Lacrosse at a "DI" UND?

[star2city]

NY Times: Princeton Lacrosse Coach Takes Over Denver Program

(Denver's) vice chancellor for athletics, said she believed that Tierney could do more than make the Pioneers contenders as they join the East Coast Athletic Conference next season. She said Tierney could turn Denver into a standard bearer for the game outside its traditional Northeast base.

Lacrosse is played now in dense pockets across the country, spread out like airline hubs.

[farce poobah]

Love the title of this MSNBC article: ""College Short of Cash? Just add Lacrosse"

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/32812631/ns/sports/

Food for thought.

[star2city]

Love the title of this MSNBC article: ""College Short of Cash? Just add Lacrosse"

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/32812631/ns/sports/

Food for thought.

Small private DI schools like Jacksonville, Mercer, Detroit, and Presbyterian all added lacrosse because it would add students (and tuition) to their bottom lines. Some of them didn't even add any scholarships, so DI lacrosse for them is like non-scholarship IAA football.

For UND, scholarships wouldn't be that great of expense (11.7 / yr ), while travel and coaching would be. Since UND tuition is so much less than most of the private schools that offer lax (like Denver), it would make DI much more accessible for many prospective DI lax players in the west. Likely 30 or more athletes without scholarships could enroll just to have an opportunity to make the team.

That said, before lax could ever be offered, UND has to be in an auto-bid all sports conference, a year-round training facility has to be available, and a longer-term conference home for football must be realized.

[star2city]

The Mesa State Experiment

Starting in 2011, we'll have a new paradigm.

At first glance, the decision by Mesa State, located in Grand Junction, Colo., to add both men's and women's programs seems curious. It bucks just about every trend set for western states varsity lacrosse.

First of all, check out where Grand Junction is located.

The mid-point of the eight-hour drive from Denver to Salt Lake City, Mesa State isn't within smelling distance of any kind of metroplex. While Grand Junction is the 15th-largest city in Colorado (pop. 53,662), it is nothing like the Bay Area, Phoenix or Denver. On the bright side, there are very few traffic jams in cattle country.

Second, it's a public school.

Believe it or not, they might be sowing the seeds of burgeoning powerhouse.

While the aforementioned disadvantages for Mesa State are self-evident, you have to dig a little deeper to find the keys for a potential success story. There are three big pluses in the Mavs' favor.

1. The Tuition

Simply put, Mesa State is a bargain for in-state students or those from outside. Because the school isn't desperate to fill beds (there's actually a waiting list for the dorms), it isn't trying to make up any kind of budget shortfall on the backs of out-of-staters. As such, it's a pretty darn good deal. ...

This is why even though Mesa State is located in the center of some relatively fertile recruiting grounds in Denver, Salt Lake and Phoenix, most of his interest is coming from New York, New England, Canada, California and Oregon. Due to an institutional decision, Stevens won't have any scholarship money to spread around, but at roughly $14,000 for room, board and books, it has critical numbers in its favor to pique prep interest.

2. The Facilities

In a stroke of pure luck, Mesa State finished off the massive renovations to its athletic complex and has money stored up to make additions in the near future. ...

Mesa State is a public school in the wilds of Colorado looking to build a national D-II contender. If it succeeds, the western paradigm completely shifts.

[star2city]

Bay Area lures top lacrosse recruiters

Lacrosse coaches talk about the Bay Area the way you would expect a baseball scout to talk about Latin America or a hockey scout to talk about Scandinavia.

It's the newest frontier, and the only question is how fast camp can be pitched.

Since 2003, high school lacrosse participation in California has grown 229 percent among boys (2,240 to 7,365), according to the California Interscholastic Federation, and 170 percent among girls (1,834 to 4,956). The Northern California Junior Lacrosse League has expanded from 90 to 350 teams in that time.

Lacrosse remains outside the top 10 high school sports in participation, but its growth is the steepest of any sport. And since lacrosse became an official high school sport, participation has decreased slightly for baseball and softball - both spring sports that compete with lacrosse for participants.

"Baseball's got a giant base, but spots are harder to get on baseball teams," said University High boys lacrosse coach Braden Edwards. "Lacrosse is a compelling alternative - it's fast-paced, with a lot of running, hitting and scoring, like football, but with kind of the same momentum that basketball has."

Two professional lacrosse teams have failed in the Bay Area over the past two years, but many coaches believe that a college such as Stanford could sustain a men's lacrosse team.

"The sport is marching west - just look at Denver," said Matt Field, president of the Marin Lacrosse Club, referring to longtime Princeton coach Bill Tierney's move to the University of Denver this season. "I have no doubt Stanford and Denver could both be national contenders. We've got the talent around here now - it's just about letting kids see the game.

Get UND in a lacrosse league with Denver, Air Force, Stanford, Cal: not bad academic company.

[star2city]

Fox College Sports broadcasts Lax routinely.

Who has a FCS contract? Such a contract would put UND on the recruiting map for western and midwestern recruits, instantly.

Just need a practice facility now.

We can't do worse in Lax than we do in say, men's BB.

[star2city]

Fox College Sports broadcasts Lax routinely.

Who has a FCS contract? Such a contract would put UND on the recruiting map for western and midwestern recruits, instantly.

Just need a practice facility now.

We can't do worse in Lax than we do in say, men's BB.

ESPN planning major increase in college LAX broadcasts

If ESPN is increasing LAX coverage, would follow Fox College Sports would have an interest too.

With an indoor facility, a national TV contract, the next ingredient is a league:

Denver

Air Force

SMU (rumored - large interest in Dallas)

Stanford (rumored to be 1st men's west coast program)

Grand Canyon (Phoenix) is moving to DI and sponsors LAX

North Dakota

[jimdahl]

A nice story that backs up some of the themes of this thread:

The Northwestern Women's Lacrosse Team: From Infancy to Dynasty

From the first days of the program in 2001, to a run of five consecutive NCAA titles, Northwestern has rewritten the map of collegiate women's lacrosse, pushing the boundaries of a predominantly East Coast sport well to the west.

[Air Force One]

Talked to some guys from the Lacrosse team at the Involement Expo today. Spoke the most with a young man from Maryland. The team did pretty good last spring in their new league, over .500. He said they have picked up several good players out of the Twin Cities. The team also desires to do some local youth clinics to give the locals a familiarization into the sport and grow some interest locally. They also got sweet new Warrior jerseys and added the logo to their helmets.

I like the direction they seemed to be going and the enthusiasm they had.

[star2city]

Talked to some guys from the Lacrosse team at the Involement Expo today. Spoke the most with a young man from Maryland. The team did pretty good last spring in their new league, over .500. He said they have picked up several good players out of the Twin Cities. The team also desires to do some local youth clinics to give the locals a familiarization into the sport and grow some interest locally. They also got sweet new Warrior jerseys and added the logo to their helmets.

I like the direction they seemed to be going and the enthusiasm they had.

Nice to see this. As Gretzky said, playing lacrosse was a key to his development on the rink.

[star2city]

New development in men's lacrosse:

Stanford Daily: USC to add women's lacrosse now, men's lacrosse later

(USC President) Nikias also commented that the Trojans would add a Division I men’s lacrosse team in the next three to five years. Should the Trojans follow through with the D-I men’s lacrosse program, they would only be the third men’s Division I program west of the Mississippi River (the others are Air Force and the University of Denver), a huge step toward expanding the game in California.

With the budget crisis in California and in most western states, private schools like USC and Stanford are practically the only ones that can afford adding sports. With USC getting on board for men's lacrosse, there could actually be a western conference:

USC

Stanford (also rumored)

Denver

Air Force

one or two Texas schools (SMU , UT) (rumored)

With an existing facility that is basically perfect for lacrosse in a northern climate (Alerus), a practice facility rumored, 12 schollies max, incredible lax growth in Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and California, the national sport of Canada to provide recruits, the need for a spectator spring-time sport for UND, and the chance to associate with name schools, the time for action at UND is drawing near.

[MplsBison]

New development in men's lacrosse:

Stanford Daily: USC to add women's lacrosse now, men's lacrosse later

With the budget crisis in California and in most western states, private schools like USC and Stanford are practically the only ones that can afford adding sports. With USC getting on board for men's lacrosse, there could actually be a western conference:

USC

Stanford (also rumored)

Denver

Air Force

one or two Texas schools (SMU , UT) (rumored)

With an existing facility that is basically perfect for lacrosse in a northern climate (Alerus), a practice facility rumored, 12 schollies max, incredible lax growth in Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and California, the national sport of Canada to provide recruits, the need for a spectator spring-time sport for UND, and the chance to associate with name schools, the time for action at UND is drawing near.

University of North Dakota, right?

Not until it's offered to ND high school students.

[The Sicatoka]

It's now a Minnesota HS League sanctioned sport.

And UND and NDSU were playing softball and baseball long before the NDHSAA sanctioned the sports. (But we've been over this. You're just being ... well, ... you.)

[MplsBison]

It's now a Minnesota HS League sanctioned sport.

And UND and NDSU were playing softball and baseball long before the NDHSAA sanctioned the sports. (But we've been over this. You're just being ... well, ... you.)

Wrongs of the past are no excuse to commit wrongs in the future.

No lacrosse at UND or NDSU until it's a ND high school sport. That's my $0.02.

[star2city]

Wrongs of the past are no excuse to commit wrongs in the future.

No lacrosse at UND or NDSU until it's a ND high school sport. That's my $0.02.

First ND high school hockey championship: 1961.

UND began intercollegiate hockey: 1946 (or actually much earlier if club hockey included)

By your logic, hockey at UND was illegitimately started.

UND playing in a league with Minnesota, Michigan, and Michigan State should never have been allowed.

Good things are begun by visionaries, not pinheads.

[The Sicatoka]

That's my $0.02.

And I will take it for exactly its full stated value.

[VMeister]

Wrongs of the past are no excuse to commit wrongs in the future.

No lacrosse at UND or NDSU until it's a ND high school sport. That's my $0.02.

First recorded high school football game in North Dakota - 1906.

First recorded Bison football game - 1894.

Shut it down?

[star2city]

First recorded high school football game in North Dakota - 1906.

First recorded Bison football game - 1894.

Shut it down?

[MplsBison]

First recorded high school football game in North Dakota - 1906.

First recorded Bison football game - 1894.

Shut it down?

Wrongs of the past are no excuse to commit wrongs in the future.

[lawkota]

Wrongs of the past are no excuse to commit wrongs in the future.

Ha! You are hilarious! I wonder if the athletic departments at UND and NDSU realize they have been continually wronging the citizens of North Dakota for over 100 years?

[star2city]

One of the main blogs for U of Michigan athletics is reporting that Michigan's AD has told boosters that lacrosse will be sponsored soon.

Michigan AD: Wolverines will sponsor varsity lacrosse teams

So within the past two months, two of the major names in college sports - Michigan and USC - have both given indications they will sponsor men's and women's lacrosse.

Only two Big Ten schools currently sponsor men's lax: Ohio State and Penn Sate. Northwestern sponsors only women's lax.

Liking either of these two options:

Western lacrosse:

USC

Stanford

Denver

Air Force

North Dakota

+ one more

Midwest lacrosse:

Michigan

Ohio St

Detroit

Bellarmine

North Dakota

+one more

[fightingsioux4life]

Most people I tell this laugh, but I think this could be a nice addition to our athletic department. I think we should think about dropping both baseball and softball (our spring weather rarely cooperates) and start up men's and women's lacrosse. We could play in the Alerus Center so weather won't be a problem. If we start it in the next couple of years, we will establish our programs at the same time the sport is growing nationally. It could give our athletic department a big boost at a time of increased costs and travel.

[darell1976]

Most people I tell this laugh, but I think this could be a nice addition to our athletic department. I think we should think about dropping both baseball and softball (our spring weather rarely cooperates) and start up men's and women's lacrosse. We could play in the Alerus Center so weather won't be a problem. If we start it in the next couple of years, we will establish our programs at the same time the sport is growing nationally. It could give our athletic department a big boost at a time of increased costs and travel.

Up here unless you play ball in a dome expect sh-tty weather plus flooding. I like the lacrosse idea.

[star2city]

Up here unless you play ball in a dome expect sh-tty weather plus flooding. I like the lacrosse idea.

With field turf in the Alerus, it makes lax (as wall as soccer) even more feasible to be played there.

We still need a practice facility.

[star2city]

Marquette to add men's and women's lacrosse

Marquette will start lacrosse and begin play later in the Big East. College men's lacrosse is now within a traditional UND recruiting area.

Latest rumors in the west:

Stanford and Oregon start men's lacrosse (USC already confirmed for later)

Western Lacrosse League

Denver

Air Force

USC

Oregon (Nike interested)

Stanford

North Dakota !!!

Midwest opponents: Michigan (new), Notre Dame, Ohio State, Marquette

Start lacrosse before Minnesota or Wisconsin have a chance to get established!