April 2017 ~ The Growth Blog - Chronicling the Growth of the Sport of Lacrosse

University at Plattsburgh (NY D3) Adds Women's Lacrosse

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced the addition of women's lacrosse as its 18th varsity sport on Tuesday afternoon. The Cardinals will begin NCAA Division III competition in 2018-19 and will compete in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). Plattsburgh State's addition of women's lacrosse means that all 10 SUNYAC schools will now sponsor the sport.

The rest of the SUNYAC includes The College at Brockport, Buffalo State, SUNY Cortland, Fredonia, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Oneonta, Oswego State and SUNY Potsdam.

"I am beyond thrilled to make this announcement today," said Plattsburgh State director of athletics Mike Howard. "The addition of women´s lacrosse has been a point of discussion for many years here at Plattsburgh and was certainly high on my list of priorities when I accepted this position as the director of athletics in June. This program complements all of our existing programs extremely well and positions us well as we look to expand our recruiting footprint throughout the entire Northeast. The sport of lacrosse is quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing sports on the high school level, and I am hopeful that this program, similar to all of our other Cardinal teams, will play a key leadership role in the continued growth of the game at the youth and high school level in our region. It also provides a tremendous opportunity for young women who are looking seriously at SUNY Plattsburgh and are passionate about continuing to play the sport they love. It's a win-win situation for all of us."

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Quick Hits:

-NCAA Championship Sites Announced

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Posted in: Colorado,Division I,Division III,Florida,High School,Minnesota,NCAA,New York,North Carolina,Ohio,Oklahoma,Postseason,Youth

University of Wisconsin - River Falls (D3) Adds Women's Lacrosse

Monday, April 17, 2017

RIVER FALLS, Wis. (uwrfsports.com) - The University of Wisconsin-River Falls announces it will be adding women's lacrosse as its 17th varsity sport, with the first team set to compete in the 2018-19 academic year.

UWRF will become the first public institution in the area to sponsor women's lacrosse as a varsity sport in any of the NCAA's three divisions. Currently there are 282 Division III institutions that sponsor women's lacrosse, including approximately 30 in the Upper Midwest.

"We have been exploring the possibility of adding women's lacrosse for a number of years," said Crystal Lanning, interim athletic director. "Given the growth of girls and women's lacrosse in the area and our recent facility renovations, the timing was right to make the move and we will be well positioned to produce a highly competitive team."

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Posted in: Division III,Wisconsin

Illinois Tech (D3) Adds Men's Lacrosse

Friday, April 14, 2017

CHICAGO, Ill. – Illinois Tech Athletics is excited to announce the addition of a new varsity athletic program. Men’s lacrosse will join the Scarlet Hawk athletic lineup beginning in the 2018-19 school year.

"Men's lacrosse will be a great addition to our athletic department profile at Illinois Tech,” said Joe Hakes, Director of Athletics. “The combination of a world class STEM school and a growing, exiting sport will be a draw for the student-athlete who is looking for the best of both worlds.” Illinois Tech expects to hire a Head Coach for the new program prior to the start of the 2017-18 school year.

The Scarlet Hawks will join a large group of NCAA Division III institution with men’s lacrosse sponsorships. As of this spring, 237 men’s lacrosse programs competed at the Division III level. “Our Stuart Field facility is a great place to play, and we look for the men's lacrosse program to grow quickly in both size and talent,” Hakes said. “We are beginning a national search to identify the right person to start this program and to recruit top quality students and top quality athletes into it."

Full Article

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Posted in: Canada,Connecticut,Cut Sports,Division I,Division III,Equipment,Florida,Illinois,Maine,Massachusetts,MCLA,Minnesota,New York,NLL,Pennsylvania,Shot Clock,Virginia

Barton College (D2 NC) Adds Men's Lacrosse

Wednesday, April 05, 2017

WILSON, N.C. – Barton College will add men’s lacrosse as an intercollegiate sport beginning with the 2018-19 season, school officials announced Wednesday. The addition will increase the number of sports offered by Barton to 22 and the number of student-athletes on campus to nearly 350.

“Barton College is looking forward to the addition of men’s lacrosse,” said Todd Wilkinson, Barton’s director of athletics. “Men’s lacrosse will support the institution’s enrollment initiatives and Barton’s desire to grow in the coming years.”

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