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Women's Division I Post Season Could Expand to 24 As Early As 2013

The NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse tournament bracket could expand from 16 to 24 teams possibly as early as 2013, a move that would eliminate most play-in games.
D’Ann Keller, associate director of championships and alliances for the NCAA, said the expansion has been approved by the Division I championship and sports management cabinet. However, it still has several stages to pass through, including the budget committee, before it becomes certain.

With 91 teams this spring and several more expected in the next few years, there could soon be 13 or 14 conferences with automatic qualifiers up from the current 11. An NCAA bylaw stipulates 50 percent of the bracket must be filled with at-large bids, Keller said, so more AQs would necessitate an additional play-in game, bringing the total to four, unless the bracket is expanded to 24.

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Boston University to Add Men's Lacrosse

Boston University today announced plans for a new state-of-the-art athletic field for field hockey and the entire BU community, made possible in part by a $3 million gift from Boston-based New Balance. The 110,000 square-foot field will be named New Balance Field and will provide BU’s nationally ranked field hockey team with a new on-campus facility. The team has played its ‘home’ games off-campus since the
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01 season.

Along with the development of New Balance Field, which enhances student life by virtually doubling the amount of field space on campus, BU announced the addition of women’s lightweight rowing beginning with the 2012-13 season and that men’s lacrosse wi
ll elevate from a club sport to varsity status beginning with the 2013-14 season. Men’s lacrosse will play home games on Nickerson Field, while women’s lightweight rowing will call the DeWolfe Boathouse home.

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University Press Release

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Will Other FBS Schools Follow the Michigan Model?

On Sunday, Michigan’s varsity men’s lacrosse team will kick off its inaugural Division I season against Detroit Mercy, a relative newcomer to Division I itself.

Most notable about this Wolverine team, aside from the maize-and-blue winged helmets they players will be wearing, is that the roster will be filled with former club lacrosse players. That’s because Michigan didn’t start a brand-new men’s program, but transitioned its supremely talented club squad to varsity.

This isn’t unusual in college sports — most recently, Penn State moved its men’s and women’s club ice hockey programs to Division I, thanks to a single $88 million check. Lacrosse, however, has traditionally seen new Division I men’s programs build from the ground up, as at Marquette and High Point, which start play in 2013.
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Furman University Adds Men's and Women's Lacrosse

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman University director of athletics Dr. Gary Clark announced Thursday the school will introduce women's and men's lacrosse as varsity sports beginning with the 2014-15 school year.

"Furman University is excited to field women's and men's lacrosse teams and join the fastest growing sport in the NCAA," said Clark in making the announcement at the Younts Center on campus. "Our goal is to hire women's and men's coaches in the next couple of months to begin the recruiting process necessary to field teams by the 2015 spring season."

The new sports programs are being funded by a gift from an anonymous alumnus who pledged $5 million to the university in October 2011, the single largest outright commitment by an individual in Furman's history. A portion of the gift is also being used to support the renovation and expansion of the University Center.

"From our students to our alumni and the greater lacrosse community, there is tremendous momentum around the addition of these two teams to our Division I athletics program," said Furman president Rod Smolla. "We intend to be competitive at the national level, and reward our fans with an exciting brand of the fastest game on two feet."

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University of Colorado Adds Women's Lacrosse

BOULDER – For the first time in 16 years, the University of Colorado is adding a new sport – and from all indications, the fit will be as natural for Boulder as the Flatirons.

Women’s lacrosse is joining CU’s athletic lineup, with competition scheduled to begin in the spring of 2014. The addition of women’s lacrosse will push CU’s number of sports to 17, a figure that includes women’s competition in basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, golf, skiing, cross country and track and field.


Before briefing the school’s Board of Regents on Wednesday night, Athletic Director Mike Bohn said the presence of a “strong (lacrosse) club team on campus reflects a strong interest from students, but more importantly it’s the fastest growing sport within the state of Colorado amongst girls.”