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

Lewis & Clark College (D3 OR) Add Women's Lacrosse

PALATINE HILL -- Women's lacrosse and men's soccer teams will soon take the field at Lewis & Clark as the college's 20th and 21st intercollegiate sports. In a notice to the campus community earlier today, Lewis & Clark President Wim Wiewel said he has approved establishment of a women's lacrosse team at the college. Lacrosse is one of the fastest-growing collegiate sports.  Wiewel also told faculty and staff that he is reinstating men's soccer, which was eliminated in 1990. The college already fields a women's soccer team. 

"Adding lacrosse and soccer is an investment in Lewis & Clark's future," Wiewel said. "Not only will it attract new students who otherwise might not have come here for college, but we know Lewis & Clark's student-athletes have always been among our most outstanding students."

"This is an exciting time for Lewis & Clark athletics," Director of Physical Education & Athletics Mark Pietrok said. "Our coaches have proven to be recruiters of high-achieving student-athletes. I look forward to welcoming more quality students to our campus to help them reach their potential both in the classroom and the fields while contributing to the vitality of our department and community".

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Posted in: Division III,Oregon

William Jewell College (D2 MO) Adds Lacrosse

LIBERTY, Mo. – William Jewell College Director of Athletics Tom Eisenhauer announced Monday (January 10), the addition of men's and women's lacrosse programs, beginning in the fall of 2023. The programs will become the 25thand 26th varsity sports on campus and will compete at the NCAA Division II level and within the Great Lakes Valley Conference. 

"Lacrosse is an exciting game and we're thrilled to be adding it here at Jewell," said Eisenhauer. "The game has experienced explosive growth in our area and I'm confident these programs will attract talented students to our campus." Jewell has already begun preparations for the new programs as last month the College included a lacrosse field among the additions of new synthetic turf at the baseball, softball and soccer facilities.

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Posted in: Division II,Missouri

University of Rhode Island (D1) and Milwaukee School of Engineering (D3) Add Women's Lacrosse

KINGSTON, R.I. — December 2, 2021 — With the 50th anniversary of Title IX approaching, the Rhode Island Athletics Department has announced it will add women’s lacrosse as a varsity program. 

 Expected to begin competition in the Atlantic 10 during the 2024-25 season, women’s lacrosse will become the 19th varsity team and 11th women’s team at Rhode Island. It is the first varsity program to be added since women’s rowing in 1996, the year that sport became NCAA-affiliated.

The decision to add women’s lacrosse came after an internal feasibility study showed favorable economic impact along with Title IX Compliance stability for the University.

“The opportunity to provide more opportunities for our student-athletes is exciting and significant for the overall growth of the University,” Rhode Island Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn said. “The Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was a vital piece of law that has had a profound impact on our society. We are proud to honor the 50th anniversary of Title IX by growing women’s athletics at Rhode Island.”

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MILWAUKEE – Thanks to a generous gift from Dr. Kathleen Ruehlow '72, MSOE Regent, MSOE is able to begin phase one of a multi-year plan to expand co-curricular offerings that include an expansion of arts programming and women's sports. In phase one, new offices for coaches and new women's locker rooms are being built in the Kern Center and Viets Field. This allows the Raiders athletics program to add five new women's teams to its roster: lacrosse, hockey, swim, golf, bowling, and to expand women's track and field offerings.

"We are very excited to be adding opportunities for female student athletes at MSOE. In addition to supporting the enrollment initiative, we are helping to grow the sports of women's lacrosse and women's hockey," said MSOE athletic director Brian Miller. "The University has also had a plethora of inquiries about a swim team. With many of our fellow engineering schools supporting swim very successfully, it was an easy decision to add to our offerings. The same goes for women's bowling as the sport is one of the quickest growing disciplines in D-III."

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Posted in: Division I,Division III,Rhode Island,Wisconsin

University of South Florida (D1) Adds Women's Lacrosse

TAMPA – University of South Florida Athletics will add women's lacrosse to its list of highly-successful women's sports programs Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly announced today, bringing the total number of Bulls' women's athletics teams to 11 and USF's total varsity sports program count to 20. The addition of women's lacrosse will mark the first new women's program added at USF since women's soccer in 1995. Women's lacrosse is the first addition in a planned expansion of USF's female varsity athletics sports offerings. Women's varsity athletics began at USF in 1972 with the start of the women's basketball program.

USF women's athletics programs have won 59 conference championship trophies. USF's conference titles in women's athletics have come from eight different sports, including tennis (13), volleyball (12), softball (8), soccer (7), golf (6), track and field (6), cross country (5) and basketball (2). 

"The addition of women's lacrosse as a new sport at the University of South Florida is an example of how we are committed to excellence and inclusiveness in all aspects of the university – including our athletic programs," University of South Florida Interim President Rhea Law said. "This will provide more opportunities for women student-athletes to be part of the university community and thrive."

Posted in: Division I,Florida