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Baltimore. Long Island. Philadelphia. Boston.
These are the markets you think of when you think of sites for the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament hosts. And sure enough, Baltimore is one of the hosts for the 2013 NCAA Lacrosse Quarterfinals.
The other one? Indianapolis, Indiana.
Wait, what?
"The committee felt moving one of the quarterfinals to a different geographic part of the country would aide in growing the sport of lacrosse, which is one of our most important goals. Both quarterfinal sites will play the games in top-notch facilities, and have staffs that are experienced and well-equipped for putting on a great championship event for all involved. We're looking forward to what is sure to be a memorable lacrosse weekend in both College Park and Indianapolis in 2013."
Smart move, folks. I'm sure someone will cry about not having the quarterfinals near the usual sites (Looking at you, Hofstra), but it's a really forward-thinking move for the sport of lacrosse.
You've got plenty of programs making major waves in the Midwest. Notre Dame is a national contender, Ohio State is a quality program and there's many other up-and-comers. Marquette is starting their own D-1 program soon and Michigan is soon to follow.
It's Westward Ho! for lacrosse and slowly but surely inching playoff sites in that direction without sacrificing the base is the way to go.
The NCAA Final Four and National Championship will be held in Philadelphia, PA, at Lincoln Financial Field, May 25-27.