The Olney Outlaws and a grassroots effort to become the ‘pulse of campus’ at La Salle

At the end of the 2023-24 school year, La Salle’s Paige Mitchell had an idea.

Mitchell, a center forward for the Explorers’ water polo team, noticed that athletes on the school’s various teams enjoyed supporting one another. She also noticed that support from the student body wasn’t a given. Mitchell remembered going to football games in high school at North Penn in Lansdale and wished a similar environment existed at 20th and Olney.

“I just remember seeing my high school football student section literally packed, and everybody was there,” said Mitchell, a junior. “Even if you didn’t like football, you were still there, being together.”

Mitchell spent two years as a student assistant in La Salle’s athletic department, working mostly on in-game marketing promotions for basketball. She had some experience trying to engage students at events, and that background gave her the confidence to approach the athletic department about establishing a student-led section.

Killian Kueny, director of administration and marketing for La Salle athletics, recognized an opportunity. Student attendance at sporting events on campus — especially basketball — had fluctuated as university enrollment dropped in the aftermath of COVID-19. With the basketball arena undergoing multimillion-dollar renovations to transform it from Tom Gola Arena to John Glaser Arena, it was the perfect time to get students engaged again.

“We spent the spring and the summer working on the back end to get a foundation set, get it formally recognized by the university,” Kueny said. “We’re here in the fall looking to execute.”

The process included creating an interest group, fielding an executive board, drafting a club constitution, receiving approval from campus life and the athletic department, and, finally, deciding on the organization’s name. After a vote, the Olney Outlaws were born. The official student section of La Salle debuted on Aug. 26 at the men’s soccer home opener.

The group is working to get students, particularly nonathletes, engaged with teams on campus through themed games and attendance challenges. Recent themes included a “flannel out” for men’s soccer, “pink out” for field hockey, and a “jersey out” for a women’s soccer game. Meanwhile, challenges awarded points for attendance, with top scores receiving a prize at the end of the season.

Mitchell, the Outlaws' first president, knows she isn’t the first to create a student section. Temple, Villanova, Penn, and St. Joseph’s have such groups. And so did La Salle before it faded as the pandemic hit.

“I know we have had a student section in the past,” Mitchell said. “The thought was [to] start an organization where it’s student-run, so that it’s the students picking what they want.”

With an undergraduate enrollment of 1,705, La Salle is the smallest Big 5 program. And 68% of its students live off-campus, according to U.S. News and World Report. The Outlaws have had to contend with that challenge and find ways to build a consistent game day environment.

“One of the barriers we need to break is that we are a small school,” Mitchell said. “It’s hard to get everyone involved because everyone has their own different thing. I think we just want to have that community from all aspects.”

Yet Kueny and Mitchell also see La Salle’s size as a potential advantage. With athletes in the same facilities and on similar schedules, Explorers often form bonds across sports.

“Every team knows everybody.” Mitchell said. “You see each other every day. You’re walking around campus, and you see people you know, and I think that drives the community and the friendship. …

“Last year, [the water polo team] had so many people at one of our games just because other people around campus, athletes, all of them came to watch, even though it’s not a sport you would necessarily know.”

Kueny knows the value of an engaged crowd. She pitched and played outfield for Division III Dickinson College’s softball team from 2016 to 2019.

“Our field was not on campus,” Kueny said. “We had really good turnout when we were nearing the end of our season and [in] postseason play. Having those fans there was something special. It motivates everyone to perform their best.”

The Outlaws’ debut at the new John Glaser Arena went well. Rows D through M in Sections 113 and 114 were reserved for students on a first-come, first-served basis for La Salle’s 65-52 victory over American in men’s basketball.

The Outlaws went with a construction motif for the game. Seats in the Outlaws’ section had yellow caution signs taped to them. Half read “The Olney Outlaws,” while the other read “Go Explorers!” Students were provided hard hats and high-visibility vests as they entered the arena.

The sections weren’t full, but students were visible in their construction costumes. Students were their loudest as graduate guard/forward Jahlil White scrambled toward the Outlaws and connected on a three to beat the first-half buzzer.

» READ MORE: After exploring the NCAA transfer portal, La Salle guard Daeshon Shepherd is back. Dunking.

White, who spent the first three seasons of his career at Temple, appreciated the relatively snug confines of Glaser Arena.

“Compared to playing at Liacouras, this is a lot smaller,” White said after the American game. “It’s definitely a more energetic type of feeling in the gym. It’s something that I like, something that you thrive off of.”

Getting the students involved may benefit the Explorers. Through the first two games at Glaser, opposing teams are shooting 43.5% on free-throw attempts. The 23 shots are a small sample size, but the mark is the fourth-lowest percentage in Division I men’s basketball.

La Salle’s leadership has gradually adopted the view that its athletic programs are crucial for the institution’s sustainability. At the unveiling of Tom Gola Plaza, La Salle president Daniel Allen referred to athletics as the “front porch” of the university.

Athletic director Ash Puri said the department has made many investments in improving the student experience, including hiring a recent graduate as student marketing coordinator to speak directly to students.

“We want to create a really fun, engaging environment for kids so that they choose to come here, when they’re here they have a great time, and then they graduate with fond memories and then ultimately want to give back,” Puri said at the Plaza unveiling in September. “That’s the goal. We’re investing in the student experience, our retention efforts across the board. [The renovated arena] can help with all of that.”

The Outlaws have faith that investments in athletics from the university and students will keep that recent groundswell on the right trajectory.

“We can create a game day experience that everybody wants to be involved in, and at that point, it will sell itself,” Kueny said. “I would love to see the younger classes of La Salle come in and join and step into leadership positions within the organization and kind of create their own take while solidifying La Salle traditions. Eventually, we hope it becomes the pulse of campus.”