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American Athletic Conference to Sponsor Women's Lacrosse, Big East Responds with Realignment

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco has announced the addition of women’s lacrosse as the Conference’s 22nd sport beginning in 2019. The six-team league will be comprised of current conference members University of Cincinnati, University of
Connecticut, East Carolina University and Temple University, as well as the University of Florida and Vanderbilt University as affiliate members.

The American becomes the 16th Division I conference to sponsor women’s lacrosse. Cincinnati, UConn, Temple, Florida and Vanderbilt are current members of the Big East Conference in women’s lacrosse, while ECU begins its first season of intercollegiate competition in 2018 after the addition of women’s lacrosse to its sports roster in March 2016. Women’s lacrosse is the first sport addition to the conference since its reinvention in 2013. The American will now sponsor 10 men’s and 12 women’s sports. The conference will conduct its first women’s lacrosse championship in 2019 with the site and dates still to be determined. The American will receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship.

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In a move that was on the horizon for over a year, the Big East announced on Wednesday that women’s lacrosse would go from ten teams to six teams beginning with the 2019 season. After one fina

l season at its current 10 team configuration in the spring of 2018, the Big East will have a six team league the following season. Core Big East members Butler, Georgetown, Marquette, and Villanova will be joined by current affiliate member Denver and incoming affiliate member Old Dominion. Cincinnati, Connecticut, Florida, Temple, and Vanderbilt will depart the Big East to form a new league under the banner of the American Athletic Conference, along with core AAC member East Carolina, who will play their first season of Division 1 women’s lacrosse as an independent in 2018.

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