Some athletic programs simply operate under the radar in terms of their accomplishments.

The Butler County Community College women's volleyball organization is one such program.

The Pioneers coach, Rob Snyder, earned his 400th career victory with the team this season. BC3 won its sixth consecutive Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference championship this year.

The team was still undefeated when it claimed the Region XX title as well.

BC3's season came to an end Thursday night in Rochester, Minn., when it lost in the second round of the NJCAA Division III National Tournament. The Pioneers had placed fifth at nationals in 2002, sixth in 2009.

This year's team was 17-2.

And Snyder repeats this success year after year with Butler County athletes.

Logan Barnhart, a setter, and middle hitter Aslyn Pry are from Moniteau. Defenders Kylee Bender and Riley Danner, setter Morgan Jack, opposite hitter Morgan Frishkorn and outside hitter Madison Raypush are from Knoch.

Lainey Tobolewski, the Pioneers' libero, is from Seneca Valley.

That's eight of the 12 players on the roster.

Snyder builds off the tradition his program has generated by prepping his team to add to it each year. A group of Pioneers alumni come in and scrimmage the current team before each season.

Because a junior college program only has players for two years, the roster turnover from season to season is almost constant. Yet this team keeps winning.

Kudos to Snyder, his staff and players for another tremendous season. No doubt, that program will be loading up again next season.

New sport no more

A number of years ago — but not too long ago — lacrosse reached some Butler County high schools as a new sport.

It started out as a bit of a novelty, a different game kids could opt into in the spring.

Now it's entrenched.

Mars has one of the best high school lacrosse programs in the state. Other schools around here have offered the sport long enough that it has become another viable way to supplement college education.

Butler had two lacrosse athletes — Evelynn Vissari to Limestone College in South Carolina, Jared Chantz to Monmouth University in New Jersey — recently sign scholarship offers in lacrosse.

Mars had six such athletes sign — Austin Cote to Loyola (Md.), Quinn Fuller to Jacksonville, Wes Scurci to Lindenwood, Josh Seipp to Bellarmine, Kellen Fletcher to Akron and Lydia Toparli to Duquesne.

When I first came to Butler 25 years ago, lacrosse was nowhere to be found here.

It's great seeing so many kids being able to set up their college years through finding the sport.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle