Who’s Next? Schools That Should Add D-I Lax
Responses came
aplenty to LM’s “Sideline Chatter”
question, which asked readers what major college they
thought should add lacrosse as a varsity sport.
Sponsorship of the sport at its premier level has never been as
strong. For many in the lacrosse world, “60” is no
longer just the length in seconds of some penalties, but rather a
milestone — in the 2010 season, 60 teams will compete
in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse.
It’s never been as tenuous, either. With increasing roster
sizes, equipment, recruiting and travel expenses, and as many as
12.6 scholarships to fund, Division I men’s lacrosse can come
at a considerable expense — making it a target for
elimination when schools need to trim athletic budgets (witness
Butler in 2007). In the midst of the current economic downtown,
many colleges instituted cost-cutting measures, which included the
elimination of some varsity sports.
Men’s lacrosse has thus far made it through unscathed.
Women’s lacrosse presents an attractive option, particularly
at colleges in need of stricter compliance with Title IX.
With that in mind, LM took a trip around the country and stopped
at those D-I colleges that could realistically add the sport in the
not-so-distant future.
Boston University
Location: Boston, Mass.
|
Men’s lax, women’s lax or both:
Men’s
Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
We don’t want just any yokels adding lacrosse — we
want someone who will do it right and be competitive. In the 2009
Director’s Cup rankings, BU placed 68th out of 271 for the
winningest all-around athletic department, the highest ranking for
a school without a football program. The Terriers want to be
competitive in every sport, and lacrosse would make a great
addition. BU plays in the America East, and could compete for an
AQ. BU has a thriving men’s club program and is in Boston, a
hotbed area. It would be an attractive school for recruits
academically and socially, and there are plenty of programs in New
England to flesh out the Terriers’ nonconference
schedule.
Why it’s not there already:
Title IX could be an issue — that is why the school
unceremoniously pulled the plug on football mid-season in 1997.
Also, since BU is so competitive in many sports across the board,
there’s not really a struggling men’s program you could
cut in favor of lacrosse. Nickerson Field has hosted NCAA
championships, Major League Lacrosse and even President George H.W.
Bush, but it’s not much to look at.
—Clare Lochary
University of Colorado
|
Location: Boulder, Colo.
Men’s lax, women’s lax or both:
Men’s
Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
With a total of 14 varsity programs, including just six for men,
this 30,000-student campus would appear to have the room to add
another men’s varsity sport. Men’s lacrosse has been a
very successful CU club program, with top five rankings in four of
the past six years. Additionally, the program already has a
national presence, with 12 different states represented on its
45-player roster and a 2009 schedule that included road games at
Michigan, Michigan State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida State and
BYU, among others. The campus is situated in an ideal spot, just
one hour from downtown Denver, to capitalize on the rapid growth of
the game in Colorado, and the team would have immediate natural
rivalries with in-state foes University of Denver and the Air Force
Academy.
Why it’s not there already:
The most obvious answer, as it is for nearly all D-1 schools
offering scholarships and funding, is gender equity. Can the school
justify the addition of more men’s scholarships and the
needed financial commitment (travel, coaching salaries, facilities,
support staff) that comes with a varsity program? The athletics
department has had financial troubles in the past that forced it to
drop programs (baseball, wrestling, swimming), so it may be gun-shy
about adding new programs. And even if CU were in a financial
position to add new teams, lacrosse would have to win out over
other popular and less expensive options that include ice hockey,
men’s soccer, volleyball and golf.
—Paul Ohanian
University of Connecticut
Location: Storrs, Conn.
|
Men’s lax, women’s lax or both:
Men’s
Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
It did once. UConn fielded a varsity men’s lacrosse team
from 1966 to 1982, and with the advent of the Big East in 2010, the
time is ripe for a return. Connecticut boasts over 13,000 youth and
high school players, sixth-most among states whose flagship
institutions sponsor NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse. UConn
has the facilities in place — including Joseph J. Morrone
Stadium, an 8,574-seat, natural-grass facility in which the
Huskies’ D-I women’s team competes, and the Mark R.
Shenkman Training Center, an indoor facility with a 120-yard
FieldTurf playing surface and 45-foot high catwalk wired for video.
There’s also a groundswell of support for the cause.
Lax4ct.com, a Web site lobbying UConn to reinstate men’s
lacrosse, boasts several hundred boosters and over 4,000 Facebook
followers.
Why it’s not there already:
Title IX, presumably. And unlike other axed programs like N.C.
State and Boston College, UConn was never all that competitive.
There’s not much history to harp on. For instance, Army was
an annual game on UConn’s schedule. The Black Knights owned
the Huskies from 1976 to 1981, winning all six games by an average
margin of 14 goals. Connecticut’s in-state talent is now of a
much higher caliber, however, and with the right administrative
support, recruits would flood its world-class facilities.
—Matt DaSilva
Davidson College
|
Location: Davidson, N.C.
Men’s lax, women’s lax or both:
Men’s
Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
Davidson ranks as the ninth best liberal arts college in the
country, according to U.S. News & World Report. Lacrosse is one
of the few sports where the true academic heavyweights have proven
they can legitimately compete on a national level. Davidson is a
very desirable place to recruit to — academics, great
weather, good facilities, beautiful campus, proximity to a metro
area (Charlotte) — and would be primed for success if given
appropriate resources.
Why it’s not there already:
Realistically, Davidson would probably have to drop football in
order to add lacrosse. Football dates to the 19th century at
Davidson, so the program has historical significance at the
college. However, Davidson is an orphan in Division I football. The
Wildcats play in a non-scholarship league that features teams from
eight states, including California, Florida, Iowa, and New York
— hardly an ideal situation.
—Brian Logue
DePaul University
Location: Chicago, Ill.
|
Men’s lax, women’s lax or both:
Men’s
Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
The men’s lacrosse answer to Northwestern. The Wildcats
proved that lacrosse can survive and thrive in the Midwest, and the
prospect of living in such a cool city has lured many East Coasters
out to Chicago. Thanks to a Big East Conference affiliation, the
Blue Demons could have a great schedule up and running quickly and
would at least be able to compete for an AQ. No football program at
DePaul to compete with for Title IX compliance. If Title IX was an
issue, DePaul might consider ditching its men’s golf program,
which GolfWeek ranked 155 out of 298 total programs at the end of
the 2009 season.
Why it’s not there already:
Scheduling nonconference opponents would difficult, given the
school’s geographic constraints. There’s a minimal (if
growing) grassroots interest in lacrosse, and DePaul’s urban
campus could make it difficult to find space for practice and
games.
—Clare Lochary
Florida State University
|
Location: Tallahassee, Fla.
Men’s lax, women’s lax or both: Both
Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
The addition of the two Seminole squads would add a southern
anchor for the ACC in both sports and capitalize on the growth on
the game in the Sunshine State. The men’s program is already
one of the nation’s stronger MCLA teams, with nearly 100 wins
over the past six years and five appearances in the national
tournament. The 50-player roster features a good blend of
transplants from the Northeast as well as homegrown talent. The
women’s club team is not quite as developed and relies
primarily on in-state products, but it has the potential to become
an attractive destination for many northerners. A healthy rivalry
against the University of Florida’s new women’s program
should serve as a catalyst to spur the team’s development in
a climate that lends itself to year-round outdoor play.
Why it’s not there already:
It’s likely that the school would want to add both programs
at the same time, and that takes a sizeable commitment. Despite the
addition of varsity teams at Jacksonville and UF, there’s
still a dearth of D-I programs in the state, making multiple road
trips north a financial reality for every season. FSU’s
athletics director has already stated that, based on an evaluation
of potential expenses and needed resources, women’s bowling
will be the next sport added to the varsity lineup. He has also
said recently that due to the state’s current budget crisis,
which forced FSU to trim its athletics budget by $3.5 million,
it’s likely that it will be several years before the school
considers adding any other sports.
—Paul Ohanian
University of Michigan
Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.
|
Men’s lax, women’s lax or both:
Both
Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
In a 2007 interview with LM, associate AD Mike Stevenson said the
university wants “teams that represent what’s offered
in the Michigan public schools.” The base is growing —
4,249 boys and 2,136 girls played at Michigan high schools in 2009,
compared with 3,032 boys and 1,435 girls in 2005, the first year
the MHSAA sanctioned the sport. Participation in boys’
lacrosse passed ice hockey — a UM varsity offering — in
2008. The Wolverines operate men’s and women’s lacrosse
teams at “varsity club” status, so they already get
some funding from the athletic department. Construction of a nifty
three-field soccer complex, including a 2,200-seat game stadium, is
wrapping up, and the complex sure could use some tenants in the
spring. Adding varsity lacrosse also would give UM another leg up
on little brother Michigan State, which dropped its varsity
men’s team in 1997. Club games between the two have drawn
4,000 fans to various high school stadiums.
Why it’s not already there:
With 13 women’s sports and 12 men’s, the
university’s athletic offerings are at gender equity. Despite
the free fall (pun intended) of sponsoring schools of NCAA Division
I men’s gymnastics (16, down from 42 in 1986-87) and its lack
of sponsorship in the MHSAA, Michigan has yet to pull the trigger
to deep-six the sport — likely a must before varsity lacrosse
can be added.
—Paul Krome
North Carolina State University
|
Location: Raleigh, N.C.
Men’s lax, women’s lax or both: Both
Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
It may not have been “worst to first,” but from 1973
to 1982, N.C. State’s varsity men’s team went from a
laughing stock to an NCAA tournament team. Using Canadian imports
is in vogue these days, but State was decades ahead of the curve.
Led by Canadian Hall of Famer Stan Cockerton, a three-time
All-American who graduated in 1980 as the NCAA’s career goals
leader with 193, the Wolfpack finished as ACC runner-up twice and
qualified for the 1979 NCAA tournament. The sport is on the rise in
the Tar Heel State, as evidenced by the recent sanctioning of
boys’ and girls’ lacrosse by the North Carolina High
School Athletic Association. Talent will follow as youth leagues
continue to develop, providing a more fertile local recruiting base
that was nonexistent 30 years ago.
Why it’s not already there:
The Wolfpack had a bit of a renegade status, as multiple reports
had players taking “play hard, party hard” to the
extreme — alcohol-induced destruction of property both on and
away from campus. The team was dropped after the 1982 season, in
part due to that recklessness and in part due to the considerable
financial expenditures of recruiting and playing games out of state
at a time when the NCAA was mandating an overall reduction in
scholarships for non-revenue sports. State, like many in the arms
race of college athletics, isn’t likely to add any sports
unless it can fully outfit such a team to win an NCAA title. The
Wolfpack have invested millions in facilities for football,
basketball and non-revenue sports under athletic director Lee
Fowler, and how much financial support exists for getting
women’s and men’s lacrosse off the ground remains a
question.
—Paul Krome
West Virginia University
Location: Morgantown, W.Va.
|
Men’s lax, women’s lax or both:
Both
Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
Country roads, take me home. West Virginia’s recruiting arm
would reach Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania, while growth of
lacrosse in the Midwest also would feed it well. Need a more
ringing endorsement? Here’s one from new WVU president James
P. Clements, a UMBC graduate with post-graduate degrees from both
UMBC and Johns Hopkins, as told to the Times West Virginian:
“I will tell you what has [hit the radar]. Several places
I’ve heard, ‘When are you going to add lacrosse?’
The Big East has a conference now. You have Syracuse. You have
Villanova. You have Georgetown. What about here? It’s
perfect. You can recruit Maryland and New York.” Clements was
previously the provost for Towson and is an Arlington, Va., native.
There’s plenty of lacrosse in that Mid-Atlantic pedigree.
Why it’s not there already:
Despite the national growth of the sport, West Virginia does not
yet boast the kind of infrastructure that would have locals
clamoring for its addition to the flagship institution. US Lacrosse
launched a West Virginia chapter in January 2009, a key step in the
sport’s development within state boundaries. More grassroots
growth nearby might make lacrosse a more attractive option to
WVU.
—Matt DaSilva
