Wheeling Jesuit Will Add Women's Lacrosse for 2012 Season
from press release
WHEELING, W.V. -- Wheeling Jesuit University is
adding women's lacrosse to its athletic programs for 2011-2012
academic year. In an announcement today, Sister Francis Marie
Thrailkill, OSU, welcomed the decision made recently by the Board
of Directors and Athletic Director Danny Sancomb.
"Women's lacrosse is growing across the country and it's a great
fit for our campus," Thrailkill said. "We look forward to cheering
this new group of student athletes in the coming year."
With the expansion, the Cardinal athletic department now claims 19
NCAA Division II varsity athletic teams, both men and women.
"Women's lacrosse is growing in popularity everywhere and this
expansion allows Wheeling Jesuit to offer young women the
opportunity to earn a Jesuit education in the Ohio Valley while
competing at the Division II level," said Sancomb. "Lacrosse is
often considered the fastest sport on two feet, so our fans are
going to love it."
Cardinal men's lacrosse was added to Wheeling Jesuit's athletics in
1999 and is coached by Jay Sothoron. The most recent addition to
Cardinal athletics was baseball, which got started in 2005 –
2006. Last year, junior varsity programs were also added to
Cardinal athletics.
Wheeling Jesuit is now seeking a qualified candidate to coach the
Lady Cardinals inaugural lacrosse program and has begun the
recruiting process. The newly established program intends to
recruit an initial roster of 20-25 players for a full NCAA DII
independent schedule, consisting of 12-15 games.
Wheeling Jesuit will be one of five institutions to offer women's
lacrosse in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference,
joining Seton Hill, West Virginia Wesleyan, Shepherd University and
Ohio Valley University. According to NCAA rules, one additional
institution (or a total of six) will be needed for the WVIAC to
recognize women's lacrosse as a conference sport and sponsor a
Conference Championship.
