Virginia State University (D2) Adds Lacrosse

ETTRICK, VA (April 5, 2022) - Virginia State University (VSU) Athletics continues to add to the institutions Greater Happens Here mantra with the addition of three (3) sports programs. The Trojans will add women's soccer, men and women's lacrosse to their list of sponsored sports effective immediately. Men's Soccer will be added in Spring 2023. VSU Athletics currently offers 17 athletic teams; eight for women, eight for men, and co-ed cheerleading. 

The Trojans anticipate beginning the inaugural Women's Soccer program along with Men and Women's Lacrosse programs in the Fall 2022, with competition against outside opponents beginning as early as Spring 2023. Virginia State University's Associate Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Peggy Davis, is actively moving through the search process for full-time head coaches to lead the new sports programs, with anticipated start dates in April and May. 

 The new NCAA regulation soccer field, which can also be used for lacrosse, is currently under construction and is slated to be complete by May 2022. The field will be located on the campus of Virginia State University adjacent to the VSU Multipurpose Center.

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Posted in: Division II,HBCU,Virginia

Quincy University (D2 IL) Adds Men's and Women's Lacrosse

QUINCY, Ill. – Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Marty Bell has announced the addition of two varsity sports to the Quincy University Athletic Department. Men's and women's lacrosse will begin varsity competition during the 2019-2020 school year. Lacrosse will be Quincy University's 18th and 19th varsity sports that participate in NCAA competition.

 The NCAA currently has 67 men's lacrosse teams and 107 women's lacrosse teams that currently compete in the NCAA Division II competition. The men's lacrosse team will participate in the Great Lakes Valley Conference which currently has six teams competing in the conference. The women's lacrosse team will also compete in the GLVC which will begin its women's lacrosse portion of the conference in the near future.

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Note: Quincy first announced in 2014 they would play in 2018 but now have pushed to 2020

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Monday Lax Links

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College of Idaho (NAIA) Adds Men's Lacrosse

CALDWELL, Idaho – College of Idaho athletic director Reagan Rossi has announced that men's lacrosse has been moved from a club sport to varsity status for the 2018 season.

 Lacrosse will become the tenth men's varsity sport – joining baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, skiing, soccer, swimming and track & field. It marks the first varsity men's lacrosse team in the State of Idaho – and joins the University of Providence (Mont.), Marymount (Calif.) and Westminster College (Utah) as the only small college varsity programs west of the Rockies. Student-athletes will have the ability to earn athletic-based aid, while budgets for the program have shifted from student fees to the athletic department.

"We are excited to have lacrosse move to a varsity sport," Rossi said. I feel this is the best transition for student-athletes and our department. The leadership that Matt Gier has provided will make this a natural transition and will continue to enhance the student athlete experience on our campus."

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2016 High School Sponsorship Data Released

From Laxpower.com

Lacrosse at the high school level has grown dramatically since 2001 and continues to expand at a more rapid rate than most other sports. Girls' lacrosse again cracked the top 10 in number of participants, with about 88,000 players at schools covered by the NFHS survey.

Data on school sponsorship and student participation are compiled annually by the National Federation of State High School Associations, and we have created a summary of the NFHS data, which includes both data tables and graphs that present the figures longitudinally.

From 2001 through 2016, the number of high schools sponsoring boys' and girls' lacrosse increased by 193% and 229%, respectively. Over that period, the number of students participating in lacrosse rose by 162% for boys and 172% for girls. For more detailed information, see the full report

Note that the NFHS universe is limited. There are over 1,200 boys' and about 700 girls' lacrosse teams and their participants not included in the totals. In many states, the NFHS umbrella does not include all schools. High schools in states where lacrosse is not officially sanctioned are simply not reflected in NFHS figures.

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Friday Lax Links

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Wednesday Lax Links

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Friday Lax Links

-'Highest Poverty' Illinois School Looking to Introduce Lacrosse into Curriculum 

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Posted in: Conferences,Division I,Donors Choose,Georgia,HBCU,High School,Illinois,Jamaica,Massachusetts,MLL,Pennsylvania,TV,TV Coverage,Urban Growth,Video Games,Virginia,Youth

Texas Wesleyan University (NAIA) Adds Women's Lacrosse

Texas Wesleyan currently competes in baseball, cross country, basketball, soccer, golf, track and field, tennis, softball, volleyball, table tennis, and competitive cheer and dance. Plans are also underway to develop a new women's lacrosse program. Texas Wesleyan student-athletes regularly win scholar-athlete awards and adhere to the same academic standards as other University students. 

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Keiser University (NAIA FL) Adds Lacrosse

Keiser University will add men's and women's lacrosse, and men's and women's swimming to its slate of varsity athletic programs, with intercollegiate action beginning during the 2016-17 academic year. Adding these sports will bring the total number of varsity teams on campus to 20. The Seahawks will compete in the NAIA with the traditional season of lacrosse in the spring, and swimming in the winter.

Currently in lacrosse, there are 27 schools that sponsor men's lacrosse and 30 schools that sponsor women's lacrosse. In swimming there are 26 schools that sponsor men's programs and 29 that sponsor women's programs. NAIA Lacrosse is currently in Invitational Stage which means that 25 or more institutions have declared intent to participate in postseason competition and the National Administrative Council has approved the sport's request. Once the sport has over 40 or more institutions, lacrosse can apply to become a Championship Sport. The first Invitational for men's and women's will be held in May 2016 in Greenville, SC.

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Chowan University (DII NC) Adds Men's Lacrosse

MURFREESBORO- Chowan University continues to provide competitive athletic opportunities with the official addition of men's lacrosse for the 2016-17 academic year. The search for Chowan's first men's lacrosse coach concluded with the hiring of Jim Griffin, who eagerly accepted the challenge of implementing the Hawks' first recruiting class.

"I am very excited to begin men's lacrosse here at Chowan University. The academic programs,

facilities, and moral culture make this a homerun for men's lacrosse. The University sits in great proximity to lacrosse hotbeds in every direction….and will offer an ideal environment for student-athletes at the NCAA Division II level," Griffin stated. Vice President/Director of Athletics, Ozzie McFarland added, "I believe we have found the perfect person to start our men's lacrosse program…one who has already started two programs. Jim has strong ties to North Carolina…He will be an excellent addition to our staff and should help us meet our goal of being one of the best lacrosse programs in the region". "I look forward to contacting lacrosse players around the United States to tell them about this great institution and inviting them to part of something special here at Chowan," Griffin added.

With the addition of men's lacrosse, Chowan's athletic department supports 18 athletic teams with eight men's programs and ten women's programs as well as a co-ed cheerleading team.

Full Article

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Wednesday Lax Links

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Hampton University (DI VA) and Monmouth College (DII IL) Add Lacrosse

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University Department of Athletics has announced the addition of two new sports for the coming 2015-16 academic year: men's lacrosse and women's soccer, both of which have been intramural programs at the school. Both programs will compete as independents and play modified schedules.

Lloyd Carter will serve as head coach of the men's lacrosse program after co-founding and coaching the university's club lacrosse team – a capacity in which Carter has served since 2010. A native of Baltimore, Md., Carter lettered in the sport in both high school and college – playing for Morgan State until the program was discontinued in 1981.

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Monmouth College is pleased to announce the addition of lacrosse to the men's and women's varsity sports programs, college officials announced today. One of the fastest growing sports at the NCAA level, lacrosse was first developed centuries ago by Native Americans, making it the oldest sport in North America. Lacrosse is a fast-paced, high energy sport that is both exciting to participate in and to watch. Adding a sport is nothing new at Monmouth where the men's and women's club water polo teams were elevated to varsity status in 2013.

"As the addition of water polo did, the addition of lacrosse gives us the opportunity to draw from new geographic areas and provides our student body with an opportunity to become involved in a new sport, whether it's playing or as a fan," said MC Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Jacquelyn Condon. "We're very excited to have the opportunity to add lacrosse. We've found that students who are engaged in activities outside the classroom stay in college at a much higher rate than students who are not involved in co-curricular activities."

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Posted in: Division I,Division II,HBCU,Illinois,Virginia

Westminster College (DIII PA) Adds Lacrosse

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Westminster College has announced the addition of men's lacrosse as a varsity sport for the 2015-16 academic year. The addition of men's lacrosse increases the number of Westminster's varsity sports to 21. Men's lacrosse will be a spring sport.

 "The addition of lacrosse to our portfolio of athletic offerings reflects the growth of the sport nationally and increasing interest in it by both current and prospective students," Westminster President Richard Dorman said. "As the Presidents Athletic Conference (PAC) continues to see new varsity lacrosse programs established at member colleges, Westminster is pleased to be the next entry into this fast and exciting sport."

 Westminster is anticipating adding women's lacrosse as a varsity sport in the near future. At this time, women's lacrosse remains a club sport.

Full Article

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Young Harris College (D2 GA) To Add Men's and Women's Lacrosse

YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – Young Harris College President Cathy Cox recently announced the addition of men’s and women’s lacrosse as well as competitive cheerleading as intercollegiate sports beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year, following approval granted by the Young Harris College Board of Trustees at their semi-annual meeting in November in Atlanta.

“As we continue our four-year transformation at Young Harris College, we are pleased to expand our athletics offerings to include men's and women's lacrosse and competitive cheerleading,” said Young Harris College President Cathy Cox. “We are excited to now begin recruiting students who will kick off these programs with us next year.”

Full Article

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Mount Olive (D3 NC) and Delaware St Add Lacrosse

Mount Olive College will add men’s lacrosse in 2012-13 and Mike Lawson has been named as head coach, it was announced Tuesday by Director of Athletics Jeff Eisen. Lawson begins his duties immediately and has started recruiting for next year’s team.

Men’s lacrosse becomes the 19th varsity sport at Mount Olive and the seventh sport to be added in the last 10 years. Mount Olive becomes the seventh Conference Carolinas school to sponsor men’s lacrosse, joining Belmont Abbey, Coker, Lees-McRae, Limestone, Pfeiffer and Queens.

“We are very excited to be adding men’s lacrosse to our athletics program,” said Eisen. “Lacrosse is a growing sport in North Carolina and Conference Carolinas, and this is a great opportunity for Mount Olive to be a part of that growth. We are looking forward to developing a competitive program and Mike Lawson, with his background and experience, is the perfect person to accomplish that.”

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Delaware State University Director of Athletics Derek Carter has announced the appointment of head coaches for the university's two new sports

Jillian Lontz has been selected as head coach of the Hornets' women's lacrosse team, which is scheduled to begin competition in the spring of 2013.

Lontz, a former standout at crosstown Wesley College, most recently served as an assistant women's lacrosse coach at her alma mater. During the 2011 season, Wesley set a team scoring record and placed six players on the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) All-Academic Team.

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