’s team, the top scorer is Shea Morgan with 44 goals, but the heart of the team is goaltender Cierra Warfield. She has posted one shutout and four other games in which she allowed three or fewer goals.

“The key to my success this season has been staying consistent with my game and practice and having a great community around me to lift me up when I fall,” Warfield said.

After the rivalry game against UCSD at Mangrum Track & Field, the men’s team next will head to Santa Barbara for the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference tournament April 25-27, with a goal of advancing to the MCLA national championships from May 5-10 in Round Rock, Texas.

The women, meanwhile, are gearing up for regionals, where they hope to qualify for the WCLA nationals from May 6-9 in Wichita, Kansas. The Cougars finished third at nationals last year.

“This year we are aiming for first place,” Dohrmann said. “The team is looking forward to playing and traveling. We have worked hard in fundraising throughout the year to afford these trips.”

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Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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The word that perhaps best defined the team was “chill.” The roster size was modest. Practices weren’t all that frequent or intense. Games attracted few spectators beyond family members. The highlight of the season was the spring break trip, but the appeal was more the destination than the competition.

What a stark contrast it was, then, when CSUSM hosted UC San Diego at Mangrum Track and Field last April. A crowd pushing 500 people lined the field as the Cougars faced a local opponent that had become a fierce rival in short order. Among those in attendance were dozens of players from youth clubs around North County who were drawn by the excitement and the prospect of themselves suiting up for CSUSM someday. On the field, the Cougars displayed grit and fortitude in rallying from a halftime deficit to win 15-11 for their 12^th victory in a row (the streak would ultimately stretch to 15).

“That was an incredible game. It’s probably one of my favorite memories of being at CSUSM,” said Austin Contreras, a fifth-year senior who will be playing his final season this spring.

“There’s been a total flip in mentality. Before, it was just, ‘Let’s chill out, have some fun, play lacrosse.’ But we’re here to compete. We want to solidify our name as a program to be afraid of.”

The men’s lacrosse team is practicing four times a week as it gears up for a spring season in which expectations, both internal and external, have never been higher. Coming off a campaign in which they went 16-2 and reached the semifinals of the national tournament for the first time, the Cougars top the preseason poll of Division II of the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference and are among the favorites to claim the title when the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association holds its annual championships in May.

The roster has almost doubled in two years to 33 players, and the talent pipeline is stronger than ever. In September, CSUSM organized its first prospect camp to introduce local high school players to the program. More than 50 kids turned out.

“Since the pandemic, our program has made tremendous strides to change the team culture and camaraderie," said Wyatt Ehrhardt, who was hired as an assistant coach in 2018 and took over the head coaching duties two years ago. “We had to go to tournaments to reach out to players and get contact information, have tours on campus to intrigue players to join the team. But due to recent success, I get probably three to four emails a day from players all over the country who want to play for us.”

In many ways, from competition level to time commitment to on-field performance, the men’s lacrosse team resembles one of CSUSM’s NCAA Division II programs. Instead, it’s among 12 sport clubs at the university. Housed under Campus Recreation rather than the athletics department, the sport clubs program originated 20 years ago and now includes women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s volleyball, baseball, swimming, surfing, powerlifting, dance and e-sports.

The dozen clubs consist of 354 members, more than the number of athletes in CSUSM’s 13 NCAA programs, as well as 28 coaches (14 part-time employees and 14 volunteers). And there is a desire among students for expansion of sport clubs at CSUSM. In the last 18 months, Campus Rec has received inquiries about starting clubs for rugby, field hockey, tennis, wrestling, cross country, track and pickleball.

“Sport clubs are a huge part of the college experience for students all over the country,” said Ryan Groth, assistant director of Campus Rec. “They are competitive, student-run organizations. The members may not be on scholarship or have the five days a week of practice that NCAA student-athletes do, but you could argue that sport clubs can help provide a better balance for students who are trying to maintain grades and a social life, as well as utilizing the clubs as their competitive outlet in a sport they are passionate about and talented in. The time, effort and work these students put into their craft is truly incredible.”

Campus Rec contributes some money to the sport clubs, but the vast majority of their operational funding comes from dues and fundraising. The total amount spent by the 12 clubs this academic year is expected to approach $330,000. Men’s lacrosse makes up almost half of that at $150,000, and dues of $3,000 per player mean that fundraising must cover the shortfall of more than $50,000.

That’s why campaigns like Giving Day and Cougar Crowdfunding are so important to men’s lacrosse, and all the sport clubs. Last year, men’s lacrosse brought in about $11,000 between those two initiatives. (You can give to men’s lacrosse, one of the 11 other clubs or Campus Rec in general at the Giving Day website.)

“Giving Day is huge for us,” Contreras said.

A business management major, Contreras has been the treasurer of the club for four years. He says the team’s budget has more than doubled during that time, in proportion to its ambition. A hefty chunk of the expenses this season is for travel to out-of-state tournaments that will better challenge a team that last year feasted on regional foes by gaudy margins like 26-9 (University of San Diego), 30-4 (Long Beach State), 32-0 (UC Irvine) and 21-1 (Cal State Fullerton).

Contreras stays in constant contact with team manager Charity Jones, who has kept close to the program even after her son’s graduation from CSUSM.

“I have the budget pinned on my computer desktop, and we look at it every single day,” said Contreras, who was collecting money for a Krispy Kreme doughnut fundraiser before a practice this month. 

The focus and drive that Contreras brings to his role as treasurer is mirrored by all the players once they take the field at Mangrum – or “the Mang,” as the team affectionately calls it. There's nothing laid-back about this program anymore.

“We’ve become known as a school for lacrosse,” Contreras said. “It’s a combination of players who have strong drive and coaches who aspire to the highest level of play. We have a single goal in mind, and that’s for this program to be one that wins that national championship.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

CSUSM brings a 12-3 overall record into the WCLA championship, taking second place in the Western Women’s Lacrosse League with an 18-8 win over CSU Long Beach at the April 18 semifinals.

The team, now in its fifth season, is a sport club managed by the Department of Campus Recreation. Although not a part of the CSUSM intercollegiate athletic program, they practice just like any other sport on campus. In fact, in preparation for national championships, the team is doubling their practice time on the field from four times a week to eight.

One major difference between sport clubs and the athletics program is that the student athletes must manage team operations themselves. This includes hiring a professional coach, fundraising and paying out of pocket through dues for travel expenses and gear. In addition, students are directly responsible for all aspects of the team’s budgeting, planning and scheduling.

“I'm so proud of every member on this team taking ownership and pride of the club’s success, and especially all the dedication they have put into practice and games,” said senior Megan Guilfoyle, the club’s president. “The national tournament is going to be the highlight of this season and is a testament to our hard work. We are prepared to train hard for the next two weeks because our goal is to go out there and show our opponents how talented CSUSM Women's Lacrosse is!”

The team has established a Go Fund Me account to help raise funds for their trip to Virginia Beach. For more information, visit: http://www.gofundme.com/csusmlax