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One of my favorite annual posts is finding out which schools are adding lacrosse for the 2019 season. We all know the Division I programs starting up, but there’s also plenty of schools at the other levels.
This year, institutions from Division I all the way down to the NAIA are getting set to begin a new era with the addition of at least one lacrosse team to their list of sponsored athletic programs. Let’s see who’ll we’ll be welcoming this year (h/t The Growth Blog).
2019 New College Lacrosse Programs
| School Name | State | Gender | League/Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| School Name | State | Gender | League/Division |
| Anderson University | Indiana | Men's and Women's | Division III |
| Anna Maria College | Massachusetts | Women's | Division III |
| Ashland University | Ohio | Women's | Division II |
| Barton College | North Carolina | Men's | Division II |
| Bethany College | West Virginia | Women's | Division III |
| Centenary College of Louisiana | Louisiana | Men's | Division III |
| College of Southern Maryland | Maryland | Men's | NJCAA |
| Kent State University | Ohio | Women's | Division I |
| Lewis University | Illinois | Women's | Division II |
| Life University | Georgia | Women's | NAIA |
| Marian University | Wisconsin | Women's | Division III |
| Marietta College | Ohio | Men's and Women's | Division III |
| Maryville Saints | Missouri | Women's | Division II |
| Mercer County Community College | New Jersey | Men's | NJCAA |
| Newbury College | Massachusetts | Men's | Division III |
| Rochester College | Michigan | Women's | NAIA |
| Sage College | New York | Men's | Division III |
| St. Bonaventure University | New York | Men's | Division I |
| SUNY Adirondack | New York | Men's | NJCAA |
| Taylor University | Indiana | Men's | NAIA |
| University at Plattsburgh | New York | Women's | Division III |
| University of Chicago | Illinois | Women's | Division III |
| University of Utah | Utah | Men's | Division I |
| University of Wisconsin-River Falls | Wisconsin | Women's | Division III |
| Upper Iowa University | Iowa | Women's | Division II |
| Whitworth University | Washington | Women's | Division III |
| Willamette University | Oregon | Women's | Division III |
| William Peace University | North Carolina | Women's | Division III |
Here are some interesting stats I found:
- 12 of the 28 schools fielding programs are starting men’s teams, with 10 of those 12 solely starting men’s teams.
- 18 of the 28 schools fielding programs are starting women’s teams, with 16 of those 18 solely starting women’s teams.
- Two schools are fielding both men’s and women’s teams.
- Division III has 16 new programs beginning in 2019. Division II has five new programs for this year, while every other level each has three programs starting up for this season.
- In the next three years, two Division I schools will be adding women’s lacrosse. Akron is starting their program in 2020, while Pittsburgh will begin in 2022.
- Two other programs will also join Division I next season, but not as “new” programs. D1 LIU Brooklyn and D2 LIU Post are merging both of their athletic teams to compete under Long Island University. LIU Post has a men’s team and will be a member of the Northeast Conference in 2020. LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post both have women’s teams and will be one of the sports that merges their teams. Merrimack will begin a four-year transition period as a member of the NEC.
- This year in Division I, there will be 73 men’s teams (St. Bonaventure and Utah are new) and 116 women’s teams (Kent State is new). Division II will have 71 men’s teams and 112 women’s teams. Division III will have 248 men’s teams and 294 women’s teams.
- In total, there are 392 total men’s NCAA teams and 522 total women’s NCAA teams for a total of 914 programs.
30 total programs join the college lacrosse ranks in 2019. Not a surprise, but the smaller schools are growing rapidly, and there’s some that have desired to start programs, but have had to put their plans on hold (Quincy University in Division II is starting their program up next season).
As for men’s Division I, it’s a notable year for the sport on both men’s and women’s versions. Yet another women’s team in Kent State is welcomed for 2019, while the men’s game sees St. Bonaventure and Utah, the westernmost program at the D1 men’s level, begin their years. Utah could be the starting point for more programs out west, as well as other FBS schools, to start considering adding the sport.
There haven’t been any new D1 schools announce their intentions to field a men’s lacrosse team lately. After the 2020 season, we’ll be at 75 teams with the next to be determined.