Four Torrey Pines Falcons won the Box National Championships, as members of the San Diego Royals. Congratulations to Miles Botkiss (Harvard), Christian Rasmussen (Brown), and brothers Teagan (Brown) and Tayden (UNC) Bultman.

From Inside Lacrosse

Harvard’s Botkiss Revels In National Collegiate Box Series Title: ‘It’s Upped My Game So Much’

In a few weeks, Miles Botkiss will fly out to Boston and get going with Harvard for fallball — the start of a quest to get back to the NCAA Tournament and beyond.

But first it was another championship on the opposite coast, in a sport as familiar but still somewhat new: The National Collegiate Box Series title.

He and the San Diego Royals won back-to-back NCBS titles, earning a 9-3 win early this month against the Connecticut Revolution.

Botkiss had five goals and an assist in the championship game for the Royals. Jake Govett (Delaware) had a goal and an assist, and Griffin Poll (Davenport), Marquez White (Princeton), Matt Ward (Bowdoin) and Christian Rasmussen (Brown) all scored in the championship win. The game can be rewatched and the full stats found here.

Botkiss had zero goals in the semifinals, but assistant coach Casey Jackson (of the San Diego Seals), built his confidence.

“I just had my shots and I started hitting them. And once you hit that first one, you’re kind of hot for the rest of the game,” Botkiss said. “Keep shooting and they’ll keep falling.

For Botkiss, who’s somewhat new to box, it was a summer and an experience that will pay dividends. He’s played a little box, but he said it was essentially field indoors. In the NCBS, the California league has two teams, so they’d play each other regularly but practice a lot. He’s had a ton of reps and teaching from elite players, while doing some coaching of his own as well.

“This summer has been one of my favorite summers to play just because it’s a new game. It’s totally different game and getting to learn new stuff about lacrosse is an awesome experience,” he said. “For most of the summer, it’s three times a week with some of the best indoor lacrosse players in the world. So having that experience and having to pick their brains and learn from guys like [Royals coaches and Seals players] Wes Berg and Cam Holding has been incredible. It’s just upped my game so much.”

Like many field players learning box, the physicality and toughness was a key takeaway for Botkiss. But also the subtlety in angles and body movement are something he expects to bring back to Cambridge.

The NCBS started in 2018 with the Colorado Collegiate Box Lacrosse League. It’s expanded to six leagues across the country, with the league champs then traveling to the championship at the USBOXLA Nationals. It’s the future of American box with players competing for a title and improving — and getting an eye toward playing in the National Lacrosse League.

It’s been a special year for the California native. During COVID, he found out he had a torn shoulder labrum. In his first year at Harvard in 2022, he got back to playing full time and re-ignited his love for the sport. He had 23 goals his first year and was a member of the All-Ivy Honorable Mention Team. He kept it going through a summer of box.

“After months of not playing lacrosse, you really started to miss it and you start kind of craving it. You just have another appreciation for it, and I think that is something that I found my freshman year. It kickstarted my passion for lacrosse,” Botkiss said.

Now he has a a few new tools in the toolbox when he gets back to campus. And lofty goals, too.

“The Crimson are hungry,” he said. “Let’s kind of leave it at that.”